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Chris has nurtured close client relationships since he joined Hellmuth & Johnson in 2004. Today, he is a partner and a member of the Real Estate, Construction, and Litigation practices. His clients include contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, business owners, and property owners. He represents them in mediations, arbitrations, administrative hearings, and district court actions regarding mechanic’s liens, construction defect disputes, real estate and other business and commercial disputes and investigations.
He assists his construction industry clients on contract issues, project disputes, and general legal matters, taking a problem-solving approach to resolve disputes quickly and efficiently. Chris also works to prevent future disputes by drafting and reviewing construction contracts, assisting in project documentation, and establishing preliminary dispute resolution procedures. His construction industry clients also hire him to handle regulatory and legal compliance matters on their behalf.
Chris represents both buyers and sellers in real estate sale misrepresentation cases, including arbitrations. He frequently teaches seminars on sale disclosure issues to real estate agents, who are frequently the first point of contact when a problem arises. In all matters, he works diligently to achieve the best outcome possible while trying to minimize the tensions inherent in these types of matters.
Over the years, Chris has obtained significant monetary recoveries on behalf of clients with homes damaged by water intrusion, water damage, and construction deficiencies. Those recoveries have helped homeowners get their homes repaired and resolve the ongoing issues. “The process can be challenging and intimidating for those who lack guidance,” explains Chris, “so I steer my clients through it quickly, yet aggressively and effectively, to maximize the possible recovery under the circumstances.”
Chris’s clients benefit from his focus on relationship building. “It’s all about establishing trust,” he says. “To do that, I never sugarcoat the truth but provide an honest assessment of a case at each stage and evaluate what makes sense going forward. In addition, I place a premium on organization and timeliness. All these things form the basis of a real partnership, and that, in turn, enables me to represent my clients as effectively as possible.”
Chris is licensed to practice in the state and federal trial courts of Minnesota and North Dakota, as well as the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.