Chris counsels and represents developers and other landowners in a broad range of complex litigation, appellate, transactional, and administrative matters involving zoning, eminent domain, inverse condemnation, platting, permitting, land use, annexation, landlord/tenant, drainage, historic preservation, constitutional law, fair housing, open records, open meetings, and other property and regulatory matters.  Our firm does not represent residential tenants, however. 

Before joining Miklos Cinclair, Chris was an assistant city attorney for the City of Dallas for almost 27 years, including serving as first assistant city attorney for almost 10 years and interim city attorney for five months. His primary responsibilities as first assistant included supervising all Dallas’ civil litigation and criminal prosecutions and working on special projects.  In his last year with Dallas, it had the second lowest average litigation cost per resident of the 10 largest cities in the nation during the previous three years. 

Since joining Miklos Cinclair, Chris has: (1) filed two lawsuits challenging a Dallas suburb's parkland exaction ordinance as excessive and obtained a $2,053,695 fee reduction in one case and a reimbursement of $350,400 in the other; (2) persuaded a Dallas suburb's officials to reverse a planning department's decision and allow a substance abuse treatment center; and (3) convinced the Dallas board of adjustment to reverse the building official's decision to revoke a building permit. 

Chris has favorably resolved numerous federal and state lawsuits through trial and mediation. He also has successfully handled appeals in multiple appellate courts.