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Practice/Industry Groups:
Litigation
Business Law
Intellectual Property
Technology
Christopher Ernst is a member of the Bricker & Eckler litigation and business law groups and is located in the Cleveland office. He has a litigation practice of small, medium and large commercial cases and a corporate practice working with emerging and middle market companies, often serving as outside general counsel. Mr. Ernst is a prolific author and a frequently sought after public speaker.
Representative Experience - Litigation
Successfully represented a local construction firm in a $160 million breach of contract lawsuit
Successfully represented a local real estate developer in a $20 million corporate dissolution lawsuit
Successfully defended a regional company in a $30 million bad faith lawsuit
Successfully defended a national company in a $10 million breach of contract / bad faith lawsuit
Successfully represented a local company accused of causing the violation of an employee’s non-competition and confidentiality agreements
Representative Experience - Business
Negotiated and resolved a post-sale multi-million dollar dispute between the seller and buyer of a nationwide wholesale business
Successfully resolved a trademark dispute between a local holding company and an international entertainment firm
Successfully negotiated acquisition of a retail food service business
Negotiated favorable leasing terms for multiple clients
Managed intellectual property portfolio for a variety of clients
Prepared necessary legal documents associated with the operation of a variety of websites
Community and Professional Activities
Cleveland Professionals Group, Co-Founder and Member (2006 – present)
Cleveland Business Leaders (The Union Club), Chair 2007 – present)
Supreme Court of Ohio, Lawyer to Lawyer Mentoring Program (2006 – present)
Member, American Concrete Institute (2006 – present)
Mensa (2002 – present)
Cleveland Music School Settlement, Board of Directors (2003 – 2005)
Cuyahoga County Corrections Planning Board Trustee (1996 – 2002)
Community Assessment Foundation, Board of Trustees (1999 – 2002)
Playhouse Square Partners, Board of Trustees (1995 – 2001)
Affiliations
William K. Thomas Inn of Court (2007 – present)
American Bar Association (2002 – present); Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section Vice Chair, Law and Technology Committee of the Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section (2004 – present); Committees of Business Torts Litigation, Commerical and Business Litigation, Intellectual Property Litigation, and Pretrial Practice and Discovery of the Litigation Section; Committees of Business Torts, Business and Corporate Litigation, Corporate Counsel, and Cyberspace Law of the Section of Business Law
Ohio State Bar Association (1993 – present); Corporate Counsel Section (2006 – present) and Secretary, Governing Council of the Corporate Counsel Section (2006- 2007)
Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association (2007-present)
Cleveland Bar Association (1993 – 2001, 2006 – 2007)
Cuyahoga County Bar Association (1993 – 2000); Board of Trustees (1996 – 2000); Editor in Chief, Law & Fact (1999 – 2000); Vice Chair, Judicial Selection Committee (1998 – 1999); Certified Grievance Committee (1997 – 2000); Common Pleas Court Committee (1995 – 2000)
Awards and Recognitions
Ohio Super Lawyer (2004 – 2006)
Who’s Who In America, 57th edition
Who’s Who In American Law, 10th and 13th editions
Publications
Baldwin’s Ohio Practice Series, Tort Law (2005); Baldwin’s Ohio Practice Series: Tort Law 2d (TBD), Thomson/West Publishing
Editor in Chief, Tort Law Journal of Ohio, Thomson/West Publishing (2006 - 2008)
Blog Administrator, Tort Law Journal Blog (2006 - present)
Regular Contributor, “Bench & Bar: Judicial Profile” Tort Law Journal of Ohio (2006 - 2008)
Regular Contributor, “Terms and Conditions” Concrete Today (2007)
Regular Contributor, “E-Commerce Updates” Hurd From The Tower (2001 - 2002)
Regular Contributor, “A Word from the Editor” Law & Fact (1999 - 2000)
“Is Your Lawyer Good or Bad for Business?” Concrete Contractor (October 2007)
“My Lawyer Can Beat Up Your Lawyer” Builders Exchange Magazine (Volume 6, Number 4, July 2007)
“Pay If Paid, Paid When Paid … When Do I Get Paid?” Properties Magazine (July 2006)
“The Cost When Things Go Wrong” Real Estate Finance (Volume 23, Number 1, June 2006)
“The Top Ten Clauses to Watch For In Construction Subcontracts - What Every Sub Should Know” Concrete Contractor (December 2006)
"Collecting Your Receivables" Law You Can Use (1999)
"You've Been Arrested. Now What?" Law You Can Use (1996)
Note,
“The Foreign Ownership Disclosure Act of 1989” Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law (Volume 23, 1991)
Speaking Engagements
Lorman Education Services:
LLCs, LLPs and Partnerships: Fiduciary Duties of Members and Managers in LLCs and Partners in Partnerships (2007)
Corporate Counsel Institute:
Taking and Defending Depositions: Is Your Gun Loaded With Blanks? (2006)
Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc., Northern Ohio Chapter: Learn the Business of Your Business (2006)
American Society of Professionals Estimators
Arbitrations: Good or Bad (2006)
Ohio Landscape Association WinterGreen Expo and Conference: Business Operations Update: Hot Topics (2006)
Eastlake Chamber of Commerce:
What You Don’t Know Might Cost You: Issues in Litigation (2005)
National Business Institute:
Building an E-Commerce Foundation in Ohio (2003)
International Silicone Conference:
Up-and-Coming Issues of Transacting Business on the Web (2002)
Ohio CLE Institute:
Interviewing & Counseling Clients (1997 - 2000);
Business Acquisition Agreements (1998);
Distributorship & Sales Representative Agreements (1998);
LLC Operating Agreement & Limited Partnership Agreements (1998)
Education
Case Western Reserve School of Law (J.D., 1991);
Executive Notes Editor, Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law; Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition (1991) -- 3rd Best in the Midwest for Oral Argument and 3rd Best in the Midwest for Brief Writing
Tufts University (B.A., History and International Relations 1988)
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