Christopher Dunn is a partner with Waller Lansden's trial and appellate group and concentrates his practice on construction law and litigation. Since 2007, Chris has been recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® (Woodward White, Inc.) for his work in the construction law field, and he is A-V rated by Martindale-Hubbell. Additional recognition for his work includes selection to the American Arbitration Association's Construction Neutrals Panel, induction as a Fellow of the Nashville Bar Foundation, and being named to the Nashville Business Journal's "Best of the Bar."
Chris assists clients with critical legal issues involved in the design, construction and development of new commercial, industrial and public-sector projects. He represents publicly-traded, national companies in the healthcare, manufacturing, and hospitality industries, among others. His clients are predominantly project owners and developers, though his experience includes the representation of construction lenders, contractors, design professionals, and subcontractors and suppliers in both transactional and dispute resolution engagements.
Well-versed in construction-related insurance, Chris has handled matters utilizing both owner and contractor-controlled insurance programs. He also advises clients with regard to complex scheduling, job-cost accounting, sustainability and building information modeling (BIM) contract provisions. Recently, a team of Waller attorneys, led by Chris, prepared design agreements on behalf of an owner with a project with a design budget in excess of $30 million as well as related construction documents forecasted to exceed $800 million in construction values.
In the litigation context, Chris represents owners, lenders, architects, general contractors, subcontractors and suppliers of construction materials. His representation has involved issues of payment, workmanship, design, completion delays and surety performance.
Chris demonstrates his competency in the construction law field through a number of speaking engagements, publications, and leadership roles, including:
· Serving as the 2011-2012 Chair of Division 12-Owners and Lenders of the American Bar Association's Forum on the Construction Industry
· Co-authoring a chapter in the April 2011 ABA-published book, Construction Insurance: A Guide for Attorneys and other Professionals
· Co-authoring chapters in various publications of the ABA's Forum on the Construction Industry, such as Construction Checklists: A Guide to Frequently Encountered Construction Issues and the 2nd edition of THE Construction Contracts; and articles in The Construction Lawyer
· Speaking at national and regional meetings and conferences sponsored by the ABA's Forum on the Construction Industry, Willis Group Holdings, the International Municipal Lawyers Association, the TN Association of Construction Counsel, the TN Road Builders Association, and the TN Society of Certified Public Accountants
· Serving as an elected member of the three-person Board of Directors of the Tennessee Association of Construction Counsel (TACC)
Clerkships and Previous Affiliations
· Judicial Clerk to the Tennessee Court of Appeals, Middle Section, 1995-1997
· Associate, Cornelius & Collins, LLP, Nashville, Tennessee, 1997-2000
· Associate, Smith & Cashion, PLC, Nashville, Tennessee, 2000-2002
Professional Activities
· Member, Nashville, Tennessee and American Bar Associations
· Member, American Bar Association's Forum on the Construction Industry
· Member, Construction Neutrals Panel of the American Arbitration Association
· Member, Steering Committee, Division 12-Owners and Lenders of the ABA Forum on the Construction Industry
Published Articles
· Confronting Conventional Wisdom on Builders Risk: From Named Insured Status to Concurrent Causation, 31-Fall Constr. Law 15 (Fall 2011)
· Construction Contract Insurance Clauses, Construction Insurance: A Guide for Attorneys and Other Professionals (ABA Forum on the Construction Industry) (April 2011)
· "5 Legal Factors in Green Construction," Buildings, March 2010
· "6 Things Every Contractor Needs to Know about Bid Protests Under Tennessee Law," Tennessee Road Builder, September/October 2009
· "Step Negotiation," THE Construction Contracts Book, ABA Forum on the Construction Industry, November 2008
· "Representing the Construction Lender," Construction Checklists: A Guide to Frequently Encountered Construction Issues, ABA Forum on the Construction Industry, November 2008
· "Consequences of Ownership or Licensing of the Project Drawings - If you Pay for it, Do You Own it?," The Construction Lawyer, Summer 2008 (Vol 28, No. 3)
· Wallerland: Public Works Projects in Tennessee: The Distinction Between Statutory and Common Law Bonds, January 2008
Civic and Other Activities
· Executive Committee Member, Goodwill of Middle Tennessee, Inc.
Articles
7/22/2011, Attorneys to Speak at IMLA Conference in September
5/5/2011, Owner's Field Guide to Risk Transfer Provisions in Modern Day Design and Construction Contracts
4/8/2010, Waller Lansden Banking and Financial Services Update Vol. 5, Spring 2010
3/17/2010, "5 Legal Factors in Green Construction," Buildings, March 2010
10/31/2009, "6 Things Every Contractor Needs to Know about Bid Protests Under Tennessee Law," Tennessee Road Builder, September/October 2009
9/18/2008, Firm Ranked Number One for Health Care, Government Relations, Mass Tort Litigation, Bankruptcy, Antitrust and Tax Law in Nashville and Tennessee
1/28/2008, Wallerland: Public Works Projects in Tennessee: The Distinction Between Statutory and Common Law Bonds - January 2008
9/11/2007, Waller Lansden News: Best Lawyers in America Honors 45 Waller Lansden Attorneys
8/22/2007, WallerLand: Six Reasons Every Construction Owner Should Exercise Caution When Considering a "Mutual" Waiver of Consequential Damage Provisions - August 2007
8/30/2005, "Retainage No More" from Tennessee Road Builders Magazine
10/27/2004, A User's Guide to the Tennessee Prompt Pay Act: Perfecting the Art of Getting Paid From the Sept./Oct. Issue of Tennessee Road Builders Magazine
8/6/2004, Ask the Legal Professional As Seen in the Nashville Business Journal on August 6, 2004: How a New Law Impacts Defective Construction Disputes
5/17/2004, Leverage When It Counts