Christopher S. Riley, of the Elkhart, Ind. Office, is a partner in the firm's Litigation Department and Appellate Practice Group where he maintains an advocacy practice that is broad in scope.
Since joining the firm in 2001, Mr. Riley has regularly represented clients as the lead trial attorney in a breadth of legal subject matters. Mr. Riley has represented clients in courts across the nation in dozens of trials and significant hearings, and has also served as the lead attorney in multiple pieces of appellate litigation. His most frequent engagements include antitrust, appellate advocacy, business litigation, business torts, collections, commercial law (UCC), contract disputes, copyright registration and infringement litigation, electronic data discovery and document retention, environmental litigation, franchise litigation, personal injury, probate litigation, product liability, real estate, tax court litigation, trademark registration and infringement litigation, trade secrets and non-competition, unfair competition and zoning.
Mr. Riley's training in trial advocacy began long before he joined Barnes & Thornburg. While a law student at Notre Dame, he spent three years working at the Cass County Prosecutor's Office in Michigan, where he handled dozens of misdemeanor cases and "second chaired" multiple jury trials. He also was a member of Notre Dame's "Barrister Team," which competed nationally in trial advocacy. As an undergraduate student at the University of Redlands, Mr. Riley was a three-year member (two as captain) of the Trial Advocacy Team, which competed nationally.
Mr. Riley also practices within the firm's Labor and Employment Law Department and Finance, Insolvency and Restructuring Department. In his labor practice, Mr. Riley has experience representing employers in EEOC proceedings, NLRB proceedings, Title VII discrimination claims, retaliation claims, unemployment proceedings and union grievance proceedings. His work with the Finance, Insolvency and Restructuring Department has included bankruptcy litigation (non-dischargeability actions, proofs of claims, adversary proceedings, and preference claims), property foreclosure, FDCPA compliance and litigation defense, immediate possession hearings, fraudulent transfers, piercing the corporate veil, receiverships and enforcement of foreign judgments. Mr. Riley also represents clients in the areas of RV Law and Transportation Law.
A member of the Elkhart Builder's Association, a special component of Mr. Riley's practice includes representing builders and suppliers in construction law matters including mechanic's liens; construction defect litigation; drafting construction contracts and construction warranty litigation. Mr. Riley is also a member of the Lemon Law Defense Counsel Alliance, Transportation Lawyer's Association, the Lawyer's Committee of the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association, and the Indiana School Board Association. In addition, Mr. Riley holds membership in the Litigation Section and Legal Technology Committee of the American Bar Association, and the Bankruptcy Section of the Indiana State Bar Association.
In November 2010, Mr. Riley was elected as the At Large Member of the Penn-Harris-Madison Board of School Trustees. He voraciously reads and studies American History and the Civil War.
Mr. Riley is married with two children and attends Granger Community Church.
Publications
· Commercial Finance & Insolvency Bulletin - September 2009