Christopher B. Trowbridge

Managing Partner

Practice Areas

Litigation

Biography
Representative Matters
Noteworthy
Activities & Memberships
Publications

Christopher Trowbridge is the Managing Partner at Bell Nunnally. Named to the "Texas Lawyer Hall of Fame Verdicts" list, Chris is well-known for vigorously protecting his clients’ interests in high-stakes legal matters with extensive experience helping clients with complex business disputes. In the past few years alone, Chris has represented his clients in multi-million dollar disputes in state, federal, and appellate courts and arbitrations in Florida, California, Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Arkansas, South Carolina and cities across Texas. His litigation docket includes contract, fraud, and business torts matters, injunctive relief including covenants not to compete, intellectual property matters including patent and copyright infringement and trade secret disputes, securities litigation and broker-dealer disputes including cryptocurrency issues, FINRA and AAA arbitrations, and appeals. Chris’ clients are nationwide and range from high net-worth individuals to Fortune 500 companies.

Not limiting his advocacy to the courtroom, Chris routinely provides his clients with pre-litigation counseling and assistance with complex contract negotiations. Chris also works closely with his firm's commercial finance, real estate, tax, bankruptcy, and corporate attorneys to strategize with his clients regarding investments and partnerships, mergers and acquisitions, financing arrangements, tax issues, foreclosures, work-outs, and development projects.

Chris has been named to The Best Lawyers in America® list from 2017 to 2021, selected as a Texas Super Lawyer® from 2013 to 2020 and a Texas Rising Star® by Texas Monthly for six years. In 2020 and 2021, Chris was named to “The Dallas 500” list of “The Most Powerful Business Leaders in Dallas/Fort Worth” by D CEO Magazine. He was previously named one of Texas Lawyer's twenty-five “Legal Leaders on the Rise” and “Litigator of the Week.” He was also recognized in The National Law Journal's "Top Verdicts and Settlements" and Verdict Search’s “Top Business Law Verdicts.”

Education

J.D., Baylor Law School, 1998
B.B.A., Economics and International Business, Baylor University, 1995

Admissions

State Bar of Texas
United States Supreme Court
United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Second, Third, and Fifth Circuit
United States District Court for the Northern, Southern, Eastern and Western Districts of Texas, and the Eastern and Western Districts of Wisconsin

Related Industries

Representative Matters

In 2020, after oral argument, Chris obtained the complete dismissal of a derivative and double derivative lawsuit brought by a shareholder against a bank and a bank-holding company. Chris and a team from Bell Nunnally filed special exceptions arguing under Delaware law that the derivative plaintiff shareholder failed to satisfy the demand futility rule.
In 2020, Chris obtained a Temporary Restraining Order in Texas state court on behalf of a publicly-held financial services company and filed a tandem FINRA arbitration action against the company’s former representative prohibiting the retention or use of the client’s confidential information, and the solicitation by the former representative of several broad categories of its customers seeking to preserve more than $60 million in assets under management.
In 2019, Chris presented oral argument before the United States Courts of Appeal for the Fifth Circuit in New Orleans, Louisiana and, in 2020, obtained the reversal of a final judgment on claims for money had and received, unjust enrichment, and constructive trust in a Northern District of Texas federal court case involving novel claims for damages by a non-customer against a financial institution for the bank’s alleged failure to prevent a check-kite committed by a customer of the bank.
In 2019, Chris represented a national testing organization in a copyright infringement, Defend Trade Secrets Act, and computer fraud and abuse lawsuit brought to protect the integrity of a professional school admissions process from an individual suspected of stealing admissions test content. After a hearing in federal court in Houston, Chris and a team from Bell Nunnally obtained a Temporary Restraining Order and a Civil Seizure and Impoundment Order on behalf of the client.
In 2017, Chris secured a $23.1 million jury verdict on behalf of national cattle broker in a fraud matter involving a check kiting scheme and fraudulent cattle transactions. The outcome received nationwide press coverage and was named to the "Texas Lawyer Hall of Fame Verdicts" list. It was also selected as a "Top Verdict" by The National Law Journal.
From 2011 through 2015, Chris was lead counsel on a series of high-stakes patent infringement, contract, unfair competition, and Computer Fraud & Abuse Act cases in which he represented a virtual payment systems company seeking to protect its medical payment technology from a group of former associates.
In 2015, on behalf of the broker dealer retail arm of an SEC-registered investment adviser which, together with its affiliates, has approximately $20 billion of assets under management, Chris obtained a state court temporary restraining order against a former registered representative preventing the continued use of the company’s trade secrets and confidential information, and defended the restraining order in the parallel FINRA proceeding.
In 2015, on behalf of a beneficiary of a trust containing oil and gas interests, Chris argued a post-trial motion for entry of judgment and obtained a judgment for $6,930,460.62 against a national bank, including attorneys’ fees of $467,374.00. The court entered judgment against the bank for fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, gross negligence, and negligence.
In 2014, Chris represented the owners of a professional hockey team seeking an injunction in a federal court Lanham Act case involving claims of trademark and trade dress infringement of the hockey team's brand, marks, and image.
In 2013, on behalf of a restaurant chain, Chris obtained a temporary restraining order based on grounds of trademark and trade dress infringement against the former owner of the restaurant chain to prevent him from opening a competing restaurant concept.
In 2011, on behalf of a virtual payment systems company, Chris obtained a state court temporary restraining order and a federal court temporary injunction against a group of former partners and employees to prevent their use of the company's trade secrets and confidential information.
In 2011, Chris obtained a $1,397,291.07 judgment including $397,913.88 in attorneys’ fees in the United States Bankruptcy Court against a real estate investment company. After a four-day adversary hearing, the Judge ruled in a 52-page opinion that the individual behind the company was personally liable as the alter-ego of the company and that the entire debt was non-dischargeable under the Bankruptcy Code. Texas Lawyer recognized Chris as “Litigator of the Week” for this victory.
In 2010, Chris obtained a $4.4 million dollar judgment on behalf of the nation’s largest privately held bank against a former Major League Baseball player. Chris collected the judgment in full including attorneys’ fees and post-judgment interest within 30 days of obtaining the judgment.
In 2009, Chris represented a client in a Lanham Act case in Dallas County involving the sale of falsely labeled commodity. After a four-day jury trial, Chris obtained affirmative findings on his client's Lanham Act and unfair competition claims in addition to obtaining a determination that the case was “exceptional” thus mandating an award of attorneys’ fees to his client. This verdict was named in Verdict Search’s Top Texas Verdicts of 2009.
Chris defeated an $800,000 claim against his concrete and materials supply client related to allegedly faulty concrete supplied for a waste-water treatment facility. After a five-day trial in Amarillo, the jury awarded the Plaintiff less than $60,000, and the Court denied the Plaintiff’s claim for attorneys’ fees.
Chris obtained a federal court jury verdict for his client, defending a securities corporation from a several hundred thousand dollar complaint stemming from the securities corporation’s liquidation of a corporate margin account. After a three-day trial in the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division, the jury awarded the plaintiff zero damages and awarded Chris’ client the amount of the account deficiency and its attorneys’ fees and costs.
As a member of a team of lawyers, Chris defended an international corporation against a million dollar breach of contract suit involving electronic component inventory. On appeal to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, Chris authored the brief and obtained the reversal of a several hundred thousand dollar award of attorneys’ fees against the client.
Chris was a member of a team of lawyers who obtained a settlement for a software company in a nationwide class action suit alleging defective design.

Noteworthy

Named one of the "Litigation Stars" in the Benchmark Litigation Guide, 2021-2023.
Featured in Best Lawyers®’ Texas' Best Lawyers, 2020 and 2021.
Named to “The Dallas 500” list ("The Most Powerful Business Leaders in Dallas - Fort Worth") by D CEO Magazine, 2020-2022.
Midwestern Cattle Verdict Named to the “Texas Lawyer Hall of Fame Verdicts” List.
Named one of the “Best Lawyers in Dallas” by D Magazine, 2017 and 2019.
Selected by attorney peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America^®, 2017-2023
Named as one of twenty-five Texas Lawyer's "Legal Leaders on the Rise" in the state of Texas in the March 25, 2013 issue.
Selected by attorney peers for inclusion in Texas Super Lawyers^®, 2013-2021.
Selected by the Dallas Business Journal for inclusion on its annual “40 Under Forty” list for 2012.
Named Texas Lawyer’s “Litigator of the Week” in the June 13, 2011 issue.
Selected as one of the top 20 finalists in 2011 for “ONE MAN Dallas,” which honors a Dallas/Fort Worth area man who embodies the best of Dallas from the perspective of charitable and community involvement. Chris was nominated by the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Dallas.
Recognized in Verdict Search’s “Top Business Law Verdicts” of 2009. Verdict Search created this list of the top Texas verdicts by cataloging the extraordinary accomplishments of lawyers measured by the amount of the jury verdict award. This exclusive list of cases is featured in “Top Texas Verdicts of 2009,” a special publication inside Texas Lawyer.
Selected by attorney peers as a Texas Rising Star^®, Texas Monthly, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2013.

Activities & Memberships

Thanks-Giving Square Foundation, Chairman of the Board of Directors, 2018 to present
Communities Foundation of Texas Advisory Council, 2016 to present
Texas Bar Foundation, Fellow
Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Dallas, Chairman of the Board of Directors, 2014-2015; Board of Directors, 2006-2017; Vice Chairman Executive Committee, 2010-2013; Billiard Ball Chairman, 2012; Texas Hold ‘Em Chairman, 2009 and 2010; East Dallas Boys and Girls Club, Advisory Board, 2005-2009; President, 2006-2008
Dallas Regional Chamber, Southern Dallas Task Force, 2016 to 2020
Pancreatic Cancer Action Network PurpleStride DFW Chairman, 2014
Dallas Museum of Art, Junior Associates, 2004-2010; Advisory Committee, 2010; Co-Chairman, 2008-2009; Membership Committee Co-Chairman, 2005—2006
American and Dallas Bar Associations
Calyx Club of Dallas, Member, 1998-2006

Publications

"International E-Discovery: A Global Handbook of Law and Technology," Legalink, July 2021.

Practices

Industries

Practices

Industries

Practices

Industries

Christopher B. Trowbridge

Education

Admissions

Related Industries