Christopher Schmidt’s litigation practice focuses on complex civil litigation, toxic tort litigation and class action defense. He handles cases on behalf of medium and large institutional firm clients, including responsibility for an extensive case load and supervision of other attorneys and paralegals in all facets of client counseling and litigation.

Representative Experience

• Trial and Litigation Experience: Mr. Schmidt handles all aspects of cases, including pre-trial strategy, dispositive motions, depositions, discovery, pre-trial motions, jury and bench trials in state and federal court, binding arbitration, settlement/ADR, post-trial motions and appellate practice. Mr. Schmidt has tried cases in state and federal court, and both jury and bench trials.
• Toxic and Mass Tort Litigation: Mr. Schmidt has significant experience in complex toxic tort litigation, including handling class and mass actions. Mr. Schmidt's science background provides the foundation to identify, prepare and cross-examine the expert witnesses that are critical to the successful outcome of these cases. He has developed working relationships with leading toxicologists, epidemiologists, geochemists, hydrogeologists and medical doctors in the field. His toxic tort litigation experience encompasses suits alleging property damage, medical monitoring and personal injury from a diverse array of chemicals and products, including heavy metals, lead, arsenic, mold, benzene, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and volatile organic compounds.
• Complex Business Disputes: Represents companies, large and small, in breach of contract, quantum meruit, negligence, veil piercing, successor liability, corporate continuation, fraud, fiduciary duty, misappropriation of trade secrets, non-compete and other commercial disputes. Represents lending institutions in financial services related litigation, including class actions, quiet title actions, foreclosure counterclaims, equitable mortgage actions, repurchase contract claims and insurance disputes. Represents clients in construction disputes, landlord-tenant actions, unlawful detainer eviction actions, and disputes arising out of commercial real estate transactions.
• Class Action Defense: Represents publicly traded companies in all phases of complicated class action defense, including toxic tort, lending/financial, and product liability class actions. His class action experience encompasses all aspects of class actions, including opposition to class certification, dispositive motions, discovery, depositions, hearings, settlement and settlement administration.
• International Arbitrations and Litigation: Mr. Schmidt handles international litigation, including Hague cases. He is fluent in Spanish and has represented a publicly traded company in an internal investigation of its subsidiary in Mexico City, including conducting a week of deposition/interviews in Spanish.
• Client Counseling: Counsels and advises clients on compliance and pre-litigation avoidance and strategy. He has assisted clients in an in-house capacity by establishing case resolution strategy, selecting and supervising outside counsel and approving pleadings and settlements. He has represented the audit committee of a publicly traded company in an investigation into accounting improprieties and alleged fraud.
• Pro Bono Commitment: Mr. Schmidt obtained asylum for a victim of human sex trafficking on appeal to an Immigration Judge. He regularly handles international child abduction cases for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the United States State Department pursuant to the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction.

Bar and Court Admissions

Missouri, 2002

Illinois

United States Courts of Appeals for the Seventh and Eighth Circuits

United States District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Missouri, Central and Southern Districts of Illinois, and Eastern District of Arkansas

Education

Saint Louis University, J.D., magna cum laude, 2002

University of Notre Dame, B.A., 1996

Languages

Spanish

Civic Involvement and Honors

• Prior to law school, Mr. Schmidt spent over two years in Chile working as a volunteer with the Holy Cross Associates, a lay volunteer organization affiliated with the University of Notre Dame.
• Mr. Schmidt has made numerous national television appearances as an expert on international child abductions, including appearances on NBC's Nightly News with Brian Williams, CNN, and Fox News.  Mr. Schmidt has received awards of merit from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children for his commitment to protecting children from international child abduction.