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)
Education
J.D., University of Tennessee, 1994
B.A., cum laude, Villanova University, 1991
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)
"6 Things Every Contractor Needs to Know about Bid Protests Under Tennessee Law," Tennessee Road Builder, September/October 2009
"Step Negotiation," THEConstruction 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
