Christopher B. Trowbridge
Alternate image for Christopher B. Trowbridge

Christopher B. Trowbridge

Managing Partner

214-740-1405

A leader inside and outside the courthouse, as a litigator and as Bell Nunnally’s managing partner, Chris has an unrivaled ability to calmly and effectively advocate for his clients, his firm and for those in need in the community. His courtroom prowess is matched only by his deep empathy and uncanny ability to motivate those around him.

In the courtroom and in arbitrations, not just in Texas but throughout the U.S., clients trust Chris to tell their story and make their case — and he consistently delivers. Chris, named to the “Texas Lawyer Hall of Fame Verdicts” list and well-known for vigorously protecting his clients’ interests in high-stakes legal matters, has extensive experience helping clients with complex business disputes. 

Chris is the Managing Partner of Bell Nunnally.  Chris’ clients are global and range from high-net-worth individuals to Fortune 500 companies. Adept and at ease in courtrooms across the U.S., throughout the Southwest, and the United States Courts of Appeals, , he has represented clients in multimillion-dollar disputes in state, federal and appellate courts and domestic and international arbitrations in Georgia, Florida, California, Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Arkansas, South Carolina and cities across Texas. Chris also maintains an international presence as Chairman of the Chambers-rated Legalink network, a global law firm organization with 65 independent law firm members around the work, ensuring clients have the legal resources they need around the globe. 

Complex Litigation and Arbitration 

Maintaining an active practice, Chris’ litigation docket regularly includes highly technical and complex disputes including contract, fraud, and business torts matters; energy and oil and gas disputes, injunctive relief, including covenants not to compete; intellectual property matters, including patent, copyright infringement and trade secret disputes; securities litigation and broker-dealer disputes, including cryptocurrency issues, Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA); American Arbitration Association (AAA), London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA) arbitrations; and appeals. 

Transactions and Negotiation

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

A Recognized Leader

Highly recognized in the business and legal community, Chris has received a number of accolades from organizations and publications for his work. His recognitions include being named on Thomson Reuters’ “Top 100” lists for Texas and Dallas Fort-Worth by Texas Super Lawyers, as well as being individually ranked in the Chambers USA legal directory for the “Litigation: General Commercial” category for Texas. Additionally, Chris has been named multiple times to D CEO Magazine’s “The Dallas 500” list, honoring the most powerful business leaders in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. For several years, he has also been featured on Lawdragon’s list of “500 Leading Litigators in America,” and he has been recognized as “Litigation Star” by Benchmark Litigation.  

He has served as Bell Nunnally’s managing partner since 2019, all while maintaining his robust litigation practice. In his tenure as firm leader, Bell Nunnally has achieved consistent growth — both revenue and head count — while weathering unique operational and economic circumstances. 

Deeply devoted to the success of the community, Chris contributes generously of his time and resources to support numerous business, arts and charitable organizations, serving in leadership roles to advance causes close to his heart. 

Practices

Industries

Representative Experience

  • Obtained, after oral argument, the complete dismissal of a derivative and double-derivative lawsuit brought by a shareholder against a bank and a bank-holding company. Firm team filed special exceptions arguing under Delaware law that the derivative plaintiff shareholder failed to satisfy the demand futility rule.
  • Obtained a temporary restraining order (TRO) 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 solicitation by the former representative of several broad categories of its customers seeking to preserve more than $60 million in assets under management.
  • Presented oral argument before the United States Courts of Appeal for the Fifth Circuit in New Orleans, Louisiana, obtaining 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.
  • Represented a national testing organization in a copyright infringement, Defend Trade Secrets Act (DTSA) 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, the firm team obtained a temporary restraining order and a civil seizure and impoundment order on behalf of the client.
  • Secured a $23.1 million jury verdict on behalf of a 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.
  • Lead counsel on a series of high-stakes patent infringement, contract, unfair competition and Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) cases representing a virtual payment systems company seeking to protect its medical payment technology from a group of former associates.
  • Obtained a state court temporary restraining order against a former registered representative of a broker-dealer retail arm of an SEC-registered investment adviser that, together with its affiliates, manages approximately $20 billion of assets, thereby preventing the continued use of the company’s trade secrets and confidential information and defended the restraining order in the parallel FINRA proceeding.
  • Argued on behalf of a beneficiary of a trust containing oil and gas interests a post-trial motion for entry of judgment and obtained a judgment for nearly $7 million against a national bank, including attorneys’ fees of $467,374. The court entered judgment against the bank for fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, gross negligence and negligence.
  • 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.
  • Secured a temporary restraining order based on grounds of trademark and trade dress infringement on behalf of a restaurant chain against the former owner to prevent him from opening a competing restaurant concept.
  • Obtained a state court temporary restraining order and a federal court temporary injunction against a group of former partners and employees of a virtual payment systems company to prevent their use of the company's trade secrets and confidential information.
  • Secured a nearly $1.4 million judgment, including approximately $400,000 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 nondischargeable under the Bankruptcy Code. Texas Lawyer recognized Chris as “Litigator of the Week” for this victory.
  • Obtained a $4.4 million dollar judgment on behalf of the nation’s largest privately held bank against a former Major League Baseball player, collecting the judgment in full, including attorneys’ fees and post-judgment interest, within 30 days of obtaining the judgment.
  • Represented a client in a Lanham Act case in Dallas County involving the sale of a falsely labeled commodity. After a four-day jury trial, obtained affirmative findings on the 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.”
  • Defeated an $800,000 claim against a 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.
  • Obtained a federal court jury verdict for a securities corporation client, defending against a several-hundred-thousand-dollar complaint stemming from its 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 the client the amount of the account deficiency and its attorneys’ fees and costs.
  • Served as an integral team member in the defense of 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, authored the brief and obtained the reversal of a several-hundred-thousand-dollar award of attorneys’ fees against the client.
  • Participated on the team of lawyers who obtained a settlement for a software company in a nationwide class action suit alleging defective design.

Noteworthy

  • Ranked in the Chambers USA legal directory for the “Litigation: General Commercial” category for Texas, 2024
  • Named to Lawdragon’s “500 Leading Litigators in America” list, 2023–2025
  • Named one of the "Litigation Stars" in the Benchmark Litigation Guide, 2021–2025
  • Featured in Best Lawyers®’ Texas' Best Lawyers, 2020–2021
  • Named to “The Dallas 500” list ("The Most Powerful Business Leaders in Dallas-Fort Worth") by D CEO Magazine, 2020–2024
  • 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®, 2017–2025
  • Named as one of 25 Texas Lawyer's "Legal Leaders on the Rise" in the state of Texas; March 25, 2013
  • Selected for inclusion in Texas Super Lawyers®, Thomson Reuters, 2013–2024
  • Selected by the Dallas Business Journal for inclusion on its annual “40 Under Forty” list, 2012
  • Named Texas Lawyer’s “Litigator of the Week,” June 13, 2011
  • Nominated by the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Dallas and 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
  • Recognized in “Top Texas Verdicts of 2009” in the category of Business Law Verdicts, as published by Verdict Search, a special publication of Texas Lawyer that cataloged the extraordinary accomplishments of lawyers measured by the amount of the jury verdict award
  • Selected by attorney peers as a Texas Rising Star®, Texas Monthly, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2013

Activities and Memberships

  • Legalink
    • Chairman, 2024
    • Vice Chairman, 2022-2023
  • Thanks-Giving Square Foundation
    • Chairman of the Board of Directors, 2018–present
  • Communities Foundation of Texas
    • Advisory Council, 2016–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, 2009–2010
    • East Dallas Boys and Girls Club, Advisory Board, 2005–2009
    • President, 2006–2008
  • Dallas Regional Chamber
    • Southern Dallas Task Force, 2016–2020
  • 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 Bar Association
    • Member
  • Dallas Bar Association
    • Member
  • Calyx Club of Dallas
    • Member, 1998–2006

Publications

  • “Texas: Dallas, Fort Worth & Surrounds: An Introduction to Litigation: General Commercial,” Chambers and Partners, co-author; 2024.
  • “International E-Discovery: A Global Handbook of Law and Technology,” Legalink; July 2021.

Credentials

    Education

    • JD, Baylor University School of Law, 1998
    • BBA, Economics and International Business, Baylor University, 1995

    Admissions

    Bar Admissions
    • Texas
    Court Admissions
    • Supreme Court of the United States
    • United States Court of Appeals for theFederal Circuit
    • United States Court of Appeals for theSecond, Third and Fifth Circuits
    • United States District Courts for theNorthern, Southern, Eastern and Western Districts ofTexas
    • United States District Courts for theEastern and Western Districts ofWisconsin

News/Events

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