Christopher D. Bowers
Chris helps developers and other property owners with their legal issues.
Chris counsels and represents developers and other landowners in a broad range of complex litigation, appellate, transactional, and administrative matters involving property.
Since entering private practice five years ago, Chris has represented companies such as Clear Channel Outdoor, Ewing Properties Texas, Centurion American, Davis Development, and many others. For example, he filed two lawsuits challenging a Dallas suburb’s parkland exaction ordinance as excessive and obtained a $2,053,695 fee reduction in one case and a $350,400 refund in the other. In addition, he persuaded a Dallas suburb’s officials to reverse a planning department’s decision and allow a substance abuse treatment center. And he convinced the Dallas Board of Adjustment to reverse the building official’s decision to revoke a permit.
Before entering private practice, Chris was an assistant city attorney for the City of Dallas for almost 27 years, including serving as first assistant city attorney for almost 10 years and interim city attorney for five months. His primary responsibility as first assistant was supervising all Dallas’ civil litigation and criminal prosecutions. In his last year with Dallas, it had the second lowest average litigation cost per resident of the 10 largest cities in the nation during the previous three years. Highlights included:
• Authoring a petition for certiorari to the U.S. Supreme Court in a tow truck regulation case, which the Court granted and thereafter reversed the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals
• Persuading the Texas Supreme Court to reverse the Dallas Court of Appeals and the trial court and upholding the board of adjustment’s denial of a zoning variance
• Convincing the Dallas Court of Appeals to reverse a $6.4 million judgment in a taking case
Chris has favorably resolved numerous federal and state lawsuits through trial and mediation. He also has successfully handled appeals in multiple appellate courts.
- Cornell Law School
- J.D. (1989) | Law
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- Honors: • Who's Who Among American Law Students, 1989 • Silver Key Award, American Bar Association/Law Student Division, 1989
- Activities: • President, Cornell Law Student Association (student government), 1988-89 • Member, Cornell International Law Journal, 1987-89 (selected in writing competition)
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- Texas A&M University - College Station
- B.S. (1986) | Political Science
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- Honors: National Merit and McFadden Scholar
- Activities: Chair, M.S.C. Open House Vice Chair, M.S.C. Spring Leadership Trip Peer Advisor
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- Of Counsel
- The Suster Law Group, PLLC
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- Of Counsel
- Miklos Cinclair, PLLC
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- First Assistant City Attorney
- City of Dallas
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- Chief of Litigation
- City of Dallas
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- Chief of General Litigation
- City of Dallas
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- Assistant City Attorney
- City of Dallas
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- Laws Affecting the Restoration and Preservation of Historical Buildings
- Construction Law Journal
- Asking for Trouble When Turning History Into Rubble: How Dallas Razed Cain
- State & Local Government Law Section, Federal Bar Association
- Historic Preservation Concerning Private Property
- The Urban Lawyer
- Supreme Court Declares RFRA Unconstitutional
- The Alliance Review
- Is Owner Consent Objectionable?
- The Alliance Review
- Boarding Homes, 28th Annual Business & Education Conference, Austin
- Code Enforcement Association of Texas
- What’s New with What’s Old—Historic Preservation, Land Use Teleconference
- International Municipal Lawyers Association
- Historic Preservation Law, Best Practices for Public Sector Lawyers Seminar, Austin
- Government Lawyers Section of the State Bar of Texas
- Soft Speak, Big Stick: Successful Strategies for Enforcing Preservation Ordinances, 2010 National Preservation Conference, Austin
- National Trust for Historic Preservation
- Mr. Mayor, Tear Down This Old House: Challenges to Demolishing Nuisance Structures, International Municipal Lawyers Association Top 50 Meeting, Dallas
- International Municipal Lawyers Association
- Best Lawyers in Dallas
- D Magazine
- Land use/zoning category
- Best Lawyers in Dallas
- D Magazine
- Land use/zoning category
- Texas Verdicts Hall of Fame
- Texas Lawyer
- Magna Stella award for excellence in leadership and management for a non-profit or government agency
- Texas General Counsel Forum
- Presidential Citation
- Dallas Bar Association
- Texas State Bar # 02731300
- Member
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- Dallas Bar Association
- Chair, Government Law Section
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- Patrick E. Higginbotham American Inn of Court
- Barrister
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- College of the State Bar of Texas
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- Texas
- State Bar of Texas
- ID Number: 02731300
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- 5th Circuit
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- U.S. Supreme Court
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- Credit Cards Accepted
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Rates, Retainers and Additional Information
My hourly rate is $450 per hour for most matters. I strive to work efficiently and minimize costs to clients when possible. My goal is to earn your repeat business and favorable recommendation.
- Gov & Administrative Law
- Administrative Law, Election Law, Legislative & Government Affairs
- Real Estate Law
- Easements, Eminent Domain, Homeowners Association, Land Use & Zoning, Neighbor Disputes
- Municipal Law
- Landlord Tenant
- Evictions, Landlord Rights
- Other
- HIstoric preservation