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Mississippi
Tennessee
Mississippi College School of Law
Christopher G. Dunnells is a partner in Chartwell’s Mississippi office and a nationally recognized trucking and transportation defense attorney. Motor carriers, insurers, and transportation companies rely on him to handle significant litigation and catastrophic-loss matters throughout Mississippi and Tennessee. His practice centers on the defense of commercial motor carriers and their drivers in matters involving catastrophic injuries and wrongful death, and he is available 24/7 for rapid response and accident investigation across both states. He also represents clients in professional liability, employment, premises liability, and general personal injury matters.
An experienced trial lawyer, Christopher has successfully tried significant cases to verdict and obtained favorable results for clients throughout Mississippi. He approaches each matter with an emphasis on early investigation and a thorough development of the record, allowing him to assess damages and exposure realistically and position cases for favorable resolution when possible or trial when necessary.
Christopher is also a frequent speaker and commentator on issues affecting the trucking and legal defense industries. He speaks and writes for national audiences of motor carriers, insurers, claims professionals, and defense attorneys, addressing developments in transportation litigation as well as trial strategy, claims management, negotiation, and nuclear-verdict exposure. His work has appeared in national industry and legal publications, including Forbes, DRI’s For the Defense, CLM Magazine, and TLA’s The Transportation Lawyer.
Christopher serves on the Board of Directors of the Trucking Industry Defense Association (TIDA) and as Co-Provost of the claimsXchange Transportation Claims Academy, in addition to holding leadership roles within CLM and DRI. His involvement in the trucking industry extends to national educational programs, webinars, publications, and other initiatives that bring together motor carriers, insurers, claims professionals, and defense counsel. In 2024, TIDA recognized him with its Emerging Leader Award.
He is equally active in the Mississippi defense bar and currently serves as President-Elect of the Mississippi Defense Lawyers Association (MDLA). He has also served on various committees of the Mississippi Bar. In 2026, MDLA named him its Defense Lawyer of the Year.
Board Certified in Civil Practice by the National Board of Trial Advocacy, Christopher also holds an AV® Preeminent peer-review rating from Martindale-Hubbell. He has been recognized by Mid-South Super Lawyers as a Rising Star in Transportation Law and Personal Injury Defense and by Best Lawyers in America as One to Watch in Transportation Law and Personal Injury Litigation. His other honors include the Mississippi Business Journal’s Top 40 Under 40, RISE Professionals’ Top 35 Under 35, and CLM’s Phenom Under 40.
Christopher also contributes to legal education and scholarship. He is a contributing editor to the Encyclopedia of Mississippi Law, published by Thomson Reuters, and has taught as an adjunct professor at Mississippi College School of Law, where he was named Adjunct Professor of the Year in 2025. A graduate of the National Institute for Trial Advocacy, he holds an Advocate designation and has also earned a certificate in Negotiation, Mediation, and Conflict Resolution from ESSEC Business School.
He lives in Madison, Mississippi, with his wife, Caylan, and their two children.
Mississippi Defense Lawyers Association: President-Elect (2026 to present); Secretary-Treasurer (2025-2026); Board of Directors (2023-2024); Amicus Curae Chair (2024 to present)
Claims Litigation Management Alliance: Transportation Committee Co-Leader (2023 to present); Transportation Committee Webinar Chair (2025 to present)
Trucking Industry Defense Association: Board of Directors (2025 to present); Webinar Committee Chair (2023-2025); IDEA Committee (2023-2025); Awards Committee (2024); Annual Planning Committee (2024-2025); Newsletter Co-Editor (2024-2025)
ClaimsXchange: Claims Academy Transportation Co-Provost (2026 to present); Claims Academy Transportation Faculty (2025)
International Association of Defense Counsel: Transportation Committee (2026 to present)
Defense Research Institute: Transportation Committee Young Lawyer Liaison (2022-2023); Young Lawyers Committee Steering Committee (2022-2023); Transportation Committee (2022 to present)
Trucking Defense Advisory Counsel
National Asian Pacific American Bar Association
Transportation Lawyers Association
American Bar Association
Mississippi Bar Association: Annual Summer School Programming Committee (2026 to present); Litigation Committee (2015 to present); ADR Committee (2015 to present)
Charles Clark American Inn of Courts: Associate (2022-2023); Barrister (2024 to present)
Mississippi Trucking Association
National Order of Barristers
Defense Lawyer of the Year, Mississippi Defense Lawyers Association, 2026
Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review AV®-Rating
Adjunct Professor of the Year, Mississippi College School of Law, 2025
Emerging Leader, Trucking Industry Defense Association, 2024
Board Certified in Civil Practice by National Board of Trial Advocates, 2023
Top 40 Under 40, Mississippi Business Journal, 2023
Top 35 Under 35, RISE Professionals, 2023
Phenom Under 40, Claims Litigation Management Alliance, 2023
Mississippi Bar Leadership Forum Graduate, 2023
Selected to Mid-South Super Lawyers®: Rising Star - Transportation Law | Personal Injury Defense | Employment Law (2022 to present)
Named to Best Lawyers in America®: “Ones to Watch" - Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants | Transportation Law (2022-2025)
"Collateral Estoppel/Res Judicata” (Ch. 14), Encyclopedia of Mississippi Law, Thomson Reuters
“Contempt of Court” (Ch. 20), Encyclopedia of Mississippi Law, Thomson Reuters
“Joint and Several Liability” (Ch. 42), Encyclopedia of Mississippi Law, Thomson Reuters
“Judicial Recusal” (Ch. 42A), Encyclopedia of Mississippi Law, Thomson Reuters
“Beyond Broker Liability: The Coming Assault on Vicarious Liability Admissions in Mississippi,” MDLA Quarterly, MDLA, Summer 2026
“Why Trucking Defense Must Adapt for Gen Z,” Forbes Magazine, Forbes, August 2025
“Priority of Jurisdiction and Snap-Removal,” MDLA Quarterly, MDLA, Fall 2023
“Telematics: A Sword and a Shield,” CLM The Magazine, CLM, October 2023
“The Hidden Pitfalls of the FMCSA’s 18-20-year-old Pilot Program and How to Navigate Them,” The Transportation Lawyer, TLA, October 2022
“Knockout Negotiating,” CLM The Magazine, CLM, June 2022
“Scorched-Earth Scenarios,” CLM The Magazine, CLM, May 2022
“The Magic of ‘That’s Right,’” CLM The Magazine, CLM, February 2022
“How to Address the CDL Manual in a Trucking Case,” For the Defense, DRI, February 2022
“Anchors Away: Using Psychological Biases as a Tool in Negotiations,” MDLA Quarterly, MDLA, Winter 2021
“Combating the Use of the CDL Manual and Federal Safety Regulations in Litigation,” American College of Transportation Attorneys, April 2021
“Fifth Circuit Rejects ‘Fairly Lenient’ Conditional Certification Standard in FLSA Claims,” The Transportation Lawyer, TLA, April 2021
“Risk Mitigation: Limiting Exposure to Sleeper Berth Claims Under the FLSA,” The Transportation Lawyer, TLA, February 2020
“The Challenge of Implementing Class Waiver Agreements where there is a Pending Class or Collective Action,” Covered Events, DRI, September 2018
Mississippi
Tennessee
United States District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi
United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee
United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee
United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
United States Tax Court
United States Supreme Court
Mississippi College School of Law
(JD., cum laude, 2014)
Mississippi College School of Business
(MBA, cum laude, 2015)
Mississippi University for Women
(B.A., cum laude, 2011)
Christopher G. Dunnells is a partner in Chartwell’s Mississippi office and a nationally recognized trucking and transportation defense attorney. Motor carriers, insurers, and transportation companies rely on him to handle significant litigation and catastrophic-loss matters throughout Mississippi and Tennessee. His practice centers on the defense of commercial motor carriers and their drivers in matters involving catastrophic injuries and wrongful death, and he is available 24/7 for rapid response and accident investigation across both states. He also represents clients in professional liability, employment, premises liability, and general personal injury matters.
An experienced trial lawyer, Christopher has successfully tried significant cases to verdict and obtained favorable results for clients throughout Mississippi. He approaches each matter with an emphasis on early investigation and a thorough development of the record, allowing him to assess damages and exposure realistically and position cases for favorable resolution when possible or trial when necessary.
Christopher is also a frequent speaker and commentator on issues affecting the trucking and legal defense industries. He speaks and writes for national audiences of motor carriers, insurers, claims professionals, and defense attorneys, addressing developments in transportation litigation as well as trial strategy, claims management, negotiation, and nuclear-verdict exposure. His work has appeared in national industry and legal publications, including Forbes, DRI’s For the Defense, CLM Magazine, and TLA’s The Transportation Lawyer.
Christopher serves on the Board of Directors of the Trucking Industry Defense Association (TIDA) and as Co-Provost of the claimsXchange Transportation Claims Academy, in addition to holding leadership roles within CLM and DRI. His involvement in the trucking industry extends to national educational programs, webinars, publications, and other initiatives that bring together motor carriers, insurers, claims professionals, and defense counsel. In 2024, TIDA recognized him with its Emerging Leader Award.
He is equally active in the Mississippi defense bar and currently serves as President-Elect of the Mississippi Defense Lawyers Association (MDLA). He has also served on various committees of the Mississippi Bar. In 2026, MDLA named him its Defense Lawyer of the Year.
Board Certified in Civil Practice by the National Board of Trial Advocacy, Christopher also holds an AV® Preeminent peer-review rating from Martindale-Hubbell. He has been recognized by Mid-South Super Lawyers as a Rising Star in Transportation Law and Personal Injury Defense and by Best Lawyers in America as One to Watch in Transportation Law and Personal Injury Litigation. His other honors include the Mississippi Business Journal’s Top 40 Under 40, RISE Professionals’ Top 35 Under 35, and CLM’s Phenom Under 40.
Christopher also contributes to legal education and scholarship. He is a contributing editor to the Encyclopedia of Mississippi Law, published by Thomson Reuters, and has taught as an adjunct professor at Mississippi College School of Law, where he was named Adjunct Professor of the Year in 2025. A graduate of the National Institute for Trial Advocacy, he holds an Advocate designation and has also earned a certificate in Negotiation, Mediation, and Conflict Resolution from ESSEC Business School.
He lives in Madison, Mississippi, with his wife, Caylan, and their two children.
Mississippi Defense Lawyers Association: President-Elect (2026 to present); Secretary-Treasurer (2025-2026); Board of Directors (2023-2024); Amicus Curae Chair (2024 to present)
Claims Litigation Management Alliance: Transportation Committee Co-Leader (2023 to present); Transportation Committee Webinar Chair (2025 to present)
Trucking Industry Defense Association: Board of Directors (2025 to present); Webinar Committee Chair (2023-2025); IDEA Committee (2023-2025); Awards Committee (2024); Annual Planning Committee (2024-2025); Newsletter Co-Editor (2024-2025)
ClaimsXchange: Claims Academy Transportation Co-Provost (2026 to present); Claims Academy Transportation Faculty (2025)
International Association of Defense Counsel: Transportation Committee (2026 to present)
Defense Research Institute: Transportation Committee Young Lawyer Liaison (2022-2023); Young Lawyers Committee Steering Committee (2022-2023); Transportation Committee (2022 to present)
Trucking Defense Advisory Counsel
National Asian Pacific American Bar Association
Transportation Lawyers Association
American Bar Association
Mississippi Bar Association: Annual Summer School Programming Committee (2026 to present); Litigation Committee (2015 to present); ADR Committee (2015 to present)
Charles Clark American Inn of Courts: Associate (2022-2023); Barrister (2024 to present)
Mississippi Trucking Association
National Order of Barristers
Defense Lawyer of the Year, Mississippi Defense Lawyers Association, 2026
Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review AV®-Rating
Adjunct Professor of the Year, Mississippi College School of Law, 2025
Emerging Leader, Trucking Industry Defense Association, 2024
Board Certified in Civil Practice by National Board of Trial Advocates, 2023
Top 40 Under 40, Mississippi Business Journal, 2023
Top 35 Under 35, RISE Professionals, 2023
Phenom Under 40, Claims Litigation Management Alliance, 2023
Mississippi Bar Leadership Forum Graduate, 2023
Selected to Mid-South Super Lawyers®: Rising Star - Transportation Law | Personal Injury Defense | Employment Law (2022 to present)
Named to Best Lawyers in America®: “Ones to Watch" - Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants | Transportation Law (2022-2025)
"Collateral Estoppel/Res Judicata” (Ch. 14), Encyclopedia of Mississippi Law, Thomson Reuters
“Contempt of Court” (Ch. 20), Encyclopedia of Mississippi Law, Thomson Reuters
“Joint and Several Liability” (Ch. 42), Encyclopedia of Mississippi Law, Thomson Reuters
“Judicial Recusal” (Ch. 42A), Encyclopedia of Mississippi Law, Thomson Reuters
“Beyond Broker Liability: The Coming Assault on Vicarious Liability Admissions in Mississippi,” MDLA Quarterly, MDLA, Summer 2026
“Why Trucking Defense Must Adapt for Gen Z,” Forbes Magazine, Forbes, August 2025
“Priority of Jurisdiction and Snap-Removal,” MDLA Quarterly, MDLA, Fall 2023
“Telematics: A Sword and a Shield,” CLM The Magazine, CLM, October 2023
“The Hidden Pitfalls of the FMCSA’s 18-20-year-old Pilot Program and How to Navigate Them,” The Transportation Lawyer, TLA, October 2022
“Knockout Negotiating,” CLM The Magazine, CLM, June 2022
“Scorched-Earth Scenarios,” CLM The Magazine, CLM, May 2022
“The Magic of ‘That’s Right,’” CLM The Magazine, CLM, February 2022
“How to Address the CDL Manual in a Trucking Case,” For the Defense, DRI, February 2022
“Anchors Away: Using Psychological Biases as a Tool in Negotiations,” MDLA Quarterly, MDLA, Winter 2021
“Combating the Use of the CDL Manual and Federal Safety Regulations in Litigation,” American College of Transportation Attorneys, April 2021
“Fifth Circuit Rejects ‘Fairly Lenient’ Conditional Certification Standard in FLSA Claims,” The Transportation Lawyer, TLA, April 2021
“Risk Mitigation: Limiting Exposure to Sleeper Berth Claims Under the FLSA,” The Transportation Lawyer, TLA, February 2020
“The Challenge of Implementing Class Waiver Agreements where there is a Pending Class or Collective Action,” Covered Events, DRI, September 2018
Laying the Groundwork: How Jury Selection Anchors Case Theory, Claims Litigation Management Alliance Annual Conference, March 2026
The Role of Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Regulations in Truck and Bus Accident Claims, claimsXchange Transportation Claims Academy, July 2025
Get the Most Out of Your Negotiation, Trucking Industry Defense Association, May 2025
Add More Brushes to Your Claims Management Canvas, Claims Litigation Management Alliance Annual Conference, April 2025
Spotting Lien-Based Treatment and Inflated Medical Bills, Insurance Fraud Management Conference, March 2025
A Millennial’s Guide to the World Wide Web of Discoverable Information, Mississippi Defense Lawyers Association, November 2024
Legal Frontlines – Decoding the Litigation Tactics Against Motor Carriers, Higginbotham REFUEL Trucking Leadership Conference, November 2024
Navigating the Complex Lanes: Mastering Independent Contractor Claims in Transportation, Claims Xchange Education on Location, July 2024
The Art of Fair, Unbiased, and Equitable Claims Negotiation Workshop, Claims Litigation Management Alliance Annual Conference, March 2023 & April 2024
Ethical Duties to Opposing Counsel, Mississippi Bar – Bridge the Gap, September 2023
Artificial Intelligence in the Trucking Industry, Trucking Industry Defense Association, August 2023
Tips for Winning Discovery Disputes Involving ESI, Defense Research Institute, July 2023
The Rule Against Hearsay (and its Exceptions), National Business Institute, April 2023
30(b)(6) Deposition Workshop, Trucking Industry Defense Association Skills Seminar, March 2023
Legal Ethics of Social Media and ESI in Mississippi, National Business Institute, July 2022
What to Do Once You Get Assigned a Trucking File, Law Practice CLE, July 2022
Defending Truck Cases: De-Weaponizing the CDL Manual and Challenging Adverse Testimony, Strafford Publications, May 2022
