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General Liability and Casualty Defense
Insurance Coverage
Transportation
Motor Vehicle Liability
Construction Liability and Construction Defect
Professional Liability
Commercial Litigation
Mississippi
United States District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi
United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi
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 Law’s Mississippi office. He focuses his practice on trucking defense, transportation law, premises liability, personal injury defense, and appellate practice. He’s available 24 hours a day for trucking accident rapid responses across Mississippi.
Christopher brings extensive leadership experience in various state and national defense organizations to the firm. He is a frequent speaker and writer, sharing his expertise on trial strategies, claims file management, early resolution tactics, claims negotiation, and transportation law trends. Christopher graduated from the National Institute of Trial Advocacy with the esteemed "Advocate" designation and holds a certificate in "Negotiation, Mediation, and Conflict Resolution" from ESSEC Business School. He also serves as an adjunct professor at Mississippi College School of Law and contributes to the Encyclopedia of Mississippi Law by Thomson Reuters.
Outside the office, Christopher is dedicated to giving back. He volunteers with the Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services, Mississippi Volunteer Lawyers Project, and the American Mock Trial Association. He also coaches youth soccer for Madison Futbol Club and numerous moot court teams at Mississippi College School of Law. In 2021, he was honored with the Daniel E. Ruhl ‘04 Memorial Award for his exceptional mentorship and training of student competitors.
Christopher lives in Madison, Mississippi, with his wife, Caylan, and their two children.
Mississippi Defense Lawyers Association: Board of Directors (2023 to present); Amicus Curae Chair (2024 to present)
Claims Litigation Management Alliance: Transportation Committee Co-Chair (2023 to present)
Trucking Industry Defense Association: EC Committee Chair (2024); DEI Committee (2023 to present); Awards Committee (2024)
National Asian Pacific American Bar Association
Defense Research Institute: Transportation Committee Young Lawyer Liaison (2022-2023); Young Lawyers Committee Steering Committee (2022-2023)
Transportation Lawyers Association
American Bar Association
Mississippi Bar Association: Litigation Committee (2015 to present); ADR Committee (2015 to present)
Charles Clark American Inn of Courts
National Order of Barristers
Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review AV-Rating
Board Certified in Civil Practice by National Board of Trial Advocates, 2023
Mississippi Business Journal, Top 40 Under 40, 2023
RISE Professionals, Top 35 Under 35, 2023
Claims Litigation Management Alliance, Phenom Under 40, 2023
Mississippi Bar Leadership Forum Graduate, 2023
Selected to Mid-South Super Lawyers: Rising Star - Transportation Law | Personal Injury Defense | Employment Law (2022-2023)
Named to Best Lawyers in America®: “Ones to Watch" - Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants | Transportation Law (2023-2025)
“Civil Procedure – Personal Jurisdiction 101,” MDLA Quarterly, MDLA Summer 2024
“§ 14, Res Judicata and Collateral Estoppel,” Encyclopedia of Mississippi Law, Thomson Reuters, 2024
“§ 42, Joint and Several Liability,” Encyclopedia of Mississippi Law, Thomson Reuters, 2024
“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
Navigating the Complex Lanes: Mastering Independent Contractor Claims in Transportation, ClaimsXchange in Chicago, July 2024
Phenoms Unleashed, CLM Annual Conference, April 2024
Artificial Intelligence in the Trucking Industry, TIDA, August 2023
Tips for Winning Discovery Disputes Involving ESI, DRI, July 2023
The Rule Against Hearsay (and its Exceptions), National Business Institute, April 2023
The Art of Fair, Unbiased, and Equitable Claims Negotiation Workshop, CLM Annual Conference, March 2023
30(b)(6) Deposition Workshop, TIDA 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, LawPracticeCLE, July 2022
Defending Truck Cases: De-Weaponizing the CDL Manual and Challenging Adverse Testimony, Strafford Publications, May 2022
Christopher G. Dunnells is a partner in Chartwell Law’s Mississippi office. He focuses his practice on trucking defense, transportation law, premises liability, personal injury defense, and appellate practice. He’s available 24 hours a day for trucking accident rapid responses across Mississippi.
Christopher brings extensive leadership experience in various state and national defense organizations to the firm. He is a frequent speaker and writer, sharing his expertise on trial strategies, claims file management, early resolution tactics, claims negotiation, and transportation law trends. Christopher graduated from the National Institute of Trial Advocacy with the esteemed "Advocate" designation and holds a certificate in "Negotiation, Mediation, and Conflict Resolution" from ESSEC Business School. He also serves as an adjunct professor at Mississippi College School of Law and contributes to the Encyclopedia of Mississippi Law by Thomson Reuters.
Outside the office, Christopher is dedicated to giving back. He volunteers with the Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services, Mississippi Volunteer Lawyers Project, and the American Mock Trial Association. He also coaches youth soccer for Madison Futbol Club and numerous moot court teams at Mississippi College School of Law. In 2021, he was honored with the Daniel E. Ruhl ‘04 Memorial Award for his exceptional mentorship and training of student competitors.
Christopher lives in Madison, Mississippi, with his wife, Caylan, and their two children.
Mississippi Defense Lawyers Association: Board of Directors (2023 to present); Amicus Curae Chair (2024 to present)
Claims Litigation Management Alliance: Transportation Committee Co-Chair (2023 to present)
Trucking Industry Defense Association: EC Committee Chair (2024); DEI Committee (2023 to present); Awards Committee (2024)
National Asian Pacific American Bar Association
Defense Research Institute: Transportation Committee Young Lawyer Liaison (2022-2023); Young Lawyers Committee Steering Committee (2022-2023)
Transportation Lawyers Association
American Bar Association
Mississippi Bar Association: Litigation Committee (2015 to present); ADR Committee (2015 to present)
Charles Clark American Inn of Courts
National Order of Barristers
Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review AV-Rating
Board Certified in Civil Practice by National Board of Trial Advocates, 2023
Mississippi Business Journal, Top 40 Under 40, 2023
RISE Professionals, Top 35 Under 35, 2023
Claims Litigation Management Alliance, Phenom Under 40, 2023
Mississippi Bar Leadership Forum Graduate, 2023
Selected to Mid-South Super Lawyers: Rising Star - Transportation Law | Personal Injury Defense | Employment Law (2022-2023)
Named to Best Lawyers in America®: “Ones to Watch" - Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants | Transportation Law (2023-2025)
“Civil Procedure – Personal Jurisdiction 101,” MDLA Quarterly, MDLA Summer 2024
“§ 14, Res Judicata and Collateral Estoppel,” Encyclopedia of Mississippi Law, Thomson Reuters, 2024
“§ 42, Joint and Several Liability,” Encyclopedia of Mississippi Law, Thomson Reuters, 2024
“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
