Biography
Chris Bankler is a partner in Jackson Walker’s litigation section, focused on the resolution of disputes for businesses and financial institutions. His practice consists of counseling clients through the process of complex business litigation, including general business disputes, fraud claims, breach of fiduciary duty cases, and breach of contract claims. An experienced litigator, Chris has served as litigation counsel in more than 100 cases in state and federal courts, as well as FINRA and AAA arbitrations.
Education
B.A., University of Texas at Austin
B.B.A., University of Texas at Austin
J.D., cum laude, SMU Dedman School of Law
Bar Admissions
Texas, 2009
Court Admissions
United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
United States District Court for the Eastern, Northern, Southern, and Western Districts of Texas
Officer, Director, and Shareholder Lawsuits
Chris frequently represents officers and directors in lawsuits relating to management disputes or a shareholder claims. Chris knows how to traverse lawsuits against directors and officers, and prides himself on being able to get his clients through litigation and back to running their companies. Chris has experience representing officers and directors not only in Texas courts, but also in other common jurisdictions for business disputes, including Nevada and Delaware. Chris has particular experience in Delaware, having appeared and argued in the Delaware Chancery Court in several cases in recent years.
Chris has represented individual officers and directors of public and private companies in high-stakes corporate defense cases involving claims for:
- Breach of Fiduciary Duty
- Theft of Trade Secrets
- Fraud
- Bankruptcy Trustee Suits
- Shareholder Class Actions
Recent officer, director, and shareholder lawsuit representation includes:
- Barricade Therapeutics v. Perabo, Dallas County, Texas (2018)
- Live Oak Rail Road v. Howard Midstream Energy Partners, Bexar County, Texas (2018)
- Lenois v. Camac Energy et al, Delaware Chancery Court (2017)
- Balfe v. Glenn Beck; Mercury Radio Arts v. Balfe, Dallas County, Texas (2017)
- Vianet Group v. Tap Acquisition, Northern District of Texas (2016)
Financial Institution Representation
Chris’ deep understanding of the matters important to financial institutions has made him the go-to counselor for many of Jackson Walker’s banking, trust, and private equity clients. Chris represents a diverse range of financial institutions, including:
- National Banks, 3 of the top 10 largest banks in the United States
- Trust Companies
- Community Banks and Credit Unions
- Investment Banks
- Private Equity Firms and Alternative Investment Firms
Chris has helped financial institutions resolve a variety of legal claims and disputes, including:
- Contract Disputes
- Lender Liability Suits
- Claims Involving Agented Loans
- Disputes Involving Trusts
- Customer Claims, Fair Debt Collection and Fair Credit Reporting
- FINRA Arbitrations for the Securities Industry
Business Contract Disputes
Chris frequently represents businesses in breach of contract disputes. Sometimes that means filing lawsuits to protect a company’s contract rights, and sometimes that means defending companies in the courtroom, but often times that means proactively working to resolve business disputes without litigation.
Recent breach of contract claim representation includes:
- Stannard et al v. National Indoor RV Centers, LLC, Eastern District of Texas (2018)
- Triple Helix Healthcare v. Texas State Clinical, Dallas County, Texas (2018)
- Diversified Pure Chem v. Clean Harbors Environmental Services, Northern District of Texas (2015)
Energy and Energy Investor Representation
Chris also represents energy companies and investors in suits regarding breach of fiduciary duty, investor disputes, and claims arising from mineral assets and royalties.
Recent energy and energy investor representation includes:
- Erin Energy Corporation v. Public Investment Corporation Ltd, New York (2018)
- WFW Family LP v. Dinero Energy Corporation, Dallas County, Texas (2018)
- Trinity Royalty Partners v. Bold Energy et al, Midland County, Texas (2017)
- FLST, Ltd et al v. Explorer Pipeline Company, Eastern District of Texas (2017)
- “Texas Rising Star,” Super Lawyers – Rising Stars by Thomson Reuters, 2018-2021
- “Best Lawyers in Dallas,” D Magazine, 2019-2020
- “Best Lawyers Under 40,” D Magazine, 2021
- North Texas Food Bank
- LIFE Council Member, 2018-2019
- Dallas Regional Chamber of Commerce
- Corporate Recruiting Task Force, 2018-2019
- Japan-America Society of Dallas/Fort Worth
- Board of Directors, 2016- 2019
- General Counsel, 2018-2019
- Dallas Museum of Art
- Forum Member, 2017-2019
Recent Officer, Director, and Shareholder Lawsuits
- Barricade Therapeutics v. Perabo, Dallas County, Texas (2018)
- Live Oak Rail Road v. Howard Midstream Energy Partners, Bexar County, Texas (2018)
- Lenois v. Camac Energy et al, Delaware Chancery Court (2017)
- Balfe v. Glenn Beck; Mercury Radio Arts v. Balfe, Dallas County, Texas (2017)
- Vianet Group v. Tap Acquisition, Northern District of Texas (2016)
Recent Energy Representation
- Erin Energy Corporation v. Public Investment Corporation Ltd, New York (2018)
- WFW Family LP v. Dinero Energy Corporation (2018)
- Trinity Royalty Partners v. Bold Energy et al, Midland County, Texas (2017)
- FLST, Ltd et al v. Explorer Pipeline Company, Eastern District of Texas (2017)
Recent Breach of Contract Claims
- Stannard et al v. National Indoor RV Centers, LLC, Eastern District of Texas (2018)
- Triple Helix Healthcare v. Texas State Clinical, Dallas County, Texas (2018)
- Diversified Pure Chem v. Clean Harbors Environmental Services, Northern District of Texas (2015)