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Chris Patton

Chris Patton is a commercial litigator who helps businesses resolve high-stakes disputes with a strategic, disciplined, and trial-tested approach. Licensed in Texas and New York, he specializes in litigation for businesses ranging from start-ups to multinational corporations, with a particular focus on antitrust, contract disputes, trade secrets, intellectual property, and business torts. He has successfully guided companies through complex legal disputes, securing courtroom victories and favorable resolutions that protect their business interests.

Chris has shared his expertise through various avenues, including publishing the practice guide Texas Trade Secret Litigation and teaching as an adjunct professor of antitrust law at SMU Law School. He is also the editor in chief and a frequent contributor to the ABA’s Litigation Journal, writing on key developments in commercial litigation, trial strategy, and legal history. Widely recognized for his excellence in litigation, Chris has earned multiple accolades from Best Lawyers, D Magazine, Super Lawyers, and Benchmark Litigation.

Before joining LPHS, Chris practiced commercial litigation at Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP in New York, where he represented global banks, investment firms, and technology companies in complex commercial and securities litigation.

Chris earned his B.A. from Brigham Young University and his J.D., with honors, from George Washington University Law School. A lifelong musician and multi-instrumentalist, he brings an ear for detail and improvisational thinking to his litigation practice—skills honed through years of performing in several local bands.

  • George Washington University Law School, J.D., with honors
  • Brigham Young University, B.A.
  • Represented Energy Transfer in a $150 million lawsuit brought by investment funds associated with Goldman Sachs alleging fraud, breach of contract, and negligent misrepresentation related to pipeline development delays. After a three-week bench trial in New York Supreme Court, obtained a complete defense verdict on all claims.
  • Represented Blackstone, Inc. in the first contested final judgment under the new Texas Business Court system. Obtained summary judgment resolving breach of contract and fiduciary duty claims brought by minority investors in Primexx Energy Corp. relating to the $788 million sale of an affiliate oil and gas business.
  • Represented a Keurig Dr Pepper in a breach of contract and tortious interference lawsuit concerning an asset purchase agreement and earnout payments. The plaintiff alleged that the company failed to take commercially reasonable efforts to maximize sales and intentionally limited investment in the acquired brand. Successfully obtained dismissal of all claims in Delaware Superior Court, with the court finding that the contract did not impose the obligations the plaintiff sought to enforce.
  • Represented an online travel agency in an antitrust lawsuit brought against the eight largest hotels in the United States and, on summary judgment, convinced the court to apply the per se antitrust standard to the bid rigging and group boycott allegations—the first time any court has made such a finding in the context of online advertising auctions and successfully settling with all eight defendants.
  • Represented a leading beverage company and won summary judgment on contract claims involving a business dispute between the client and its specialized ink supplier.
  • Represented a practice of orthopedic surgeons in a long-running arbitration against a former physician. Secured a complete victory, including 100% of the damages sought, attorneys’ fees, and an award requiring the departing doctor to indemnify the practice for the full amount owed under a separate hospital recruiting agreement.
  • Represented an alternative energy company in a fiercely contested trade secrets case involving the theft of sensitive competitive information, successfully fending off multiple summary judgment motions and convincing the court to strike all the defendant’s experts, all of which led to a highly favorable confidential settlement.
  • Represented a co-packing and co-manufacturing company for leading alcohol & beverage brands and obtained a broad temporary restraining order preventing former executives from misappropriating trade secrets, ultimately leading to a highly favorable early settlement.
  • Representing an executive in a securities arbitration regarding stock option transactions, and not only winning significant damages but also obtaining an attorneys’ fees award.
  • Represented a pipeline company in a breach of contract case and, after three years of litigation, obtained complete dismissal of the plaintiff’s claims by arguing that the claim belonged in an administrative proceeding such that the district court lacked subject matter jurisdiction.
  • Represented a national law firm defending against legal malpractice claims and obtained complete dismissal on summary judgment on statute of limitations grounds.
  • Represented an oil and gas investor alleging claims of fraud and breach of contract against a former operator and, after winning injunctive relief, settling the case on favorable (but confidential) terms.
  • Represented a private equity firm in a fraud lawsuit brought in federal court and obtained a complete dismissal of the case at the pleading stage.
  • Represented a pipeline company in bankruptcy proceedings related to contract claims that the client failed to take reasonable precautions during the construction of a major northeast pipeline and, after establishing the flawed nature of the alleged claims, obtained a favorable, confidential settlement.
  • Represented a pipeline company in a jury trial related to the alleged formation of a partnership to market and operate a multi-billion-dollar pipeline project, which resulted in the jury awarding substantial damages in the client’s favor.
  • Represented a payment processing company against claims for breach of contract and negligent misrepresentation related to a power outage and, after years of discovery, obtained summary judgment on all claims just before trial.
  • Represented a multi-national manufacturer in a federal jury trial against 17 plaintiff independent service providers in complicated antitrust case in the Eastern District of Texas and obtained a take nothing judgment against 2 of the plaintiffs while convincing the court to award a new trial against the remaining plaintiffs.
  • Represented an international retailer against participants in the company’s bond debt alleging claims of fraudulent conveyance and obtained early dismissal of all claims.
  • Represented a pipeline company in a 13-day trial for damage sustained by two of its pipelines following the sudden formation of a sinkhole in Southern Louisiana and obtained an allocation of liability resulting in a confidential settlement agreement.
  • Represented a medical billing company in a trade secret/breach of fiduciary duty case involving claims by an emergency room against its former billing company and obtained partial summary judgment which reduced the available damages and led to a settlement on confidential terms prior to trial.
  • Represented a New York-based design and advertising firm in a contract and copyright infringement dispute filed in federal court in New York and settling on favorable terms.
  • Represented a health supplements company in a bet-the-company, multi-party arbitration related to a former CEO’s departure, ending in a favorable settlement allowing the client to continue operations.
  • Represented an investment fund in a securities fraud class action related to the Madoff Ponzi scheme.
  • Represented a prominent Swiss bank in a suit seeking to compel the disclosure of account holders’ names in violation of Swiss privacy law.
  • Recognized as a “Best Lawyer in America” by Best Lawyers, 2024-2025
  • Recognized as a “Best Lawyer in Dallas” by D Magazine, 2025
  • Recognized as “Texas Super Lawyer” by Super Lawyers, 2023-2024
  • Recognized as a “Super Lawyers Rising Star” by Thomson Reuters, 2015-2018
  • Recognized on the “Under 40 Hot List” by Benchmark Litigation, 2018-2019
  • Rock Around the Court—How Copyright Litigation Reflects the Muddy Origins of Rock ‘n’ Roll, Litigation Journal, Spring 2025
  • Speak Now—Corporate Representative Testimony in Discovery and at Trial, Litigation Journal, Winter 2025
  • The Long and Winding Road—Litigating the Beatles' Partnership Dissolution, Litigation Journal, Spring 2024
  • Hard Heads, Soft Skills: Two Traits to Survive as a Young Litigator, Litigation Journal, Spring 2023
  • Texas Trade Secret Litigation (3rd Ed.), ALM Media
  • Flowers on a Court Opinion: How the Trial of My Great-Grandmother’s Murderer Changed Me, My Family, and the Law, Litigation Journal, Winter 2022 (forthcoming)
  • Give the Jury What It Wants: Decision-Making in Trial Practice, Litigation Journal, Winter 2021
  • Texas Flood: Protecting Against the Rising Tide of Trade Secret Litigation, Texas Lawyer, 2020
  • When the Levee Breaks: Preparing for a Flood of Trade Secret Litigation, ABA Corporate Counsel Newsletter, 2020
  • Defining Trade Secrets: What Passes the Test in Texas?, DBA Headnotes, 2020
  • Adjunct Professor – Antitrust, SMU Law School
  • ABA’s Litigation Journal, Editor in Chief
  • Dallas County Elections Department, Legal Advisor to the Central Count Election Judge
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