Kercsmar & Feltus PLLC - www.businesslawaz.com

Practice Areas and Experience

Christopher M. Goodman practices primarily in commercial litigation, with extensive experience in real estate, construction and intellectual property law. His commercial litigation practices includes representation of both plaintiffs and defendants in all aspects of business litigation, including breach of contract, business tort, trade secret, securities litigation, commercial and residential real estate and construction litigation.

Mr. Goodman has served as lead counsel in representing clients through all phases of the litigation process, from initial fact investigation through trial. Mr. Goodman has been lead counsel at numerous arbitrations, evidentiary hearings and trials. Mr. Goodman has also represented clients in the appeals process. 

Mr. Goodman previously worked for Jennings, Strouss & Salmon, one of Phoenix’s oldest and largest law firms. At Jennings Strouss, Mr. Goodman was a member of the litigation department and had the opportunity to work in several practice areas, including commercial, construction, insurance and employment law. Mr. Goodman has also worked at The Elardo Law Firm in Phoenix, practicing general civil litigation with an emphasis on personal injury and insurance law.

Mr. Goodman has appeared in the Superior Courts of 13 of the 15 Arizona counties, both divisions of the Arizona Court of Appeals, the United States District Court for the District of Arizona and the courts of the Navajo Nation.

Representative Cases and Clients

• Obtained dismissal of a special action to extinguish a client’s multi-million dollar construction lien, and obtained award of client’s attorneys’ fees.
• Obtained dismissal of litigation between neighboring businesses regarding an easement between the properties, and obtained award of client’s attorneys’ fees.
• Obtained summary judgment for client in franchise dispute, and obtained award of client’s attorneys’ fees.
• Represented a construction surety in litigation against a municipality arising from improper administration of a contract to build a multi-million dollar wastewater treatment facility, resulting in a favorable settlement.
• Represented the plaintiffs in a wrongful death action against a trucking company, resulting in a multi-million dollar settlement.
• Represented plaintiffs in litigation to enforce a real estate development consulting agreement regarding a 700-plus acre mixed-use development.
• Represented a prominent Arizona law firm in a legal malpractice claim arising from toxic tort mass litigation.
• Represented the seller of a hotel property in an action against the buyer, partners of the seller, and the escrow company handling the transaction.
• Represented the buyer of a condominium in an action against the seller for failure to disclose flood damage, resulting in a favorable settlement.
• Represented a national architectural firm in defense of claims arising from alleged design defects, resulting in a release of claims with no payment to claimants.
• Represented a construction company in a legal malpractice claim arising from failure to timely file a notice of claim against a municipality.
• Represented a large employer in defense of claims for employment discrimination based upon religion, resulting in a favorable settlement.
• Represented a government entity in defense of multiple claims for employment discrimination and sexual harassment.
• Represented a manufacturer of environmentally-friendly cleaning materials in a trade secret action against a former employee, resulting in a favorable settlement.
• Represented both individual plaintiffs and insurance companies in insurance declaratory and insurance bad faith actions.
• Represented numerous plaintiffs and defendants in personal injury actions.

Professional Experience

The Elardo Law Firm, 2005 to April 2007
Jennings, Strouss & Salmon, 2004 to 2005

Education

University of Arizona, James E. Rogers College of Law (J.D., magna cum laude, 2004)
        Writer and Editor, Arizona Law Review
University of Arizona (B.A. 1998)
        President, Delta Tau Delta Fraternity
        Vice President, Interfraternity Council
St. Albans School, Washington, D.C. (1994)

Court Admissions

Supreme Court of Arizona
United States District Court for the District of Arizona

Community Involvement

Mr. Goodman is a member of Scottsdale Chamber of Commerce and the Scottsdale Bar Association.

Personal

Prior to entering law school, Mr. Goodman worked as a Chapter Consultant for Delta Tau Delta International Fraternity. In this capacity, Mr. Goodman traveled across the United States and Canada, consulting with undergraduate chapters regarding all aspects of their operations, including leadership, financial management and community relations. Mr. Goodman has also served on several local and national political campaigns, and was a White House intern during the Clinton administration.

Mr. Goodman is a fourth-generation Arizonan and was born and raised in the Phoenix area. In his spare time, he enjoys spectator sports and attempts to play golf on occasion.  He has traveled extensively to all corners of the world, having visited over 35 different countries. His intermediate Spanish becomes advanced after two margaritas.