Qualifications and Career Profile
Christopher A. Hicks concentrates his practice in civil litigation and alternative dispute resolution. In addition to assisting clients in various arbitration and other dispute resolution forums, Mr. Hicks represents clients in all stages of the litigation process at the trial and appellate level. Mr. Hicks is admitted to practice before all state and federal courts in the State of North Carolina, as well as the United States Courts of Appeals for the Fourth and Fifth Circuits.
Mr. Hicks has represented individuals and businesses of all sizes, from one-person limited liability companies to large, international corporations. Mr. Hicks has successfully pursued his clients’ interests in numerous areas, including protecting trade secrets, enforcing covenants not to compete and in litigation arising from the dissolution of corporations and limited liability companies. He strives to bring common sense to bear with the facts and applicable law to provide the most efficient results for Katten’s clients.
Mr. Hicks has successfully conducted numerous appeals. In his fourth year of practice, Mr. Hicks briefed and argued on behalf of the executor of an estate before the North Carolina Supreme Court, obtaining a reversal of an unfavorable opinion by the Court of Appeals. Both before and since that decision, Mr. Hicks has represented businesses and individuals before federal and state courts of appeals in cases ranging from business torts to real estate and contract disputes. In 2009, Mr. Hicks pursued a complex insurance dispute through the federal courts to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals and successfully challenged the North Carolina Department of Revenue’s imposition of sales and use tax on one of Katten’s manufacturing clients.
Mr. Hicks is also the Charlotte office representative of Katten’s Electronic Discovery and Evidence Practice. Mr. Hicks brings the collective experience and expertise of the practice group to this rapidly developing area of litigation practice. In this capacity, Mr. Hicks helps Katten’s business clients stay abreast of new changes and helps develop practical solutions with respect to information management, document retention and litigation readiness.
Mr. Hicks also prides himself on his involvement in
pro bono and community support activities. He has represented elderly individuals in various capacities, represents a local youth sports organization and recently assisted a student with special emotional and educational needs in obtaining an appropriate education.
Associations and Committees
Mr. Hicks is a member of the North Carolina State Bar and of the Mecklenburg County Bar. He was also the Chairman of the Mecklenburg County Bar’s Ask-A-Lawyer Committee for 2000-2001.
Lectures and Articles
- “Substantive Issues and Procedural Obstacles in Arbitrating Civil Cases,” presented at the Mecklenburg County Car Civil Litigation Forum, February 22, 2008, Charlotte, North Carolina.
- "Custody a la Carte: Child Testimony, Child Preferences, The Impact of Domestic Violence and Involvement by Guardian ad Litems and DSS" presented at the North Carolina Bar Foundation CLE "What About the Children? Child Custody and Support 2002", September 13, 2002, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
- "Law Practice Management in the 21st Century: The Value of Centralizing Your Data" presented at the North Carolina Bar Foundation CLE "Family Law Practice in the New Millennium", September 15, 2000, Cary, North Carolina.
Education
Mr. Hicks earned his undergraduate degree (B.A., 1991) from University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, his master’s degree in history (M.A., 1996) from Appalachian State University, and his law degree (J.D., 1999) from Wake Forest University School of Law, where he served on the Moot Court Board and the Trial Bar.