Background

After law school, Chris Nolland served as an appellate law clerk and thereafter practiced law in New York City and Dallas, Texas. He was a partner in a well-known national business litigation firm. His experience as a lawyer is in complex business litigation including contracts, franchise law, securities, intellectual property, partnerships, corporations, joint ventures, construction law, real estate, bankruptcy and insolvency litigation, professional liabilty, fiduciary duty litigation, banking and lender liability, and other high stakes business and commercial cases, as well as significant probate, trust and estate litigation.

Mediation and Arbitration Services

In 1993, Mr. Nolland began his own practice with an emphasis on the development of a mediation and arbitration practice.  His ADR practice continued to focus on his experience in complex business and commercial disputes, bankruptcy and insolvency related matters, fiduciary duty litigation, including professional malfeasance, intellectual property, and other significant litigation. Since that time, Mr. Nolland has mediated or arbitrated over 3,000 cases and has earned a national reputation as the "go to" mediator or arbitrator for the resolution of the most complex, difficult, and significant litigation and disputes. You can see  more detailed information about Mr. Nolland's ADR practice on the Mediation & Arbitration page of his website. 

Special Settlement Counsel Services

While neutral mediation and arbitration services are Mr. Nolland's primary focus, in the last 20 years, he has also developed a signficant and robust practice in which he acts as a non-neutral Special Negotiation/Settlement Counsel to other law firms and clients in their most important and highest stakes matters. In his role as Settlement Counsel, Nolland works with the litigators and trial lawyers and with the client to develop, implement, and execute a negotiation strategy in parallel with litigation activies being handled by others. Chris Nolland's work as Settlement Counsel includes cases being actively litgated as well as those disputes in which a negotiated resolution is sought before a lawsuit is filed or while matters are pending on appeal. Further information about Mr. Nolland's Settlement Counsel practice and the structural advantages of such an arrangement is available on the Settlement Counsel page of his website. Nolland's practices both as a mediator/arbitrator and as Special Settlement Counsel are national in scope.

Other Qualifications

As an Adjunct Professor at Southern Methodist University's Dedman School of Law for 25 years Mr. Nolland has taught a course in Negotiation to second and third year law students. He is a frequent speaker at ADR programs and training courses and has been profiled in numerous legal and business publications.

Chris Nolland is a Fellow of the American College of Civil Trial Mediators and a member of the National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals (both by invitation only), the Association of Attorney Mediators, and the ADR and Litigation sections of National, State and Local Bar Associations. Mr. Nolland is also a member of both the AAA Panel of Arbitrators and the AAA Panel of  Mediators.

Professional Recognitions

Chris Nolland has been repeatedly selected as one of the leading attorneys Nationally, in Texas, and in Dallas for his ADR practice. Mr. Nolland was named by Chambers as a leading nationwide Mediator in each year from 2017-2024 (ranked  Nationwide Band 2 in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024). Chambers noted in its 2020 profile that "Christopher Nolland brings a 'very innovative' approach to mediation...". In its 2023 profile, Chambers reported comments about Nolland that  "He is a really brilliant guy that is always thinking about how to take mediation to the next level".Most recently in 2024 Chambers remarks that "Chris is a wonderful mediator and also serves as settlement counsel to help parties resolve disputes. He comes with high praise." 

Mr. Nolland was recognized in 2024, 2023, 2022 and 2021 (and prior years) by Who's Who Legal (published by  Law Business Research Ltd in London) as a Global Leader in Mediation.  Chris Nolland was named by D Magazine as one of the Best Lawyers in Dallas in 2003, 2005, 2007, 2008, and 2010 - 2024 (all years the list has been published) and named  as  an Inaugural Member of the D Magazine  Best Lawyers Hall of Fame (2022). Texas Monthly/Thompson Reuters selected him as a Texas Super Lawyer based upon the votes of his peers in all years published from 2003 – 2024, and in 2007 and 2020 as one of the top 100 lawyers in Texas. For over 15 years Mr. Nolland has also been selected byThe Best Lawyers in America by BL Rankings LLC (2008 - 2024) and is ranked as a Best Lawyer (2013 - 2024) by U.S. News and World Report. Mr. Nolland is one of 5 Texas mediator finalists statewide for the 2012 Go-To Lawyers Guide published by Texas Lawyer every five years. In 2016 he was selected by Texas Lawyer for its Lifetime Achievement Award.

American Lawyer named Chris Nolland to its 2021 Inaugural Class of Trailblazers South for his creation and development of  a new practice area -  acting as Special Settlement Counsel to clients in major litigation. In 2016, Mr. Nolland was named as a National ADR Champion by The National Law Journal and was the recipient of the Steve Brutsché Award from the national Association of Attorney Mediators (its highest honor).  In 2018, he received the Justice Frank Evans Award from the ADR Section of the State Bar of Texas for excellence in the field of Alternate Dispute Resolution. In 2019 Texas Lawyer named Mr. Nolland a Texas Trailblazer for his development of the Special Settlement Counsel concept of bifurcating the litigation and settlement negotiation functions among different outside counsel.

More details about Chris Nolland can be found at: www.nolland.com

ADR TRAINING & ACTIVITIES:

• American Academy of Attorney-Mediators, Inc. - Basic Mediation Training
• American Arbitration Association - Basic and Advanced Arbitration Training
• Association of Attorney-Mediators - Advanced Mediation Training
• National Association of Securities Dealers (FINRA predecessor)
• SMU Law School- Adjunct Professor of Law Teaching Negotiation for over 20 years

• AAA Panel of Arbitrators and AAA Panel of Mediators
• American, Texas, New York State and Dallas Bar Associations
• Member of ADR, Litigation, and other sections of the foregoing bar associations
• Association of Attorney Mediators
• Association for Conflict Resolution
• Fellow - American College of Civil Trial Mediators
• National and Texas Academy of Distinguished Neutrals

Information regarding Mr. Nolland’s Mediation Fees and a downloadable Fee Schedule is available on the Mediation & Arbitration page of his website at: Nolland Mediation & Arbitration