Christopher William Bowman
Top rated Appellate attorney in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Madigan, Dahl & Harlan, P.A.
Practice Areas: Appellate, Employment & Labor, Construction Litigation; view more
Licensed in Minnesota since: 2009
Education: William Mitchell College of Law
Selected to Rising Stars: 2018 - 2024 Call today:
612-604-2585
Madigan, Dahl & Harlan, P.A.
33 South 6th StSuite 3675
Minneapolis, MN 55402 Visit website
Details
A highly regarded civil trial and appellate lawyer, Christopher William Bowman is an attorney at Madigan, Dahl & Harlan, P.A. Working out of the firm's office in Minneapolis, Minnesota, he represents clients throughout the state and across the country. Admitted to practice in Minnesota since 2009, Mr. Bowman is also admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado, the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the 5th, 7th, 8th and 9th Circuits, and the Supreme Court of the United States. Mr. Bowman has also appeared in matters on a pro hac vice basis all around the country.
A portion of Mr. Bowman's practice is centered on labor and employment law litigation. In this regard, he provides defense representation to businesses that are facing claims of discrimination under various federal and state statutes, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. His experience in this regard has also included wrongful termination and other alleged types of retaliation. Mr. Bowman's non-employment-law caseload has encompassed construction disputes, franchise and distribution law, real estate matters, and general business litigation. His successful track record and high degree of ethics have earned him the respect of his peers, including being selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America. Mr. Bowman has also received an "Excellent" peer review rating through Avvo.
After receiving a Bachelor of Arts in English and government from Lawrence University in 2006, Mr. Bowman went on to pursue his legal education at what was then known as William Mitchell College of Law, and he served several internships before being awarded his Juris Doctor cum laude in 2009. He then clerked for judges on the Minnesota Court of Appeals before joining a law firm that represented injured or retaliated-against railroad workers. Mr. Bowman has been with his current firm since November 2019.
Practice areas
Appellate, Employment & Labor: Employer, Construction Litigation: Business, Business Litigation, Civil Litigation: Plaintiff, Civil Litigation: DefenseFocus areas
Appeals, Labor Law, Non-Compete Agreements, Trade Secret, Wage & Hour Laws
First Admitted: 2009, Minnesota
Professional Webpage: https://www.mdh-law.com/attorney/bowman-christopher/
- Minnesota State Bar Association
- Hennepin County Bar Association
- Minnesota State Bar Association, Appellate Practice Section, Council Member, Former Chair
- Quest v. Rekieta, et al., 2024 WL 2266941 (Minn. App. May 20, 2024): Affirmance of district court’s conclusion that Minnesota, rather than Colorado, law applied to defamation action arising from statements made over YouTube and other web-streaming services, in part because Colorado’s Anti-SLAPP Statute violates Minnesota’s constitutional right to a jury trial in defamation actions., 2024
- State of Minnesota v. J. Alexander Kueng, 2021 WL 79794 (Minn. App. Jan. 11, 2021), rev. denied (Minn. March 30, 2021): Appointed by the Minnesota Court of Appeals and Minnesota Supreme Court at the request of the Office of the Minnesota Attorney General to handle appellate briefing on behalf of the State of Minnesota in a challenge to a denial of state funding for a venue study pursuant to Minn. Stat. § 611.21 in a case where the attorney general’s office was the prosecuting authority., 2021
- N.H. v. Anoka-Hennepin School District No. 11, 950 N.W.2d 553 (Minn. App. 2020): Appearing as counsel for amicus curiae Minnesota State Bar Association, authored (along with co-counsel) a brief arguing that discrimination against transgender persons violates Minnesota’s commitment to providing equal access to educational opportunities and full participation in public life; that equal access to educational opportunities is critical to expanding access to professional life and helping the legal profession better reflect and serve the people of Minnesota; and that the stability and fairness of Minnesota’s legal system depends on equal access to education opportunities to minority and marginalized groups., 2020
- Thornton v. Bosquez, 933 N.W.2d 781 (Minn. 2019): Appearing as counsel for amicus curiae Minnesota State Bar Association in a family-law appeal considering interpretation and application of Minnesota’s statutory presumption against joint custody arrangements in instances where domestic abuse had occurred between the parents of a minor child. While the court did not cite the MSBA’s brief in its opinion, the Court’s analysis (in particular Section I concerning the application of the presumption) tracks that of the MSBA., 2019
- Wooten v BNSF Ry. Co., 387 F.Supp. 3d 1078 (D.Mont) - Following a two-week trial in Missoula, Montana, a federal jury unanimously found in favor of the plaintiff on both his claim for a personal injury under the FELA and the railroad’s termination of his employment for filing the personal injury report under the FRSA’s whistleblower protections (49 U.S.C. § 20109(a)(4)). The jury awarded over $1.4 million in lost wages, $500,000 in emotional pain and suffering, and $249,999 in punitive damages ($1 below statutory maximum). Following post-trial motions , the district court denied the railroad’s motions for a new trial and remittitur, and added an additional $1 million in fees and costs, commenting that plaintiff’s attorneys “demonstrated a thorough and reliable understanding of the state of FRSA litigation on a national scale” and had “risen to national prominence in [FRSA litigation] for good reason.” The $3.2 million judgment represents the largest to date under the FRSA’s whistleblower protections., 2019
- Oral Argument - Wallis v. BNSF Ry. Co., Appellate Practice, Railroad, 2017
- Vice Chancellor, Episcopal Church in Minnesota
- Appellate Law, Top Lawyers, Minnesota Monthly, 2024
- Appellate Practice, Rising Stars, Thompson Reuters, 2023
- Appellate Practice, Rising Stars, Thompson Reuters, 2022
- Appellate Practice, Rising Stars, Thompson Reuters, 2021
- Appellate Practice, Rising Stars, Thompson Reuters, 2020
- Labor & Employment Law, Rising Stars, Thompson Reuters, 2019
- This award is presented to commend one or more attorneys who are actively involved in the legal profession and who combine excellence in professional service with outstanding service to and on behalf of the Minnesota State Bar, the legal profession, or the public. This award recognizes attorneys who strive to meet the many responsibilities of a lawyer, including efforts to improve the administration of justice and practice of law, efforts to promote access to justice, efforts to serve and govern the profession, and service of benefit to the community., Professional Excellence Award, Minnesota State Bar Association, 2019
- B.A., English, Government & Political Science, Lawrence University of Wisconsin: Dean's List; Judicial Board; Vice President and Finance Chairman, Student Senate, 2002-2006
- This session will provide an overview of how to do an appeal, and will cover everything from important dates and deadlines, to the technical rules, to how to present and craft effective appellate arguments. Learn tips and strategies on best practices for drafting your appellate briefs and what common pitfalls to avoid., Co-Presenter, The Nuts and Bolts of an Appeal, Minnesota CLE, Appellate Practice, 2024
- Civil and criminal law attorneys from both sides of the caption discuss some of the important decisions from the 2022-2023 Term from the Minnesota Supreme Court and the Minnesota Court of Appeals, and what those decisions may mean for Minnesota jurisprudence moving forward. (Panelist with Katie Barrett Wiik., Panelist, Minnesota Appellate Developments – 2022-2023 Midterm Update.”, Minnesota CLE, Appellate Practice, 2023
- The leading CLE for appellate practitioners in Minnesota., Course Chair, The 16th Annual Minnesota Appellate Practice Institute, Minnesota CLE, Appellate Practice, 2022
- A review of civil and criminal cases from the Minnesota Appellate Courts, Panelist, 2022 Appellate Year in Review, Minnesota CLE, Appellate Practice, 2022
- Answering important foundational questions such as is there jurisdiction for an appeal, what can be reviewed, and what standard of review applies., Presenter, Civil Appeals A-Z: Jurisdiction, Justiciability, Standard of Review, and Scope of Review, Minnesota CLE, Appellate Practice, 2022
- Between the briefing and the argument comes the all-too-often overlooked part of practicing for oral argument. Hear from practitioners, both civil and criminal, about how they go about putting together a moot court panel, how they prepare for the mock argument, and the benefits of doing so, Panel Moderator, How Do You Get to Carnegie Hall? The Importance of Moot Courts, Minnesota CLE, Appellate Practice, 2021
- Every appeal must be assembled in a careful and comprehensive manner to ensure compliance with the rules of appellate procedure and the unwritten rules of protocol and persuasion. Two experienced and effective appellate lawyers will discuss ways to improve the preservation and presentation of your next appeal., Co-Presenter, The Nuts and Bolts of an Appeal: How to Build a Better Appeal, Minnesota CLE, Appellate Practice, 2020
- A panel discussion with practitioners from small, medium, and large firms will discuss how they have developed, marketed, and grown “Appellate Practice” beyond the senior partner in the corner office and the writer in a darkened room., Panel Moderator, Growing Your Appellate Practice, Minnesota CLE, Appellate Practice, 2019
- Summary of provisions and procedures of the whistleblower protections under the FRSA, codified at 49 USC Section 20109, Author, Whistleblower Protections of the Federal Rail Safety Act: An Overview, William Mitchell Journal of Law & Practice, 2015
- This article responds to other articles that seek to restrict the admissibility of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in court cases where an injured plaintiff has suffered a mild traumatic brain injury, arguing that they misframe the issue of whether DTI technology has gained general acceptance as a diagnostic tool for single incidents. The article offers a brief overview of DTI technology and its capabilities; summarizes the legal standards governing admissibility of such evidence and the position utilized by opponents of DTI to prevent admissibility; discusses events that transpired at an Emory conference seeking to develop some expert consensus around these issues; and concludes that when the question of admissibility is viewed through the proper lens, district courts should reach the conclusion that DTI has gained sufficient acceptance to be admitted under either standard and that the problems raised by its opponents are more properly handled by way of vigorous cross examination, Co-Author, Daubert, Frye & DTI: Hijacking the Right to Trial by Jury, American Journal of Bioethics: Neuroscience, 2014
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Office location for Christopher William Bowman
33 South 6th St
Suite 3675
Minneapolis, MN 55402
Phone: 612-604-2585
Selections
- Rising Stars: 2018 - 2024
