Over 100 Years Of Combined Experience Representing Clients Throughout Texas And In Federal Courts
Christopher
Bowers
- Of Counsel
- Zoning and Land Use
- Platting
- Eminent Domain
- Code Compliance
- Municipal Law
- Real Estate Litigation
- Legislative and Governmental Affairs
Biography
Chris Bowers is of Counsel to The Suster Law Group, PLLC. Chris worked for almost 27 years for the Dallas City Attorney's Office, including serving almost 10 years as the First Assistant City Attorney and serving five months as the interim City Attorney for the City of Dallas. His primary responsibility as first assistant included supervising all Dallas’ civil litigation and criminal prosecutions. Before joining the Suster Law Group in 2021, Chris worked for another private firm for more than four years. Chris counsels and represents developers and other landowners in a broad range of complex litigation, appellate, transactional, legislative, and administrative matters involving property and local governments.
Education
- Cornell University Law School, Ithaca, New York
- Texas A&M
Pro-Bono Activities
- Chair, Legal Ethics Committee, Dallas Bar Association, 2025
- Board of Directors, Fair Park First, 2021
- Board of Trustees, Preservation Dallas, 2019-2025
- Board of Directors, Gateway of Grace, 2018
- Chair, Government Law Section, Dallas Bar Association, 2010
- City of Plano Heritage Commission, 1999-2002
- Chair, National Alliance of Preservation Commissions, 1999-2001
Past Positions
- Dallas City Attorney’s Office
- First Assistant City Attorney (including supervisor of all litigation undertaken by the City Attorney’s office)
- Interim City Attorney for the City of Dallas
Published Works
- Author, Laws Affecting the Restoration and Preservation of Historical Buildings, 15 CONSTRUCTION LAW J. 37 (Winter 2019)
- Speaker, Speak Softly and Carry a Big Stick: Tips for Getting Your Client’s Project Through the Development Maze, Dallas Area Real Estate Lawyers Breakfast Discussion Group, Dallas, TX, 2018
- Author & speaker, Obtaining Damages for an Illegal Demolition of a Landmark: a Dallas Case Study, National Preservation Law Conference, National Trust for Historic Preservation and Georgetown University Law Center, Washington, DC, 2017
- Author & speaker, Hot Topics in Land Use Law, 19th Annual Land Use Conference, University of Texas School of Law, Round Rock, TX, 2015
- Author, Asking for Trouble When Turning History Into Rubble: How Dallas Razed Cain, LOCAL VIEWPOINT, State & Local Government Law Section, Federal Bar Association (Winter 2012)
- Author & Speaker, Historic Preservation Law, Best Practices for Public Sector Lawyers Seminar, Government Lawyers Section of State Bar of Texas, Austin, TX, 2011
- Co-speaker, Eminent Domain and Regulatory Takings, Annual Conference, Texas Chapter of American Planning Association, Addison, TX, 2007
- Author, Historic Preservation Concerning Private Property, 30 THE URBAN LAWYER 405 (Spring 1998) (cited as one of four best articles on historic preservation in 1998 by Stuart L. Deutsch & A. Dan Tarlock, Annual Survey of Land Use Literature, 22 ZONING & PLANNING LAW REPORT 56 (June 1999))
- Speaker, Sign Regulation and the First Amendment, Challenges Facing Local Governments, Dallas Chapter of Federal Bar Association, Dallas, TX, 1994
Bar Admissions
- Texas, 1989
- U.S. District Court Northern District of Texas
- U.S. Court of Appeals 5th Circuit
- U.S. Supreme Court
Honors
- Best Lawyers in Dallas (land use/zoning), D Magazine, 2021-2022
- Texas Verdicts Hall of Fame, Texas Lawyer, 2014
- Magna Stella statewide award for excellence in leadership and management for a non-profit or government agency, Texas General Counsel Forum, 2012
- Presidential Citation, Dallas Bar Association, 2009
- Texas Super Lawyers as named by FindLaw 2006-2009
- AV Preeminent rating, Martindale-Hubbell, 2003-