Christopher Harnett

Chris Harnett has a varied practice that includes defending corporate entities in commercial, general liability and toxic tort lawsuits. He serves as coverage counsel on behalf of insurance carriers in 1st party property insurance matters and as examination under oath counsel in property and general liability coverage matters. As a Hearing Officer for local public entities, he presides over Administrative Law proceedings. Mr. Harnett is also a Commercial Arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association. Archer Norris Chris Harnett is a partner with Archer Norris in the Walnut Creek office. Visit: www.archernorris.com Chris Harnett has been lead general liability defense counsel for several local public transportation agencies, and continues to serve as lead statewide California defense counsel for an automotive industry defendant in asbestos litigation pending in Southern and Northern California. From 1995 to 2002, Mr. Harnett presided over Business and Professional license discipline matters, serving as an Administrative Law Judge, Pro Tem, in the Office of Administrative Hearings of the State of California. Chris Harnett began his trial practice as a Deputy Public Defender in San Joaquin County, where he spent the last three of his five-year tenure, from 1974 to 1979, defending serious felony criminal trials. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of California at Berkeley in 1967, served as a sea duty Unrestricted Line Officer (Lt.J.G.), in the United States Navy (1967-1970), and obtained his law degree from the University of San Francisco, with honors, in 1973. Memberships include Defense Research Institute, Association of Defense Counsel of Northern California, Public Agency Risk Managers Association, and Contra Costa County Bar Association. About Archer Norris Archer Norris is a professional law corporation providing services to clients statewide from offices in Northern and Southern California. Our litigation attorneys have experience in hundreds of jury trials ranging from two-party to multi-party cases and class actions. Committed to dispute resolution mechanisms such as mediation and arbitration, we seek to limit lengthy trials to only the most intractable cases. In addition to our acumen and reputation at the trial court level, we also possess considerable expertise as appellate counsel. We have successfully represented clients in appeals and writ proceedings before state and federal appellate courts. A growing portion of our practice consists of cases referred in progress, reflecting our ability to quickly pull together a responsive team to meet a fast-evolving legal crisis or business opportunity. Our transactional attorneys have negotiated real estate, financial, and business agreements involving hundreds of millions of dollars. We are proud of our track record of securing discretionary approvals for residential, commercial, and industrial development, as well as difficult public-private agreements for solid waste and cable television franchises. In addition, we act as both borrower's and lender's counsel in financings, including public agency bond financing. We represent parties in the purchase, sale, restructuring, and operation of businesses. The firm excels in handling complex matters. We maximize our resources to meet clients' needs in the areas of communication, electronic billing, data transmission, storage, case management, and remote access. The rapidly expanding volume of complex matters brought to us by clients demonstrates the effectiveness of our approach. Archer Norris strives to exceed client expectations by creating effective strategies that bring positive results. Visit Chris Harnett's Website