Christopher J. Bowers

Christopher J. Bowers is Counsel in the Environmental Practice of Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP with a focus on Environmental/Natural Resources and Commercial Law.

Mr. Bowers’ practice includes environmental, toxic tort, products liability, personal injury, insurance coverage and complex commercial litigation in both state and federal court. His experience ranges from representation of numerous entities in defense of and in pursuit of claims concerning allegations of toxic exposure and contamination. He practices in courts within Georgia and throughout the United States including the District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, the District Court for the District of Puerto Rico and the District Court for the Southern District of Alabama. Examples of Mr. Bowers’ experience include advising a biotechnology company concerning the negotiation and impact of contract language under applicable law and in pursuit of client interests concerning national business operations. In addition, he has served as assistant national coordinating counsel for a multinational corporation overseeing North American asbestos litigation, as litigation counsel to numerous entities in matters involving alleged soil, air and groundwater contamination and as counsel for a purchaser in pursuit of recovery of response costs for cleanup and remediation of alleged soil and groundwater contamination. Mr. Bowers’ experience also includes advising and representing clients in regulatory matters, including state and local liquor licensing, NPDES permitting under the Clean Water Act and compliance with the Georgia Erosion and Sedimentation Act. Mr. Bowers also renders advice and representation in real estate development transactions, including zoning compliance and environmental permitting.

Recent representative matters include:

• Representation of common carrier in defense of soil and groundwater chemical contamination cost recovery claims, resulting in dismissal of said claims on summary judgment and exclusion of opponent’s expert opinion testimony
• Representation of county in litigation concerning solid waste landfi ll permitting dispute, resulting in favorable decisions at the trial court, on appeal to The Supreme Court of Georgia and in opposition to a Petition For Writ of Certiorari to the United States Supreme Court
• Representation of manufacturing and distribution firm in defense of chemical exposure claims, resulting in dismissal of such claims on summary judgment
• Representation of insurance company in coverage dispute arising from lawsuit concerning construction of Georgia residential subdivision
• Representation of product manufacturer in lawsuit alleging personal injury arising from asbestos exposure, resulting in dismissal of action on behalf of manufacturer
• Representation of numerous entities in CERCLA cost-recovery and contribution actions
• Representation of national hotel company, national restaurant company and regional service station company in state and local permitting matters

Mr. Bowers received his B.A. degree in Political Science, cum laude, from the University of Washington. He earned his J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School in 2002, where he was a Note and Comment Editor of the Minnesota Journal of Global Trade. Mr. Bowers is a member of the Georgia Bar.

Mr. Bowers’ civic and volunteer activities include participation as a stakeholder interview attorney for the JUSTGeorgia Juvenile Code Rewrite Project. Mr. Bowers was selected for inclusion in Georgia Super Lawyers, Rising Stars in the field of Environmental Law (2010-2011), as published in Atlanta magazine and Georgia Super Lawyers.