Christopher A. Tipping is a shareholder of Stark & Knoll Co., L.P.A., and one of six owners of the Law Firm. Chris is a member in Stark & Knoll’s Litigation & Employment Group. Prior to joining Stark & Knoll on January 1, 2006, Chris was a shareholder in the Akron, Ohio Law Firm of Tipping Co., L.P.A.
Chris is a 1992 cum laude graduate of The George Washington University, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and election to Phi Beta Kappa. Chris received his Juris Doctor from The Ohio State University Mortiz College of Law in 1995. At Ohio State, he served as Articles Editor of the Ohio State Law Journal and received the American Jurisprudence Award in Civil and Political Law.
Chris maintains a civil litigation practice with principal focus in the areas of business, commercial, employment, personal injury, and all facets of insurance defense and insurance coverage litigation. As part of his insurance defense practice, Chris represents and defends clients across the State of Ohio in a broad spectrum of litigation areas, including:
- Negligence and Bodily Injury;
- Automobile and Dealership Operations;
- Construction Defects, including General and Sub-Contractor defense;
- Employment Practices, Discrimination, and Wrongful Termination defense;
- Medical, Nursing Home, and Professional Liability/Malpractice defense;
- Products Liability, Commercial, and Public Entity defense;
- Premises;
- Liquor Liability; and
- Subrogation and Third-Party Claims
In addition to insurance defense, Chris also maintains an Insurance Coverage practice. As part of his insurance coverage practice, Chris represents insurance companies in all aspects of coverage matters across the State of Ohio, including:
- Initial Coverage Analysis;
- Coverage and Claims Investigation, including Sworn Statements Under Oath;
- Reservation of Rights and Analysis of Duties to Defend and/or Indemnify;
- SIU Investigation and Litigation of Fraudulent Claims;
- Declaratory Judgment Actions to Litigate Coverage; and
- Bad Faith defense litigation
Chris has over 25 years’ experience in litigating cases on behalf of individuals, businesses, and insurance companies and has successfully litigated cases on behalf of his clients in Trial Courts spanning over thirty (30) counties throughout the State of Ohio, the United States District Court, Northern District of Ohio, The Ohio Court of Claims, Ohio Appellate Courts, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
Chris has also authored litigation manuals for practitioners, including, How to Refute Opposing Expert Testimony and Evidence, Experts and Hearsay in the Courtroom, for the National Business Institute. He has been a past speaker/presenter at litigation training and trial advocacy conferences on topics ranging from evidence law, to insurance law, claims handling and trial preparation and tactics.
Since 2011, Chris has been selected on a yearly basis by his peers as an Ohio Super Lawyer in the area of Civil Defense Litigation, a distinction awarded to only 5% of Attorneys in the State of Ohio over the age of 40. Prior to his selection as a Super Lawyer, Chris was selected as an Ohio Super Lawyer – Rising Star in Civil Defense Litigation in 2009 and 2010, a distinction awarded to less than 3% of Attorneys under the age of 40 in the State of Ohio. Chris is also a Fellow of the Akron Bar Foundation, Class of 2005, a Member of the Madison Who’s Who Executive and Professional Registry, and since 2018 has been recognized with membership in America's Top 100 Civil Defense Litigators. During Chris’s time at Stark & Knoll, the firm has also been designated as a Best Law Firm by U.S. News & World Report in multiple practice areas, including Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants.
Active in the community, Chris served as a Member of the Board of Trustees of his alma mater, Walsh Jesuit High School, from 2009-2015, where he also served as President of the Walsh Jesuit Alumni Association from 2006-2012. Chris served as the President of the Board of Trustees of Fairlawn Country Club from 2016-2017, and was a member of the Fairlawn Board of Trustees from 2014-2018. Chris is also President of the City of Fairlawn Real Property Maintenance Board. In 2011, Chris was appointed by the Mayor of Fairlawn to the City’s Community Improvement Corporation which is charged with promoting business and economic development, serving as Vice President from 2011-2019, and as President since 2020. Chris resides in Fairlawn, Ohio, with his wife, Tricia, and their four children.
Admitted to Bar
1995, Ohio; 1996, United States District Court, Northern District of Ohio; 1998, District of Columbia; 2003, United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
Selected Reported Cases
Hastings Mutual Ins. Co. v. Village Communities Real Estate, Inc., 2014-Ohio-2916 (Ohio App. 10 Dist); Hutcheson v. Ohio Auto Dealers Assn., et al., 2012-Ohio-5434 (Ohio App. 8 Dist); Merino v. Salem Hunting Club, et al., 2008-Ohio-6366 (Ohio App. 7 Dist); Steiner v. Ganley Toyota-Mercedes Benz (2003), 99 Ohio St. 3d 211; Rigby v. Fallsway Equip. Co. (2002), 150 Ohio App. 3d 155; Sorrell v. Estate of Datko (2001), 147 Ohio App. 3d 319; Brott Mardis & Co. v. Camp (2001), 147 Ohio App. 3d 71; Hitt v. Anthem Ins. Group (2001), 142 Ohio App. 3d 262.
Geographic Scope of Practice
Attorney Tipping has litigated cases throughout all regions of the State of Ohio, including greater Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Toledo, and surrounding counties thereto, and accepts defense and coverage cases throughout the State of Ohio. His principal geographic focus is Northeastern and Central Ohio, spanning more than thirty (30) counties including: Ashland, Columbiana, Cuyahoga, Delaware, Fairfield, Franklin, Geauga, Holmes, Jefferson, Lake, Lorain, Mahoning, Medina, Portage, Richland, Stark, Summit, Trumbull, Tuscarawas, and Wayne Counties.
"When a client is faced with litigation or wants to avoid it, the key component for success is experienced trial counsel. We, in the Stark & Knoll litigation group, maintain the proficiency and hands-on courtroom experience to advance our clients' interests zealously and with positive results. We strive to place our clients in the best possible position for success in all litigation matters." - Christopher A. Tipping