Christopher Maile

I am the Chair of the Tharpe & Howell, LLP’s Employment and Labor Law Practice Group and have been defending employers since 1985. For more than 30 years I have partnered with employers to successfully and cost-effectively handle their pre-litigation and litigation employment matters. I do so through constant communication and collaboration with my clients so that they are always aware of what is happening on their cases and participate in all decisions affecting how their legal expense will be applied to achieving the desired resolution of their matters. In addition, I am the Co-Chair of the Firm's Claims Handling and Insurance Coverage Practice Group. In this capacity, I work with insurance claims professionals and managing attorneys for major insurance companies advising them on proper claims handling procedures and practices, and defending insurance companies against claims of bad faith and unfair business practices. Whether my client is in need of defense of a lawsuit brought by an employee or by a policyholder, the one thing I find every client wants is an early evaluation of its liability and damage exposure so that the client can make an informed decision on whether to spend its money defending the litigation or pursuing a cost-effective settlement. In order to provide such an evaluation, one needs to understand how the case will present to a judge and jury at time of trial. Increasingly, fewer and fewer “litigators" have any trial experience, let alone enough trial experience to provide that insight. When I evaluate a new lawsuit against my clients, I am able to provide them with the experience and knowledge gained from having spent almost a year of my career in jury trials defending employers and insurance carriers.