Christopher Bader Email & Phone Number

Washington, D.C.

- Served as an investigative attorney in the Office of Special Reviews, created to increase OIG's flexibility by conducting prompt reviews of significant events and emergent issues not squarely within the focus of a single OIG directorate and conducting administrative investigations of senior VA officials- Led teams of investigators on sensitive and high-profile matters, including administrative reviews of alleged misconduct by senior agency officials- Wrote in-depth investigative reports of findings and recommendations- Regularly briefed OIG leadership about pending matters- Completed CIGIE New Leaders training program to further develop management, coaching, and organizational change skills

Washington, D.C.

- Briefed and argued an unprecedented, multi-billion-dollar class action in collaboration with a team of attorneys and stakeholders across VA- Independently managed a heavy caseload litigating matters before the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims in coordination with a robust team of attorneys and support staff- Researched and drafted appellate briefs and motions, and participated as first chair in oral argument- Prepared analytical memoranda for supervisors to advise on defensibility of decisions by the Board of Veterans Appeals, and on questions of administrative law, constitutional law, and appellate procedure- Negotiated settlements with opposing counsel to amicably and fairly resolve appeals

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

- Engaged in extensive research on novel questions of constitutional law touching on sensitive and controversial policy areas, such as a First Amendment challenge to local legislation and a Fourth Amendment class action challenging police practices - Independently managed case assignments and prepared opinions in diverse matters, including major civil rights actions, multi-million-dollar patent and trademark litigation, high-profile criminal prosecutions, employment and disability discrimination suits, challenges to agency action under the Administrative Procedure Act, bankruptcy appeals, and contract and business disputes- Researched and drafted decisions in civil and criminal appeals before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, where Judge Stadtmueller sat by designation- Successfully prioritized multiple assignments to meet Judge Stadtmueller’s schedule of one year to disposition for every civil case despite a judicial vacancy and chambers law clerk vacancy- Presented oral case status reports and discussed strategies for resolving pending motions daily with Judge Stadtmueller- Developed effective professional relationships with Court staff and federal agencies, including acting as a chambers liaison to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, U.S. Probation Office, and the Federal Public Defender’s Office, as well as private counsel, pro se parties, and the public

Washington, D.C.

- Collaborated closely with Judge Harvey on all assigned civil and criminal matters, including researching and drafting opinions in labor disputes, FOIA matters, subpoena enforcement proceedings, challenges to agency action and rulemaking under the Administrative Procedure Act, employment and disability discrimination suits, bail determinations, search warrant applications, and supervised release revocation proceedings- Researched and drafted decisions on sensitive matters of national security, including applications for search warrants and the production of classified information in civil discovery- Successfully managed a heavy caseload while communicating daily with Judge Harvey and maintaining high quality standards- Prepared bench memoranda for oral argument and evidentiary hearings to analyze the facts, the pertinent legal precedents, and the parties’ positions, and to recommend action- Supervised chambers interns, including assigning work, discussing research, and reviewing and commenting on several rounds of drafts before submission to Judge Harvey- Overhauled case management system to improve efficiency and provide Judge Harvey with on-demand status reports - Utilized cooperative relationships with Court staff and federal and local agencies to timely deliver critical data to Judge Harvey, such as detailed information regarding criminal defendants

St. Louis, Missouri

- Independently investigated facts, conducted client interviews, drafted complaints and discovery requests, conducted depositions, engaged in oral argument, and briefed numerous dispositive and other motions in wrongful death, personal injury, and medical malpractice suits- Regularly drafted analytical memoranda and made oral presentations to supervising attorneys and clients regarding the benefits and risks of litigation alternatives, including analyzing the facts, the legal issues, and policy concerns, and justifying each potential avenue for resolution- Briefed successful appeals in the Missouri Court of Appeals- Researched, briefed, argued, and succeeded on a constitutional challenge to damages caps in the Missouri State Legal Expense Fund- Researched, briefed, argued, and succeeded against a motion to dismiss for lack of personal jurisdiction in a case involving a Missouri Dram Shop Act claim against an Illinois tavern- Analyzed completely novel questions of statutory interpretation, including pecuniary loss in cases involving deaths of minors under Mo. Rev. Stat. § 537.090

St. Louis, Missouri

- Researched complex issues for multi-million dollar wrongful death and personal injury cases- Briefed a successful appeal of a motion to dismiss in Anderson v. UEC, WD76927 (Mo. Ct. App. June 10, 2014)- Briefed responses to motions for summary judgment, including Dewey v. Barnes Jewish Hospital, Cause No. 0822-CC08725, a products liability case involving intricate and heavily litigated immunity and regulatory issues- Briefed motion for transfer to Missouri Supreme Court on issue of peer review privilege- Briefed response to motion to compel arbitration in Lett v. Helia Southbelt Healthcare, File No. 13-L-176, an Illinois case involving nursing-home negligence- Drafted petitions for wrongful-death actions in Illinois and Missouri

St. Louis, Missouri

- Drafted dozens of complaints, discovery requests, and motions for summary judgment with only final review from supervising attorney- Researched complex substantive, procedural, and evidentiary issues relating to wrongful death, personal injury, products liability, and consumer rights class action litigation in federal court- Briefed a successful Daubert motion in Dejana v. Marine Technology, Inc., 4:11-cv-01690-JAR (E.D. Mo. 2014)- Researched, briefed, argued, and won on a complex legal issue arising under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act in Roach v. Miller & Steeno, Cause No. 13JE-CC00741, and thereby created new law in Missouri- Researched, briefed, and succeeded in a motion for summary judgment on an FDCPA claim in Robin v. Miller & Steeno, P.C., 4:13-cv-2456-SNLJ (E.D. Mo. 2014)- Conducted and defended depositions - Conducted client intake interviews- Engaged in settlement negotiations with defense counsel

- Researched many substantive, procedural, and evidentiary matters and drafted motions relating to pending cases, including Daubert motions and motions for summary judgment- Observed motion hearings, depositions, client interviews, and other litigation proceedings- Authored an article related to my research for the Missouri Bar Journal, The Wide Net of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, 69 J. MO. B. 136 (2013)

- Successfully researched complex aspects of constitutional law, including federal-state judicial allocation, separation of powers, and federalism- Conducted research and drafted footnotes for Professor Jordan’s article, Reverse Abstention, 92 B.U. L. REV. 1771 (2012)- Jointly authored an article exploring the original understanding of state power to regulate judicial jurisdiction, State Power to Define Jurisdiction, 47 GA. L. REV. 1161 (2013)

- Conducted extensive research into trademark issues, including a massive quantitative study of court sanctions against "IP bullies"

- Researched and drafted opinions in cases before Judge Sippel, including orders on petitions for habeas corpus and other civil motions- Observed civil and criminal trials, motion hearings, and pretrial conferences before many branches of the Eastern District of Missouri

Doctor Of Law (J.D.), Intellectual Property Law, 3.798

Activities and Societies: Concentration in Intellectual Property, 1843 Full-Tuition Scholarship Award, Editor of the Saint Louis.

Bachelor Of Arts (B.A.), Music Theory And Composition, English With A Linguistics Concentration, 3.94

Activities and Societies: Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Kappa Lambda National Music Honor Society, Truman State University Symphony Orchestra.