Christopher Downes

In his early years, Mr. Downes had the fortune to come under the mentorship of the Firm’s senior trial attorney, Frank Durkan, whose unrivaled abilities and successes as a trial attorney, especially in the area of construction site accident cases, resulted in some of the largest verdicts and settlements in New York at the time. Now an experienced trial lawyer in his own right with a concentration in construction site cases, Mr. Downes carries forward Mr. Durkan’s teachings of hard work, fairness, and fierce dedication to his clients’ interests. He has successfully tried numerous personal injury cases to verdict in state and federal courts, obtaining outstanding compensatory damage and other awards for his clients. Mr. Downes has shown remarkable success for his clients across a broad range of cases, including products liability (defective radial arm saw), civil rights (assault and battery of a Ground Zero worker by government officials), premises liability, and construction accidents, to name but a few of the many kinds of cases he has successfully litigated.

In addition to his success as a trial lawyer, Mr. Downes is equally successful in obtaining excellent outcomes for his clients in alternate dispute resolution, where the combination of his trial experience, negotiating skills, and attention to his clients’ interests results in excellent recoveries for his many clients.

Mr. Downes devotes himself to numerous community activities and philanthropic causes. Mr. Downes is Chairman of his town zoning board of appeals and is active in other community causes. A longtime volunteer working with organizations that promote activities and opportunities for children with disabilities, for many years he has served as a coach in Challenger Baseball and Basketball programs, Mr. Downes is one of the founders of a charitable event that provides money for therapeutic programs for disabled children.