William G. Chris is a partner of Roderick Linton Belfance, LLP with extensive experience in the areas of insurance defense, insurance coverage, fraud investigation, collections, and business litigation. William began practicing law in 1985 and joined Roderick Linton Belfance in 2001.
During his legal career, William has tried many cases to verdict before both judges and juries in Ohio. Several of these trials included the successful defense and prosecution of insurance companies in bad faith actions. He also handled the successful defense, during a five-week jury trial, of a $27 million securities fraud litigation case. Recently, he and his Roderick Linton Belfance associate Brandon T. Pauley successfully represented Grace Cathedral in the Ohio Supreme Court Case of Grace Cathedral, Inc. v. Testa, 143 Ohio St. 3d212, 2015-Ohio-2067.
In addition to his work with Roderick Linton Belfance, William has been active on the Akron Bar Association’s Certified Grievance Committee arguing several cases before the Ohio Supreme Court and serving as Bar Counsel from April 2009 through September 2012. He has also served as a Trustee and held numerous committee and chair positions with the Akron Bar Association. William is also a Fellow of the Akron Bar Association Foundation and currently serves on the Board of Governors as secretary.
William is a frequent lecturer on Legal Ethics, Professionalism, and insurance-related matters. He has served on both the State (Ohio) and National Board for the National Society of Professional Insurance Investigators, an organization established for the purpose of providing recognition, training, professionalism, and support for those conducting insurance investigations. William currently serves as the 1st Vice President of the Ohio Chapter of NSPII. He has also served as a prosecutor for the city of Hudson, Ohio.
William is admitted to practice law in the State of Ohio (1985); U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio; U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit; and the State of Florida (1986). In addition to his membership in the Akron Bar Association, William is a member of the American Bar, Ohio Bar and Florida Bar associations, along with the Defense Research Institute. William is also AV rated by the Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory. He has been honored as a SuperLawyer for 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016.
Born in Akron and growing up in North Canton, Ohio, William graduated from the University of Toledo College of Law in 1984 and earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Akron in 1982.
