Overview
Chris W. Basil is an associate in Glaser Weil’s Los Angeles office, where his practice focuses on complex commercial litigation in state and federal courts. Chris has represented clients in a wide range of high-stakes disputes, with industry experience spanning various sectors, including entertainment, hospitality, construction and insurance.
Chris manages all aspects of the litigation process, from pre-trial motions through appeal. He has extensive experience drafting and responding to pleadings, motions and trial briefs in complex commercial disputes, with notable achievements including successfully obtaining multiple judgments via motions for summary judgment and for judgment on the pleadings. Chris served as first chair for a bench trial in a complex commercial dispute involving a $55 million real property investment. He has taken and defended dozens of depositions and has significant experience orchestrating all aspects of the discovery process.
Chris has particular depth of experience in:
- Complex commercial disputes
- Contract disputes
- Investment disputes
- Tort actions involving defamation, premises liability and product liability
- Appellate matters
Before joining Glaser Weil, Chris was an associate at a Los Angeles-based trial boutique. He began his legal career as a law clerk with the Organized Crime Division of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. Before beginning his legal career, Chris worked in business development and marketing for Bay Area startups and as a management consulting business analyst for Accenture in Chicago.
Chris earned his J.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law. During law school, he was an active member of the First Generation Law Students Association and Older Wiser Law Students. Chris received multiple academic awards, including the Masin Family Academic Excellence Gold Award for his achievements in Professional Responsibility, Employment Law, and Harmonizing Hollywood: Entertainment Disputes, Ethics and Peacemaking. He also received the Silver Award in Business Associations.
Chris attended the University of California, Berkeley, where he earned his B.A. in history, graduating with distinction in general scholarship.
Results
Chris’ notable experience includes his representation of:
- A nationwide specialty insurer in obtaining summary judgment in a breach of contract case by showing that the insured had misrepresented and concealed material information in its application for insurance, thereby entitling the insurer to rescission of the contract.*
- A downtown Los Angeles sushi restaurant in securing summary judgment in a negligence and premises liability case, successfully arguing that the absence of prior similar incidents of violent conduct on the premises meant that the restaurant did not owe a duty of care to the plaintiffs.*
- A high-end rehabilitation-center in obtaining a dismissal via judgment on the pleadings in a dispute over a property lease, effectively demonstrating the existence of complete defenses to the plaintiff’s breach of contract and negligence claims.*
* Denotes prior firm experience
Insights
Thought Leadership
Awards and Recognition
Awards and Recognition
UCLA School of Law Masin Family Academic Excellence Gold Award for Employment Law, Professional Responsibility and Harmonizing Hollywood: Entertainment Disputes, Ethics and Peacemaking
UCLA School of Law Masin Family Academic Excellence Silver Award for Business Associations
Leadership and Community
Member, Los Angeles County Bar Association
Member, Association of Southern California Defense Counsel
Services
Education
University of California, Los Angeles School of Law, J.D., 2022
University of California, Berkeley, B.A. in History, 2011
Admissions
- California
Languages
- Armenian
