Nossaman Expands Into Arizona with Addition of Prominent Eminent Domain Attorney – Former Arizona Assistant AG and Judge Christopher Kramer

Phoenix and Tucson, AZ/Orange County, CA – We are pleased to announce Christopher Kramer has joined our Eminent Domain & Valuation Group as a partner in Nossaman’s newly opened Phoenix and Tucson offices. He joins from Jennings Strouss & Salmon.

Chris focuses his practice on eminent domain and condemnation litigation and consulting, primarily representing condemning authorities. In his more than 36 years in practice, he has condemned property for all manners of infrastructure. He advises clients on litigation avoidance through mitigation of impacts and damages to properties affected by public projects. He also serves as a mediator in eminent domain, property rights and property valuation matters throughout the United States. Before entering private practice, Chris served as an Assistant Attorney General in the Arizona Attorney General’s office where he worked as eminent domain litigation and project counsel on a number of high profile projects and as a municipal court judge in the Phoenix metropolitan area.

“The extensive experience Chris has — on both the public and private sides of the law — enables him to provide immediate benefits to our clients and our practice,” said Brad Kuhn, chair of Nossaman’s Eminent Domain & Valuation Group. “The relationships he’s forged throughout his career and his deep, nuanced knowledge of the eminent domain landscape locally and nationally will be incredibly valuable for us. We look forward to working with him.”

“I am excited Chris is joining the firm,” added George Joseph, Nossaman’s managing partner. “He is one the country’s leading eminent domain attorneys and the ideal person to spearhead our expansion into Arizona.”

Nossaman’s Eminent Domain & Valuation Group has handled some of the largest eminent domain and valuation cases in the Western U.S., as well as some of the highest-profile public works projects that have shaped infrastructure in the region. The group’s past successes inform and motivate our lawyers as they work closely with longstanding and newer clients. Nossaman’s decades of expertise allows our attorneys to work efficiently on straightforward “bread-and-butter” cases and to also help us find innovative solutions in more novel “avocado toast” cases. The group has been recognized for its accomplishments by both Chambers and Partners and The Legal 500.

Commenting on his move to Nossaman, Chris said, “I am thrilled to be joining the firm. Nossaman has a best-in-class eminent domain practice, and I look forward to helping the practice and the firm grow in Arizona.” He added that he is excited to "assist clients to achieve optimal results on their projects and work with an outstanding group of attorneys” at Nossaman.

Chris was listed as “Lawyer of the Year” by Best Lawyers^® in the Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law category for the Phoenix region in 2023. He has been recognized numerous times by Best Lawyers^® in the Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law and Litigation–Real Estate categories. He is the current chairman of the Standing Committee on Eminent Domain and Land Use for the Transportation Research Board of the National Academies and the co-chair of the Arizona Condemnation Summit. He holds a J.D. from the University of Notre Dame Law School, a B.S. from Illinois State University and is admitted to practice in Arizona, California and Nevada.