Criminal Law

• Fraud
  In private practice, Chris has litigated extensively in both commodity and securities cases, representing numerous market participants in various types of lawsuits, including, for example, arbitration on behalf of an international commodity broker (FCM) against a large international sugar trader involving a forced liquidation and violation of position limits; the defense of an insider trading suit by the S.E.C. brought in Chicago federal court; the defense at trial of Introducing Brokers (IB) and their Associated Persons (AP), in one case brought by the CFTC in federal court in Tampa Florida, and another in Houston, Texas; defense of a Commodity Trading Advisor (CTA.) in a National Futures Association (NFA) arbitration; defense of a CTA. in a CFTC reparation action and appeal; and prosecution of lawsuits by defrauded investors against various market professionals to recover lost investments. He has also represented witnesses subpoenaed for investigative testimony by the S.E.C. He defended a hedge fund administrator against securities fraud claims by a private investor in South Carolina federal district court. He represented an exchange floor clerk in a criminal trade allocation case in Houston federal court, and related administrative and subpoena enforcement actions by the CFTC. He also represented a group of investors from across the country in a massive international commodity pool investment fraud case in Chicago federal district and bankruptcy courts.
• Theft

Business and Corporate Law

• Business Disputes
• Trade Secrets
• Intellectual Property
• Unfair Competition
  Medical Products & Services. Chris has handled a variety of disputes in the medical products and services area, including representing a manufacturer of a vital signs monitor against a distributor before the A.A.A., representation in Philadelphia federal district court of a co-owner of a surgical video monitoring system against the principal owners of the company for fraud and breach of fiduciary duty, and representation in Houston federal district court of a marketing agent of newly emerging D.N.A. diagnostic laboratory testing services against the testing lab, and representation of a medical imaging company against competing medical service providers for unfair competition and theft of trade secrets.

Employment Law

• Employment Discrimination
  Litigation. Chris has extensive experience in the investigation and trial of contested matters before various tribunals: juries, judges, arbitrators, mediators, and administrative decision-makers. In short description, Chris is a deeply experienced trial lawyer. The cases he concentrates on run from the simplest dispute to massively complex cases in many areas: intellectual property, commercial disputes of all kinds, employment discrimination, scientific and medical research misconduct, medical equipment and service distribution and sale disputes, inventorship, commodities, securities, insider trading, CFTC and S.E.C. enforcement actions and related criminal prosecutions, commercial and residential real estate, and construction and supply disputes, among others. Chris has over 80 reported decisions in cases from around the country.
• Employment Contract
  Walters decision of the United States Supreme Court referred to below, he defended a construction product distribution company against Age Discrimination claims by a former sales representative in Chicago federal court. He represented a medical supply warehouse manager in a harassment and discrimination case in Chicago federal court, resulting in the important appellate decision referred to below. As part of this practice, Chris advises employers and employees on pre- and post-employment contract negotiations and separation agreements.

Property Law

• Real Estate Litigation
  Construction and Real Estate. Chris also has significant experience in construction and real estate matters. As trial co-counsel in Cook County Circuit Court, he represented an owner/developer against a general contractor in a contract dispute arising from a troubled high-end condo conversion. He served as trial co-counsel for a shopping center owner in breach of contract dispute with a prominent tenant in the Circuit Court of McHenry County, Illinois. He was lead counsel for owners in a two-week trial in the Circuit Court of McHenry County, Illinois, in a flooding and constitutional takings case against a municipality. He was Local Counsel for an international general contractor against an electrical subcontractor in a Cook County Circuit Court case involving a large-scale commercial building retrofit in Chicago’s Gold Coast neighborhood. He was co-counsel for an owner against the general contractor in a Phoenix AZ Superior Court lawsuit over the restoration of a historic home in a Central Phoenix Historic District. He has filed quiet title actions in Chicago federal court and Will County, Illinois Circuit Court.
• Condominium Law
  Trial counsel for ownership in construction and breach of contract dispute in large scale condominium conversion in the Circuit Court of Cook County.

Health Law

• Personal Injury
  Gekas Law Ltd. is a boutique law firm based in Chicago, Illinois focused on trial practice, litigation, appeals and dispute resolution in a wide variety of substantive areas, including business litigation and contract disputes, intellectual property, trade secrets, patents, research misconduct, personal injury, insurance coverage, CFTC and SEC matters, including insider trading defense, securities and investment fraud, and construction and real estate litigation, among others.

Trusts and Estates

• Estate Planning

Finance Law

• Debt Collection
  Miscellaneous Commercial Litigation. Chris has extensive experience in other types of commercial disputes, for example, in a Fair Debt Collection action for a mortgagor in federal district court, the defense of a Washington, D.C. veteran’s service firm against a breach of fiduciary duty action by an investor, defense of a Telephone Consumer Protection Act case, a real estate quiet title action for a landowner, and a prosecution of a defamation action, all in Chicago federal district court.