Kevin Christopher
Chattanooga-based law firm Cavett, Abbott & Weiss, PLLC announce that Kevin Christopher and Bill Killian have joined the firm.
Mr. Christopher is the founder of Ridgeline Venture Law, which is Tennessee’s first B Corp law firm and a 2018 Best for the World Honoree for community impact. Before founding RVL, Mr. Christopher led bioinformatics, bioscience and biotech development and licensing activities with top secret security clearance at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. He has also steered large scale partnerships in renewable energy and synthetic biology at the University of California, Berkeley and has also consulted the National Institutes of Health’s Small Business Innovation Research program.
Mr. Christopher is a Tennessee Bar Association Leadership Lawyer and regularly speaks on corporate social responsibility, intellectual property and leadership. His past community involvement includes serving as a Putnam county commissioner in Cookeville, Tn. as well as a board member to several environmental and social impact nonprofits.
“Kevin’s experience and commitment to community impact makes him a great fit for our firm,” said Barry L. Abbott, managing member, Cavett, Abbott & Weiss. “Having someone with his background in corporate social responsibility and intellectual property is a great fit for a city of entrepreneurs like Chattanooga. We look forward to connecting Kevin with companies who will benefit from his expertise.”
Mr. Killian served as the former United States Attorney for Eastern Tennessee (2010-2015). Mr. Killian brings a wealth of knowledge in government relations, federal investigations, administrative and regulatory compliance and civil and criminal matters.
Mr. Killian has more than 40 years of trial experience representing and defending clients in sophisticated cases, including high stakes fraud mediations and negotiations, national security.
investigations and multi-million dollar corporate settlements, including negotiating the largest criminal settlement in the history of the Eastern District of Tennessee. Before joining Cavett, Abbott & Weiss, Mr. Killian was a member of his previous firm’s government investigations and white collar criminal defense practice groups.
Mr. Killian currently serves on the Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility as a hearing officer. He is also a member of the Chattanooga Bar Association, Tennessee Bar Association, serving as a member of the House of Delegates, 2003-2010 and is a Sustaining Fellow of the Tennessee Bar Foundation. Mr. Killian is a member of the American Bar Association (White Collar Crimes Section) as well as a member of American Inns of Court, Brock-Cooper Chapter.
Mr. Killian lectures at American Bar Association sponsored events and state legal organizations. He has been recognized as a Top 100 Criminal Defense Attorney, Tennessee and a Mid-South Super Lawyer, Criminal Defense. He is a member of the National Association of Former U.S. Attorneys (NAFUSA). He currently serves as a Board of Director of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville Alumni Association.
“With more than four decades of legal experience, Bill’s passion for the law and philosophy he applies to it mirror our own,” said Mr. Abbott. “His expertise in high profile and complex cases is unmatched and we’re looking forward to representation he will be providing to existing and new clients alike.”
Bill Killian