Mr. Nelson is a founding member of Cohen & Grigsby and a former president of the Firm.  His practice encompasses a broad array of complex commercial litigation.  Among other areas of emphasis, Mr. Nelson has defended accounting firms, brokerage firms, financial institutions and other companies accused of committing securities laws violations.  Mr. Nelson is listed in The Best Lawyers in America and in Philadelphia Magazine ’s “Pennsylvania Super Lawyers.”  One of the class action cases Mr. Nelson tried to a successful defense verdict was recognized by the National Law Journal as one of the biggest wins in a jury trial in the United States in 1996.

Chip’s areas of emphasis include: 

• Defense of accounting firms in financial statement and professional negligence litigation
• Securities litigation/Class actions
• Defense of brokerage firms in customer complaint cases
• General commercial litigation, including patent, trademark and other intellectual property matters and complex contractual disputes 

Bar Admissions

• Admitted to practice in Pennsylvania, 1979
• Supreme Court for the United States
• United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia and Third Circuits
• United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania

Education

• J.D. (with honors), University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill), 1979
• B.A. in Political Science (summa cum laude), Pennsylvania State University, 1976

Noteworthy

• Listed in The Best Lawyers in America
• Listed in Philadelphia Magazine’s “Pennsylvania Super Lawyers.”

Representative Matters

• Carnegie International, et al. v. Grant Thornton, LLP, et al., Circuit Court for Baltimore City
• McEwen v. Digitran Systems, Inc., et al., D. Utah
• In Re: Chambers Securities Litigation, W.D. Pa.
• Bartlam v. Bank of America, W.D. Pa.
• National Draeger, Inc. v. Industrial Scientific Corp., W.D. Pa.

Memberships

• Member, Pennsylvania Bar
• President, Longue Vue Club, 2001-2003
• Member, Academy of Trial Lawyers of Allegheny County

Seminars & Speeches

• Preparing the Expert Witness to Avoid or Defeat the Daubert Challenge, Academy of Trial Lawyers of Allegheny County Annual Federal Practice Program (December 9, 2004)
• Accountants Liability: Comparison of Auditing, Special Purpose and Expert Consulting Services Liability Issues, 2nd Annual Forensic Accounting Litigation Support Conference (November 4, 1997)
• The Supreme Court, Congress, and Securities Litigation, the Supreme Court Year in Review (September 5, 1997)
• Keeping the Wolves from Your Gate: Pragmatic Advice For Preventing Litigation in the Accounting Profession, Duquesne Club (June 26, 1997)

Publications

• Quoted, Schools Must Show Records in Black Case, Intelligencer Journal of Lancaster, PA (March 16, 1998)
• Quoted, Schools in Black Probe Asked for Financial Records, Harrisburg Patriot (March 16, 1998)
• Quoted, Schools to Turn Over Records; Grand Jury Probes Investment Fraud by John G. Black, Pittsburgh Post Gazette (March 14, 1998)
• Quoted, Judge Releases School Bond Funds; 75 Districts Municipalities Get Money Today, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (October 28, 1997)
• Featured, Keeping the Wolves From Your Gate, The CPA Journal (September 1997)
• Co-Author, The Threat of a Public Trial-Sexual Harassment Cases Aiming to Break the Quiet Arbitration, Financial Trader (August 1997)