Chris is a trial and appellate lawyer, with a background in adoption and family law. He has represented clients throughout Oklahoma (as well as all Oklahoma federal courts) and Arkansas in all kinds of litigation. Chris started his practice in criminal defense, working for the Tulsa County Public Defender’s office, before branching into private practice. He is versed not only in family and adoption law, but also worker’s compensation and complex civil litigation matters.
During his tenure, Chris has obtained multiple opinions from the Supreme Court of Oklahoma that were automatically deemed “landmark” cases, both rulings in his client’s favor – Jensen v. Poindexter and Schnedler v. Lee. In 2020, the Oklahoma Bar Association, Family Law Section, recognized the Schnedler opinion as the Groundbreaking Family Law Case of the Year. In 2021, Chris also obtained the first gender nonbinary birth certificate to ever be issued in the State of Oklahoma, through the federal lawsuit Lorelied v. Frye.
Chris remains active in both the Tulsa County Bar Association and the Oklahoma Bar Association. He is current Secretary for the Family Law Section of the OBA and has previously served as the Chair of the OBA’s Adoption Committee. He is also an active member in the Council Oak/Johnson-Sontag American Inns of Court.
Chris graduated from Oklahoma State University in 2006 with a B.A. in journalism-broadcasting. He graduated from the University of Tulsa, College of Law in 2009. While in law school, Chris served on the Energy Law Journal and received the CALI Excellence for the Future Award in Constitutional Law.
If you have a legal matter that needs individualized attention and aggressive pursuit of justice, please contact Chris at (918) 777-4LAW (4529) or chrisbrecht@smolen.law.
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