Overturning Precedent: A Major Win in the Court of Appeals
On December 3, 2024, Davis, Burch & Abrams achieved a significant win for one of our appellate clients. In the case of Jennings … Read more
Chris Holinger is an attorney focused on appellate litigation, trial-court issue preservation, and high-stakes civil and criminal appeals. As an appellate litigation attorney, he helps clients and trial counsel identify the legal issues most likely to affect the outcome of a case, preserve arguments before judgment, and build the record needed for appeal.
Chris regularly handles matters in the Supreme Court of Virginia and the Virginia Court of Appeals. His work includes Virginia Supreme Court appeal strategy, Court of Appeals briefing, trial-level motions practice, jury instruction issues, statutory interpretation, and post-judgment positioning. He is often brought into cases where the law, timing, and record need to be clarified before the appellate posture is lost.
Chris is also an aviation law attorney, drawing on a 23-year career in the United States Air Force. He retired as a Lieutenant Colonel after flying combat missions in Afghanistan and Iraq, bringing aviation experience and operational judgment to disputes involving aircraft, lien rights, purchase and sale agreements, storage issues, and related enforcement matters.
Chris’s work centers on appellate litigation and trial-court issue preservation. He is often involved before or during trial to help identify dispositive legal questions, refine arguments, preserve objections, and ensure that jury instructions and key rulings are properly developed for appellate review.
He views appellate work as something that begins before judgment, not after it. Whether defending a favorable result or challenging an adverse ruling, Chris focuses on clarity in the record, precision in statutory interpretation, and arguments that can withstand scrutiny on review.
That approach is especially valuable in cases where a single preserved issue may determine the outcome. Chris works closely with trial counsel and clients to reduce avoidable error, strengthen appellate posture, and avoid trying to reconstruct legal arguments after the fact.
Chris handles civil and criminal appeals involving statutory interpretation, sentencing issues, constitutional questions, preservation of error, and trial-court rulings that may materially affect the outcome of a case.
In criminal appeals and post-conviction matters, his work often involves challenging how trial courts apply statutes, precedent, and sentencing rules. These matters can involve significant liberty interests, mandatory sentencing exposure, and questions of law that reach beyond a single case.
In civil matters, Chris focuses on identifying the legal issue that can change the posture of the dispute. His appellate work includes challenging adverse rulings, defending favorable judgments, and helping trial teams preserve the record needed for appeal.
Chris’s aviation background gives him a practical foundation in aviation-related disputes. As a former Air Force officer and pilot, he understands the operational and commercial realities that can sit behind aircraft-related litigation.
His aviation-related work includes disputes involving aircraft purchase and sale agreements, storage issues, unpaid maintenance obligations, lien enforcement, possession disputes, and related commercial claims. As an aviation law attorney, Chris focuses on identifying the enforceable legal right, applying pressure efficiently, and resolving possession or contract disputes without unnecessary procedural buildup when possible.
Chris has written extensively on appellate practice, legal reasoning, civil discourse, preservation of error, and constitutional issues. His published work reflects the same focus that shapes his appellate practice: clarity, careful issue framing, and disciplined attention to the legal standard that controls the outcome.
His appellate-practice writing includes: “Three Keys to Success in the Court of Appeals of Virginia,” published in Opening Statement, and “Preserving Arguments, An Overlooked Challenge in Preserving Error for Appeal,” published in On Appeal. These pieces align closely with his work helping clients and trial counsel preserve arguments and build stronger appellate records. Chris has also published broader legal scholarship, including: “A Role For Lawyers in Restoring Civil Discourse” in The Bencher, “When Fundamental Rights Collide, Will We Tolerate Dissent?” in the Regent University Law Review, and “No One’s Right to Live May Be Voted Away: Why Ohio’s Article I, Section 32 is Unconstitutional” in the Regent University Law Review.
Before entering private practice, Chris served for 23 years in the United States Air Force and retired as a Lieutenant Colonel. His military career included flying combat missions in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Following his military service, Chris graduated cum laude from Regent University School of Law in 2017. He also holds a master’s degree from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and completed his undergraduate studies at Gordon College in Wenham, Massachusetts.
Notable legal experience and client results.
Published Appellate Victory Changing Virginia Sentencing Law
In Jennings v. Commonwealth, Chris represented the appellant in a criminal appeal addressing whether a juvenile adjudication could qualify as a felony conviction under Virginia’s felon-in-possession statute. He litigated the issue at every level, including the trial court, a panel of the Court of Appeals, and en banc review.
On appeal, Chris argued that existing precedent was inconsistent with the plain language of the statute. The en banc Court of Appeals agreed, overruled prior case law that had been in place since 2002, and held that the juvenile adjudication could not serve as a qualifying felony conviction. The decision prevented imposition of a mandatory two-year sentence and resulted in a published opinion materially changing Virginia sentencing law.
Virginia Court of Appeals Reversal in Property and Pension Dispute
In Rosso v. Rosso, Chris represented the appellant in a domestic relations appeal involving equitable distribution and enforcement of a separation agreement. The trial court had disregarded the plain language of the agreement and awarded the opposing party 50% of the equity in the marital home, despite language providing that the property would remain solely the husband’s. The court also awarded 100% of the marital share of a military pension beyond statutory limits.
On appeal, Chris argued that both the agreement and Virginia law had been misapplied. The Court of Appeals reversed those portions of the judgment and remanded for recalculation, correcting more than $250,000 in property-related awards and reducing ongoing pension obligations.
Aviation-Related Appellate and Commercial Disputes
Chris handles aviation-related disputes involving aircraft purchase and sale agreements, storage disputes, possession issues, unpaid maintenance obligations, lien rights, and related enforcement matters.
In one matter, he secured the return of a $50,000 aircraft that had been improperly withheld in a possession dispute. He is also involved in litigation concerning enforcement of a lien against an abandoned aircraft and related contract disputes over unpaid maintenance services. His aviation-related work focuses on isolating the enforceable legal right and using that leverage to resolve aircraft possession and contract disputes efficiently.
Notable legal experience and client results.
Published Appellate Victory Changing Virginia Sentencing Law
In Jennings v. Commonwealth, Chris represented the appellant in a criminal appeal addressing whether a juvenile adjudication could qualify as a felony conviction under Virginia’s felon-in-possession statute. He litigated the issue at every level, including the trial court, a panel of the Court of Appeals, and en banc review.
On appeal, Chris argued that existing precedent was inconsistent with the plain language of the statute. The en banc Court of Appeals agreed, overruled prior case law that had been in place since 2002, and held that the juvenile adjudication could not serve as a qualifying felony conviction. The decision prevented imposition of a mandatory two-year sentence and resulted in a published opinion materially changing Virginia sentencing law.
Virginia Court of Appeals Reversal in Property and Pension Dispute
In Rosso v. Rosso, Chris represented the appellant in a domestic relations appeal involving equitable distribution and enforcement of a separation agreement. The trial court had disregarded the plain language of the agreement and awarded the opposing party 50% of the equity in the marital home, despite language providing that the property would remain solely the husband’s. The court also awarded 100% of the marital share of a military pension beyond statutory limits.
On appeal, Chris argued that both the agreement and Virginia law had been misapplied. The Court of Appeals reversed those portions of the judgment and remanded for recalculation, correcting more than $250,000 in property-related awards and reducing ongoing pension obligations.
Aviation-Related Appellate and Commercial Disputes
Chris handles aviation-related disputes involving aircraft purchase and sale agreements, storage disputes, possession issues, unpaid maintenance obligations, lien rights, and related enforcement matters.
In one matter, he secured the return of a $50,000 aircraft that had been improperly withheld in a possession dispute. He is also involved in litigation concerning enforcement of a lien against an abandoned aircraft and related contract disputes over unpaid maintenance services. His aviation-related work focuses on isolating the enforceable legal right and using that leverage to resolve aircraft possession and contract disputes efficiently.
On December 3, 2024, Davis, Burch & Abrams achieved a significant win for one of our appellate clients. In the case of Jennings … Read more
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