Goldberg Segalla

A senior trial partner of the firm, Christopher Belter is an experienced and skilled commercial and business litigation attorney who has successfully represented clients in State and Federal courts throughout the United States for almost 20 years.  He devotes his practice to the resolution of complex business disputes, construction matters and intellectual property litigation.  Mr. Belter's tenacity and willingness to address tough issues head on have earned him respect and admiration among his peers.  He combines keen business acumen with in-depth understanding of complex business transactions and construction litigation to bring distinct qualifications to each case.  He always endeavors to protect and advance his client's rights and interests with the highest personal and professional integrity. 

Mr. Belter serves as head of the firm's Business and Commercial practice group and its Construction practice group.  In litigation, he has successfully represented corporate clients in significant claims involving contract disputes, business tort claims and intellectual property matters.  He also handles matters involving all aspects of construction from contract negotiation through litigation on major private and public construction projects.

Mr. Belter's leadership and highly regarded reputation are demonstrated by his many achievements and accomplishments including:

• National Chair of the Defense Research Institute's (DRI) Construction Law Committee
• Corporate Counsel Advisory Board - DRI's Commercial Litigation Committee
• National Steering Committee of the DRI's Commercial Law Committee
• Member DRI's Fidelity and Surety Committee
• Past Program Chair for the DRI's Construction Law Seminar
• Served as editor of the DRI's Construction Law Committee's recent compendium on Construction Defect Litigation
• Member of the ABA's Business Law and Intellectual Property Committees as well as the New York State Bar Association
• National author and lecturer on construction defect, business torts and intellectual property issues
• Selected for inclusion on the list of Corporate Counsel Super Lawyers for work in the Business and Construction Litigation fields
• Named to Business First's Who's Who in Law
• Selected for inclusion on the New York Super Lawyers list

As one of the heads of the firm's Business and Commercial practice group, Mr. Belter and the group's team of seasoned attorneys have represented local, regional, national and international businesses, including numerous Fortune 500 companies, and not-for-profit organizations and their owners, directors and officers, in all aspects of complex commercial disputes and business operations.  These include:

• Business tort claims
• Contract formation and disputes
• Mergers and acquisitions
• Entity formation, dissolution, reorganization
• Owner and board relations
• Fiduciary obligations
• Agreements and disputes among owners
• Corporate governance
• Licensing and franchising
• Credit facilities
• Debtor/creditor relations
• Real estate holdings
• Environmental compliance

Mr. Belter is also one of the heads of the firm's Surety Law practice group.  As such, he and his fellow practice group attorneys have extensive experience representing contractors, sureties, insurance and bond providers in all types of bond claims made against payment and performance bonds and bid bonds.  Under Mr. Belter's direction, the group provides a full range of services related to surety bond claims and has significant experience in the following representative areas:

• Performance bond claims after construction defaults
• Negotiation with owners, completing contractors, subcontractors and defaulting principals
• Preparation and enforcement of takeover and completion agreements
• Payment bond claims investigation and litigation
• Bankruptcy claims and workout agreements on behalf of sureties
• Subrogation, salvage and third-party recovery claims
• Enforcement of indemnity agreements
• Construction insurance and bad faith issues
• Damage analysis

Goldberg Segalla's Construction Litigation practice group is headed by Mr. Belter who, along with his group member attorneys, has extensive counseling and litigation experience related to a wide variety of construction disciplines.  Mr. Belter and the group represent contractors, construction managers, building owners, architects, engineers and suppliers in all types of public and private construction and development.

Mr. Belter and the group handle a full range of construction disputes and litigation with particular experience in the following representative practice areas:

• Acceleration and compression claims
• Bid protests
• Breach of contract claims
• Change orders
• Collection remedies
• Construction insurance and bad faith issues
• Damage analysis
• Delay and extra work claims
• Design and construction defect claims
• Mechanic's liens
• Payment/performance bond disputes
• Prompt payment and retention issues
• Real estate and development contracts
• Scheduling delays and impacts
• Surety and bond claims
• Warranty issues and remedies
• Worksite injury litigation/New York Labor Law

As head of the firm's Intellectual Property practice group, Mr. Belter specializes in providing business and insurance clients with the experience necessary to litigate and resolve patent, copyright, trademark and unfair competition claims.  He and the intellectual property team of lawyers are well versed in the technicalities of intellectual property law as well as litigation and trying complex commercial and intellectual property cases.

Mr. Belter and the group represent clients in all aspects of intellectual property litigation including:

• Copyright infringement litigation
• Copyright licensing
• E-Commerce and Internet Law
• False and misleading advertising
• Licensing disputes
• Misappropriation of trade secrets
• Patent infringement litigation
• Trade Dress infringement litigation
• Trademark dilution
• Trademark infringement litigation
• Trademark licensing
• Unfair business practices
• Unfair competition claims

Honors

• Selected for inclusion in Super Lawyers, Corporate Counsel Edition
• Selected for inclusion in New York Super Lawyers  
• Selected for inclusion in Business First's Who's Who in Law

Professional Affiliations

• Defense Research Institute: Commercial Litigation Committee (National Steering Committee, Intellectual Property Subcommittee, Marketing Chair); Construction Law Committee (National Committee Chair, Marketing Chair); Employment Law Committee, Fidelity and Surety Committee 
• American Bar Association: Business Law Section,  Commercial and Federal Litigation and Intellectual Property Law Sections
• Association of Trial Lawyers of America
• American Intellectual Property Law Association
• New York State Bar Association
• The Associated General Contractors of America
• General Building Contractors of New York State,  associate member
• Bar Association of Erie County
• Society for Human Resource Management
• Buffalo Niagara Human Resource Association   

Admitted to Practice

• New York
• U.S. District Court, Western, Northern, Southern, Eastern Districts of New York
• U.S. District Court, District of Colorado
• U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Western and Northern Districts of New York
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit

Civic Activities

• United States Air Force Reserve, 1985-1993
• Youth hockey and soccer coach

Education

• State University of New York at Buffalo, B.A., 1989
• State University of New York at Buffalo, School of Law, J.D., 1993 (Desmond Moot Court Board)