Chris Norris is a Certified Family Law Specialist, certified by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization, and holds the NITA Master Advocate designation for trial advocacy. With 16 years of experience as a California attorney, he has built his practice around the complex financial aspects of divorce, particularly for professionals at start-ups and emerging companies whose compensation includes stock options, restricted stock units (RSUs), equity awards, and other sophisticated financial interests. For clients at pre-IPO companies, questions like how vesting schedules, lockup periods, and unvested grants are characterized and divided can shape the entire case, and Chris is known for his analytical approach to these problems: he carefully evaluates the costs and benefits of each strategy before advising clients on the most effective path forward, and he works comfortably alongside forensic financial professionals when a compensation package or private-company interest requires deeper analysis.
A San Francisco native, Chris first encountered the practice of law as a young man, providing part-time computer support to a group of litigation attorneys in the late 1980s. Soon his duties expanded to include discovery, deposition summaries, and eventually motion drafting and trial preparation, an early grounding in litigation mechanics that still shows in his courtroom work today.
What sets Chris apart, and what makes him such a good fit at Moradi Neufer, is that he practices on both tracks the firm offers: mediation and settlement-focused resolution on one side, and contested litigation on the other. He completed the Center for Understanding in Conflict’s mediation and conflict resolution training, and his NITA Master Advocate designation reflects rigorous, assessed trial skills. That combination means he takes the time to understand each client’s goals and then guides the case with the right approach, whether that is litigation, mediation, or a settlement-based strategy, rather than steering every matter toward the only process he knows. In complex financial cases it matters most: a negotiated resolution carries the most weight when the other side knows Chris is fully prepared to try the case if talks break down.
Chris is also a sought-after real estate lawyer and civil litigator because he is passionate about economic efficiency. He holds a California real estate broker license and is a member of the San Francisco Association of Realtors®, a background that proves especially useful when a divorce turns on the marital home or other Bay Area real property. From valuation and buyout analysis to the practical mechanics of a sale, he brings insight most family law attorneys have to hire out, whether the right answer is one spouse keeping the home or a coordinated sale. He serves clients across San Francisco, San Mateo County, and the broader Bay Area. He is also an Amateur Extra radio operator and an FAA certified Gold Seal Flight Instructor, and enjoys teaching students to fly airplanes and gliders in his free time.
Prior to his law career, Chris proudly served in the United States Army, first as an infantryman and later as a military intelligence officer. He used the GI Bill to attend Golden Gate University School of Law, earning a Doctorate of Jurisprudence with Highest Honors in 2009, and has been a member of the State Bar of California since February 2010.
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