Christopher E. Kittell, Esq., Biography

Christopher E. Kittell is a partner in the Clarksdale, Mississippi law firm of Merkel & Cocke. He received his Bachelors in Business Administration in Computer Information Systems from Delta State University in 1996 and his Juris Doctor from the University of Mississippi School of Law in 1999. Chris received the prestigious James O. Eastland Scholarship to attend the University of Mississippi School of Law and was a member of the Mayes Inn of the International Legal Fraternity of Phi Delta Phi while attending law school at Ole Miss.

Chris practices primarily in the area of civil litigation, including the areas of consumer protection, Fair Credit Reporting Act (“FCRA”) litigation, personal injury (both plaintiff and defense), and wrongful death. He is licensed to practice law in all courts in the State of Mississippi, including the Mississippi Supreme Court, all Mississippi Circuit and Chancery Courts, and the United States District Courts for the Northern and Southern Districts of Mississippi. He is also licensed to practice in the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.

Chris is a member of the Mississippi Bar, as well as the Coahoma County Bar Association where he formerly served as President. He is also a member of the Mississippi Trial Lawyers Association, the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, National Association of Consumer Advocates, and Trial Lawyers for Public Justice.

Chris has received nationwide notoriety for his practice regarding the FCRA. Chris was involved in a $4.47 million verdict against Trans Union, at the time the largest verdict against a credit bureau. Chris is involved in FCRA cases across the nation and is often associated by lawyers around the country less familiar with the inner workings of the credit reporting industry. Currently, Chris is representing consumers from Mississippi to Indiana to New York. Chris also obtained a $2,273,000.00 verdict for a plaintiff in a slip and fall case in the Circuit Court of DeSoto County, Mississippi in August, 2006, which is believed to be the largest personal injury verdict to date in DeSoto County, Mississippi.

Chris has also enjoyed lecturing to both current and future lawyers, including speaking at local Continuing Legal Education seminars in Mississippi, lecturing for consumer law classes at the University of Mississippi School of Law, and lecturing each year at the National Association of Consumer Advocates FCRA Conferences since the Conference’s inception in 2001 and has served on the Conference’s steering committee since 2004. Chris has written articles regarding his practice in the area of the FCRA, which have been published in The Consumer Advocate, the national publication of the National Association of Consumer Advocates.