Mr. Christopher Dean Balch

Balch Law Group

Chris Balch has more than 30 years of experience bridging gaps and building consensus so local government leaders can navigate complex legal matters, encourage economic development, and foster community investment. A veteran of the United States Marine Corps, where he was awarded the Navy Achievement Medal and the Good Conduct Medal, Chris brings the skills, discipline, and mission focus he learned to the challenges and opportunities your community faces.

Chris is a graduate of the University of Tennessee and Mercer University Law School. He clerked for United States District Judge Duross Fitzpatrick in the Middle District of Georgia for 2 years before entering private practice. He moved to Atlanta in 1996.

He is also an acknowledged and sought-after expert and speaker at programs for local government lawyers across the Country. His legal scholarship regularly appears in newsletters and professional journals, including Municipal Lawyer. He is an IMLA Local Government Fellow and former member of the IMLA Board of Directors. He has been the chair or co-chair of the Litigation Committee for IMLA since 2020. He served as City Attorney for the City of Brookhaven for 8 years and has represented local government officials and law enforcement officers throughout his career.