Our People

Christian is a Shareholder in Maynard Nexsen’s Government Investigations & White Collar Defense practice group. An awardwinning defense attorney, Christian’s practice focuses on the representation of business entities and individuals under investigation or facing allegations of criminal and civil wrongdoing. He is a trial lawyer with more than 14 years in private practice who has handled hundreds of criminal matters throughout North Carolina and in federal courts nationally.

Christian has handled high-profile matters involving antitrust violations, political corruption, securities fraud, and countless allegations of fraudulent business dealings. He has successfully defended individuals facing potential professional licensure suspension or revocation.

His practice includes representation of businesses and individuals served with Grand Jury Subpoenas and Target Letters and asked to provide trial testimony, including counseling other attorneys and surgeon witnesses. Christian works with attorneys throughout the firm to ensure that his clients are afforded the most comprehensive representation.

Of equal importance to Christian’s success as a litigator is his ability to help those suspected of criminal wrongdoing, including those who may become a target of an ongoing investigation, avoid charges altogether. Christian has negotiated non-prosecution agreements, pretrial diversion agreements, deferred prosecutions, and the outright dismissal of charges in numerous cases.

Prior to joining Maynard Nexsen, Christian was a Founder and Managing Partner of Dysart Willis, a full-service criminal defense firm. Dysart, a Raleigh native, opened Dysart Willis in 2010 after a clerkship at the Supreme Court of North Carolina and a one-year Fellowship in the Center for Criminal Justice and Professional Responsibility at Duke Law School.

Memberships and Appointments

Christian is the District Representative for the Criminal Justice Act panel attorneys, serving as the liaison between private practice attorneys selected to handle indigent matters, the Federal Defender, and the Judiciary in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina. He has served in that capacity for more than eight years, having been selected by the current and two former federal Chief District Court Judges.

In 2020, Christian was appointed by the United States District Court as Chair of the United States Magistrate Judge selection committee.

Christian is a member of the American Bar Association (ABA) White Collar Section.

Experience

• Grand Jury representation for witness entity in an antitrust bidrigging investigation
• Grand Jury / trial witness representation (secured a NonProsecution Agreement) in an antitrust bid-rigging matter
• Corporate entity representation in GOOGLE antitrust investigation
• Grand Jury / trial witness representation in a healthcare fraud matter
• Representation of a physician witness in Civil DOJ investigation
• Witness representation in a FTC agriculture industry investigation
• Grand Jury witness representation in a federal bribery / fraud matter
• DOJ election law / political corruption witness representation

Practices

• Government Investigations & White Collar Defense
• Compliance & Risk Management
• Antitrust & Unfair Competition
• Antitrust Litigation
• Litigation

Education

• Duke University School of Law: 2007, J.D., magna cum laude, Order of the Coif
• Washington and Lee University: 1993, B.A.

Admissions

• State Bar: North Carolina
• U.S. District Court: North Carolina (Eastern, Middle, Western), Tennessee (Eastern)
• U.S. Court of Appeals: Fourth Circuit, Eleventh Circuit

Clerkships

• Associate Justice Edward Thomas Brady, Supreme Court of North Carolina

Recognition

• Super Lawyers (2018-2024)
• National Academy of Criminal Defense Attorneys – Nationally Ranked Top Ten Attorney (North Carolina, 2022-2023) 

Community & Professional

• Tenth Judicial District Bar
• Wake County Bar Association
• North Carolina Bar Association
• American Bar Association, Antitrust Section