Overview

Christina "Chris" M. Schwing is a distinguished commercial litigation attorney in Holland & Knight's Jacksonville office. Ms. Schwing is known for her knowledge and experience in navigating the intricate landscape of class actions, mass actions and complex, high-stakes disputes.

Having more than 20 years of experience with Holland & Knight, Ms. Schwing has built a reputation for delivering unwavering dedication, unparalleled legal acumen and outstanding results for clients in need of rigorous representation in numerous states around the country in both state and federal courts and arbitrations. Ms. Schwing has a multifaceted background, renowned for her experience in handling an array of complex legal matters in the areas of energy, manufacturing, construction, product liability, consumer claims, toxic torts and the environment, transportation and healthcare.

In addition to her complex litigation and class action practice, Ms. Schwing represents healthcare clients in connection with insurance disputes, false claims investigations, breach of contract and payer/provider disputes under the No Surprises Act (NSA). She also assists and represents healthcare clients with investigations and litigation when faced with data privacy breaches involving protected health information (PHI).

Ms. Schwing has also developed a niche representing cooperatives in all aspects of cooperative operations, including legal compliance, corporate governance, management and director training, capital credit and equity management planning. She regularly counsels cooperatives concerning director elections and takeover attempts. She defends cooperatives facing high-stakes litigation and has achieved widespread success for her clients facing complicated lawsuits and arbitrations.

Ms. Schwing litigates complex commercial and corporate control fiduciary duty disputes, as well as a full range of business tort actions. She uses her experience as a Florida Supreme Court Certified Circuit Mediator, combined with her litigation expertise, to give companies a comprehensive approach to resolving disputes. After gaining leverage though litigation, she knows how to bring parties to the negotiation table to help her clients achieve amicable solutions and successful settlements, consistently exceeding client expectations in the most challenging legal arenas. 

Ms. Schwing graduated first in her class from the University of Florida Levin College of Law, where she also served on the Florida Law Review.

(Christina Schwing) is incredibly intelligent, knowledgeable about the industry and tenacious about getting the result we ask for. She is a valuable adviser and would be the first person I would call if there was a crisis.

Chambers USA – America's Leading Business Lawyers 2021

Representative Experience

  • Representing clients to defeat environmental nuisance claims
  • Defending clients in high-stakes mass toxic tort cases involving claims of property damage and personal injury caused by environmental contamination
  • Defending clients in class actions involving claims for medical monitoring and property damage resulting from toxic dust and ash
  • Defending a company against a multimillion-dollar Legionnaires' disease claim

  • Defending numerous electric cooperatives in class actions concerning patronage capital, cooperative governance and excess revenue disputes
  • Representing cooperatives to compel arbitration of putative class actions and successfully win appeals on these issues
  • Assisting statewide associations and electric cooperatives with respect to legislation impacting electric cooperatives
  • Advising distribution cooperatives, generation and transmission cooperatives (G&Ts) and statewide associations regarding legal issues and best practices, including with respect to governing laws and legal principles, governance, operations and patronage capital
  • Establishing broadband entities and preparing all policies, agreements and governance documents for such entities
  • Representing water and wastewater cooperatives in contractual disputes

  • Representing manufacturers and suppliers in construction defect litigation and class actions
  • Representing general contractors, subcontractors and developers in all types of construction related disputes, including issues relating to compliance with building codes and other building regulations and standards
  • Resolving hundreds of claims on behalf of manufacturers and suppliers in the areas of breach of contract, breach of warranty, fraud, strict liability and other related matters

  • Representing large manufacturers of commercial and residential windows and doors in product defect issues
  • Representing product manufacturers in national class action and hundreds of individual property damage claims
  • Defending an electronics manufacturer in lawsuits alleging defective component parts in televisions
  • Representing product manufacturers in connection with catastrophic property and personal injury claims in the United States and other countries

  • Representing a healthcare client by defeating multimillion-dollar trade secret claim
  • Representing transportation clients in connection with contractual and agent disputes
  • Representing commercial clients in multimillion-dollar disputes in the areas of fraud and deceptive and unfair trade practices
  • Defending a life insurance company in a multimillion-dollar breach of contract and promissory estoppel lawsuit
  • Representing transportation clients in connection with licensing and permitting disputes
  • Defending commercial clients in class actions involving environmental and defective product claims
  • Defending a national advertising company related to breach of contract and declaratory relief claims
  • Defending companies against various statutory claims, including the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA)and Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA)
  • Defending companies against claims related to catastrophic injury
  • Defending a maritime company in multiple lawsuits alleging the wrongful deaths of 33 crewmen

  • Representing clients relating to compliance with the No Surprises Act and defending claims brought under the Act
  • Defending False Claims Act matters
  • Representing health insurers and HMOs involving Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) claims
  • Representing companies impacted by data breaches when protected health information is involved
  • Negotiating and litigating disputes between healthcare providers and insurance companies and HMOs
  • Representing healthcare companies in antitrust litigation
  • Representing several major health insurers and individual investigators against claims involving antitrust, conspiracy, fraud, defamation and tortious interference with contract
  • Representing health insurers and HMOs in numerous lawsuits seeking coverage for medical services
  • Defended health insurers and HMOs in hundreds of lawsuits brought by nonparticipating providers seeking higher rates of reimbursement

Credentials

Education
  • University of Florida Levin College of Law, J.D.
  • University of North Florida, B.A., summa cum laude
Bar Admissions/Licenses
  • Florida
Court Admissions
  • U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida
  • U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida
  • U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida
  • All State Courts in Florida
  • All Federal Courts in Florida
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
Memberships
  • Ability Housing of North East Florida, Executive Committee, Secretary, 2005-2009
  • Chester Bedell Inn of Court
  • Jacksonville Bar Association
  • American Bar Association
  • Pre-Law Society at the University of North Florida Board of Advisors
  • Federal Bar Association
  • The Florida Bar, Trial Practice Section
  • Jacksonville Women's Leadership Forum Inc., Immediate Past President and Chairwoman
Honors & Awards
  • The Best Lawyers in America guide, Commercial Litigation, 2023, 2024; Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions - Defendants, 2021-2023
  • Chambers USA – America's Leading Business Lawyers guide, Energy & Natural Resources, 2021-2023
  • Igniting Success and Buzz Media Group, 2019 Top Women Igniting Success Awards & Top Achiever Award
  • Women of Influence, Jacksonville Business Journal, 2016
  • 40 Under 40, Jacksonville Business Journal, 2016
  • Leadership Jacksonville Class of 2015
  • Judge Irving Cypen Award
  • Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent Peer Review Rated
  • Holland & Knight Rising Star, Class of 2012
  • Most Valuable Associate Pro Bono Award, 2006

Publications

Speaking Engagements

News