Christopher Solis
Attorney
It’s rare to find an attorney who lives for the fight, who isn’t afraid of the long hours and all-nighters that come with trial preparation. Christopher Solis is one of those rare attorneys. Chris finds real joy in advocating for people who have been marginalized. No matter how difficult the case or tough the battle, Chris puts everything he has into helping his clients get the best result.
Once you hire Keith & Lorfing, your case becomes personal to us. We will NOT be outworked, outlawyered, or out prepared.
Throughout his career, Chris has dedicated himself to the service of others. Prior to joining Keith & Lorfing, Chris spent 19 years in public service in various capacities. Attending Officer Candidate School in 2003, Chris initially served in the United States Marine Corps, where he deployed as an artillery officer in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. After attending law school on the G.I. Bill and serving in the Marine Corps Reserve, Chris began working as a prosecutor in the State of New Mexico. During this time, Chris prosecuted cases ranging from D.U.I.s to property crimes and violent offenses. In 2018, Chris began working for the United States Attorney’s Office in the District of New Mexico focusing on narcotics and firearms offenses with occasional forays into white collar crimes. Christopher found that the best part of his job as a prosecutor was giving a voice to the voiceless. When he found that he could fulfill that role even more so as a defense attorney, he sought out the best defense firm in West Texas: Keith & Lorfing.
Approach
Christopher approaches each case like the master craftsman he is – with depth and precision. He’s learned through a lifetime of service that the devil is in the details. He has developed a clinical approach to how he analyzes each case. His focus on the minutiae – on the details – on the nuances that other attorney may miss – is what sets him apart from his peers.
He possesses a certain intensity that lets our clients and opposing counsel know he means business.
Education
- University of Notre Dame, B.A.
- University of New Mexico School of Law, J.D.
Bar Admissions and Licenses
- New Mexico
- Wyoming
- Texas
- District of New Mexico
- Western District of Texas
- Northern District of Texas
Victories
It ain’t bragging if its true
The United States Department of Justice charged our client with Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine and was facing a potential life sentence. Based on our comprehensive knowledge of the Justice Manual, Keith & Lorfing was confident that the Government would not proceed to trial because the Government had not taken the appropriate steps to obtain a waiver from Main Justice in Washington, D.C. In keeping with the principle of Psalms 46:10, “Be still and know that I am God” we kept our nerve and rejected favorable plea offers. Eventually the prosecution dismissed the case at the last minute. Sometimes knowing the law is not enough, hire attorneys that know the policies undergirding the prosecution and can implement strategies to keep you safe.
The United States Department of Justice charged our client with Distribution of Child Pornography. Our client was facing 20 years in prison. Through our bespoke network of former federal law enforcement agents, Keith & Lorfing, thoroughly excavated the case for exculpatory material that would undermine the prosecutions case. After a thorough review with the prosecution team, the Government agreed to drop all the charges pending against our client.
The State of Texas (Taylor County) charged our client with Possession of Child Pornography. Our team of former prosecutors took to the offensive and uncovered rock solid evidence that our client was nowhere near the state of Texas at the time of the alleged activities. Using this information, Keith & Lorfing thoroughly researched the territorial jurisdictional limits for the State of Texas to charge crimes, and carefully selected the proper legal tools to bring the issue to the judge and get the case dismissed.
The State of Texas (Taylor County) charged our client with DUI and our client was facing jail time and a mandatory license suspension. After reviewing a search warrant that formed the backbone of the State’s case, we then carefully reviewed police officer body camera footage which established that law enforcement based their warrant on deliberately false facts to make our client appear to be the driver of a car that had recently crashed. The prosecution originally refused to dismiss the case, but after we carefully crafted a precision strike in the form of a Motion to Dismiss pursuant to violations of the Fourth Amendment, the State of Texas dismissed the case.
The United States Department of Justice charged our client with Possession with Intent to Distribute over 100 pounds of cocaine. Our client was facing a potential life sentence. Using a potential Fourth Amendment violation as negotiating leverage we bargained for a reduced charge reducing the maximum sentence to 20 years. Then United States Probation attempted to apply draconian guideline enhancements which placed our client’s likely sentence at 210 months in prison. Through Keith & Lorfing’s expertise in the United States Sentencing Guidelines we were able to defeat all of the draconian enhancements applied by the Probation Office and cut our client’s actual sentence in half.
The State of Texas (Jones County) charged our client with Terroristic Threats and kept our client in jail for over a month. Within days of receiving the case, Keith & Lorfing was able to get our client released from jail. Shortly afterward, our team obtained body camera footage from law enforcement officers that completely undermined the charges, and we worked with the prosecution to get the felony pending against our client dismissed.
The United States Government had our client charged with Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl, in a situation where a death was caused by a controlled substance. We were able to work with the Government and convince them that our client was not responsible for the death that occurred. Our client was spared a potential life sentence.
The State of New Mexico (Bernalillo County) charged our client with a serious offense of distributing alcohol to a minor. Keith & Lorfing tapped into an extensive knowledge of the New Mexico Rules of Criminal Procedure to make discovery requests that the State of New Mexico could not comply with. Keith & Lorfing then brought several issues to the court including violations of the Sixth Amendment right to speedy trial as well as violations of local discovery rules. The Court was left with no choice but to dismiss the case against our client with prejudice.
The State of New Mexico (Curry County) charged our client with Criminal Sexual Penetration or common law rape. Our client was facing nine years in prison in the most heavy-handed county in the State of New Mexico. Our attorneys used a deep knowledge of the rules of evidence and the New Mexico rules of discovery to obtain multiple statements from the alleged victim which were completely incoherent. These prior statements were used to develop a script and combined that with our mastery of the New Mexico Rules of Criminal Procedure to obtain a Pre-Trial Interview with the alleged victim. After that interview, the State’s case fell apart and the State dismissed all charges against our client.
The United States Government had incarcerated our client for a prior conviction of Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine. Keith & Lorfing was retained by our client to reduce her sentence based upon recent changes to the United States Sentencing Guidelines. By getting to know our client, transcending the basics to a command of the federal statutes, and an unparallelled capacity to advocate for our clients, we successfully reduced our client’s reduced by nearly 20%.
West Texas Roots
Chris is a third generation West Texan. He grew up in the middle of nowhere halfway between El Paso and Odessa. He graduated from the only high school in Culberson County where he spent his summers working on local ranches with a brief stint in the fast food world.
- Favorite West Texas travel destination and why: McKittrick Canyon; very few people know about this scenic hike, but it has two things that are very rare in West Texas, water and broadleaf trees; in the fall this place is very colorful.
- Best kept secret in West Texas: everybody has heard of Marfa, but most people don’t know about Fort Davis it’s a historic army town up high in the Davis Mountains with a creek running through it and bucolic timbered hills.
- Best restaurant in West Texas: Lowake Steak House in Rowena, Texas.
- Biggest surprise: the beautiful architecture in some of our small German towns, St. Boniface Church in Olfen, St. Joseph’s Church in Rowena, and St. Ambrose Church in Wall.
- What does West Texas Tough mean to you: living up to the reputation of our heroes like Benito Martinez of Fort Hancock and George O’Brien of Big Spring – Medal of Honor Winners that didn’t back down from the fight.
What are Clients are Saying
Personal Life
Chris leads a life of intention and purpose. He is guided by his morals and faith in all that he does. Growing up in a working-class family, Chris learned from an early age that discipline and work ethic matter at a fundamental level.
His service in the marine corps is an extension of his belief in service and living a purpose-driven life. His passions include jiu jitsu and bow hunting. He and his beautiful wife have three amazing (and brilliant) daughters.