Christopher Appel

Christopher Appel joined Harnett County as the Assistant Staff Attorney in 2016 and was later promoted to Senior Staff Attorney in 2019. As Senior Staff Attorney, Christopher is responsible for performing and managing various legal duties and tasks for the Legal Department, which includes representation of the County in lawsuits and administrative hearings, providing legal advice to various County departments, Board of Commissioners, and other County-appointed boards. As general counsel for the County, he has been able to assist the County in obtaining and managing settlement funds from the opioid litigation and has been integral in the development of the Harnett County Opioid Task Force, which is comprised of County leaders, educators, providers, and citizens for the purposes of developing a strategic plan for Harnett County to implement and assist in bringing solutions to the opioid crisis in the County.

Christopher grew up in Fayetteville, NC and later attended Wake Forest University, graduating in 2008 with a BA in History and Political Science. Christopher went on to attend Campbell University, Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law and obtained his Juris Doctor in 2011. Leading up to his position as Senior Staff Attorney, Christopher was an Assistant Public Defender for the Cumberland County Public Defender’s Office and an Appeals Referee for the North Carolina Department of Commerce Division of Employment Security.

Christopher currently lives in Harnett County with his wife and daughter. In his spare time, he enjoys playing golf, skiing, swimming, fishing, and spending time with his family.