For more than twenty years criminal law defense attorney Christopher T. Van Wagner has brought a wide mix of knowledge, unique personal experience to each case. These include the lessons learned and instincts developed while growing up one of 11 children born to a middle class Irish Catholic New Jersey couple; the topnotch education and training he received attending an Ivy League law school (Cornell Law School 1981, Law Review Editor) and then clerking for a federal district judge (Honorable Dick Debevoise, D.N.J., 1981-1982); the boardroom manners observed and absorbed working for Fortune 500 clients in his years at a world-renowned Chicago-based corporate law firm (Mayer Brown, on LaSalle Street, Chicago, Illinois); and, most significantly, the ingrained courtroom sense and solid jury trial skills he honed while trying more than 50 felony jury trials to verdict as a state prosecutor (in Trenton, New Jersey), cases ranging from welfare fraud to rape to homicide.

In 1991, he moved to Wisconsin to become a federal prosecutor (Madison, Wisconsin). In a short time, he tried several federal conspiracy cases to verdict. Chris left the government in 1994, and now devotes his professional time, effort and energy exclusively to defending people accused (or convicted) of serious crimes and drunk driving offenses by both Wisconsin and Federal governments. Chris has tried and won some high-profile trials, including several homicide cases.

Super Lawyers has named Chris one of Wisconsin's best criminal defense attorneys (in the top 5%) in Wisconsin. The Dane County defense bar honored Chris as "Warrior of the Year" when Chris won an acquittal on behalf of a particularly difficult client (an ex-district attorney) in an attempted murder shooting case. The Wisconsin Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (WACDL) has three times awarded Chris the Martin Hanson Advocate's Prize - a statewide honor for his repeated victories in homicide and murder cases. In a recent survey of all Dane County, Wisconsin attorneys, Chris was one of a handful to be named to Madison's Best Criminal Defense Lawyers. Van Wagner & Wood's criminal defense attorneys have been repeatedly chosen for that award.

Attorney Van Wagner regularly serves as a criminal defense legal commentator and analyst for local and national news programs. Chris has served as guest commentator on Court TV with anchor Nancy Grace, who now also hosts the Larry King show. He regularly serves as a legal analyst with local and national networks and has appeared on the Dan Abrams Report on MSNBC, The Today Show, Good Morning America, ABC News, ABC Madison Channel 27 and Madison Channel 3000 (C3K). Chris has written for local publications including the Wisconsin State Journal. He often publishes legal notes and comments about Wisconsin criminal law in his BLOG (http://wisconsincriminallaw.blogspot.com). Chris has also taught and lectured regularly at state and national trial skills seminars for lawyers.

Even though Chris has permanently resettled to Wisconsin, he remains an equally permanent and often rabid New York Yankees fan.

Areas of Practice:

Criminal Defense (State, Federal, Felony, Misdemeanor)
Battery
Computer Crimes, Internet Crimes, Pornography, Music Downloads
Conspiracy
Disorderly Conduct, Domestic Battery, Abuse & Violence
Domestic Terrorism
Drug Crimes [federal] [state]
Drunk Driving - OWI (DUI, DWI), Felony OWI, Intoxicated Vehicular Homicide
Federal & State Charges, Criminal Trials, Criminal Appeals
Felony Murder, Homicide, Negligent Homicide, Vehicular Homicide
Kidnapping, False Imprisonment
Sex Crimes, Sexual Assault, Sexual Assault Battery, Sexual Predator
Stalking
Robbery, Burglary, Arson
Theft
White Collar Crimes, Fraud, Embezzlement

Litigation Percentage:

100% of Practice Devoted to Litigation

Bar Admissions:

State: Wisconsin State Bar, 1994
Federal: U.S. District Court Eastern District of Wisconsin
Federal: U.S. District Court Western District of Wisconsin
Federal: U.S. Court of Appeals 7th Circuit

Previous Bar Admissions:

State: New Jersey State Bar, 1981
State: Illinois State Bar, 1989
Federal: U.S. District Court Northern District of Illinois
Federal: U.S. District Court District of New Jersey
Federal: U.S. Court of Appeals 10th Circuit

Education:

Cornell Law School, Ithaca, New York, 1981
J.D.

St. Lawrence, 1978 (St. Lawrence University)
B.A.
Major: English and Literature

Classes/Seminars Taught:

Wisconsin Public Defender Trial Skills Academy (Lake Delavan, Wisconsin)
Teaching Faculty

NITA Trial Skills Programs (Northwestern Law School, Chicago)
Teaching Faculty

Wisconsin Criminal Defense and Other Bar Seminars
Speaker

RECENT Representative Cases:

State of Wisconsin v. Sutter - Acquitted
State of Wisconsin v. Pintz - Acquitted
State of Wisconsin v. Client - Charges Dismissed
State of Wisconsin v. Meng - Acquitted
State of Wisconsin v. Covarrubias - Acquitted

Honors and Awards:

Madison's Best Criminal Defense Lawyer, 2007
Super Lawyers, Criminal Defense, DUI, White Collar Crimes, Wisconsin
Madison's Best Criminal Defense Lawyer, 2005
Madison's Best Criminal Defense Lawyer, 2003
Madison's Best Criminal Defense Lawyer, 2001
"Warrior of the Year," Dane County Criminal Defense Bar, 1999

Professional Associations and Memberships:

Dane County Bar Association
Member

Wisconsin State Bar Association
Member

National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers

Wisconsin Association of Criminal Defense Lawyer