Van Wagner Wood
Criminal Defense Lawyer
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About Attorney Chris Van Wagner

Attorney Chris Van Wagner
Wisconsin Criminal Defense Lawyer
Van Wagner & Wood, S.C.
www.vanwagnerandwood.com
10 East Doty Street, Suite 701
Madison, Wisconsin 53703
Phone (608) 284-1200
Fax (608) 284-1260
(E-mail Attorneys)

Criminal defense lawyer attorney Chris Van Wagner, has handled nearly one hundred felony trials in his twenty-plus years as an attorney. His trial cases have ranged from low-level misdemeanor offenses all the way to kidnapping, homicide RICO, and "domestic terrorism".

  • Intentional homicide
  • Murder
  • Negligent homicide
  • Vehicular homicide
  • Homicide with a deadly weapon
  • Homicide while intoxicated
  • Domestic terrorism
  • White collar crime
  • Embezzlement
  • Fraud
  • Theft
  • Sex crimes
  • Sexual assault, rape
  • RICO, Racketeering

In practice since 1981, Christopher Van Wagner brings a wide mix of knowledge, background and 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 '81, Law Review Editor) and then clerking for a federal district judge (Hon. Dick Debevoise, D.N.J., '81-82); 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); 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, N.J.), cases ranging from welfare fraud to rape to homicide.

In 1991 he moved to Wisconsin to become a federal prosecutor. 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. In that time, Chris has tried and won some high-profile trials, including several homicide cases.

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 cases. Chris has also taught and lectured regularly at state and national trial skills seminars for lawyers. He has served as guest commentator on Court TV with anchor Nancy Grace, who now also hosts the Larry King show. He has also been a guest criminal law commentator on the Dan Abrams Report on MSNBC and the Today Show. Finally, despite having resettled permanently to Wisconsin , he remains an equally permanent and often rabid New York Yankees fan.

Areas of Practice:

Criminal Defense (Felony, Misdemeanor, State, Federal)
Disorderly Conduct, Domestic Battery
Drug Crimes
Drunk Driving - OWI (DUI/DWI)
Falsely Accused, Wrongfully Imprisoned
Family and Domestic Abuse Defense
Federal & State Charges, Trial, Appeals
Homicide, Manslaughter, Negligent Homicide, Vehicular Homicide
Property Crimes
Sex Crimes, Sexual Assault / Battery
Stalking
White Collar Crimes, Fraud, Theft, Embezzlement

Litigation Percentage:

100% of Practice Devoted to Litigation

Bar Admissions:

Wisconsin, 1994
U.S. District Court Eastern District of Wisconsin
U.S. District Court Western District of Wisconsin
U.S. Court of Appeals 7th Circuit

Education:

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

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

Classes/Seminars Taught:

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

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

Former Speaker, Wisconsin Criminal Defense and Other Bar Seminars

Honors and Awards:

"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 Lawyers

Attorney Christopher T Van Wagner
Wisconsin Criminal Defense Lawyer
Van Wagner & Wood, S.C.
www.vanwagnerandwood.com
10 East Doty Street, Suite 701
Madison, Wisconsin 53703
Phone (608) 284-1200
Fax (608) 284-1260
(E-mail Attorneys)

Attorney Christopher (Chris) Van Wagner is a Wisconsin criminal defense lawyer. He represents people throughout Wisconsin, and most often appears in Madison, Monroe, Richland Center, Sauk City, Baraboo, Wisconsin Dells, Beaver Dam, Juneau, Delafield, Whitewater, Jefferson, Fort Atkinson, Columbus, Wausau, Eau Claire, La Crosse, Sparta, Appleton, Fond du Lac, Green Lake, Lady Smith, Chippewa Falls, Chippewa County, Stevens Point, and Black River Falls for serious felony crimes.

For an initial consultation, please call (608-284-1200 or 1-866-262-4599) Van Wagner & Wood and ask to speak with Attorney Chris Van Wagner or Attorney Tracey Wood.

The information at this site is not and is not intended to be legal advice or a legal opinion. Nothing at this site creates an attorney-client relationship. Please read our full disclaimer.


 
 
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Van Wagner and Wood, S.C.
Criminal Defense Lawyers
www.vanwagnerandwood.com
10 East Doty, Suite 701
Madison, WI 53703
(608) 284-1200

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