In practice since 1981, criminal law defense attorney Christopher
T. 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 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 murder
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.
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
Appeals & Serious Crimes - Homicide - Murder - State -
Federal
Van Wagner & Wood's criminal defense attorneys represent
people in state criminal appeals cases throughout Wisconsin and federal crimial
appeals cases nationwide at both intermediary court (Court of Appeals or Appellate
Court) and the Supreme Court level. Van Wagner & Wood is one of few firms
in Wisconsin that can and will handle Federal appeals.
Van Wagner & Wood also represents people in post conviction
motions and post conviction relief remedies.
Drug Crimes
Van Wagner & Wood's criminal defense attorneys represent
people charged with drug related crimes, in both Federal and state cases. Those
attorneys most frequently represent people charged in the state of Wisconsin.
Federal Drug Charges: Van Wagner & Wood criminal defense
attornes routinely handle drug and other cases charged by a Federal agency.
State Drug Charges: Van Wagner & Wood's criminal defense
attorneys routinely handle drug related criminal cases for people residing in
Wisconsin, and most frequently residing in the following areas: Adams County,
WI (Adams, Wisconsin Dells), Ashland County, WI (Ashland), Barron County, WI
(Barron), Bayfield County, WI (Washburn, Bayfield), Buffalo County, WI (Buffalo
City, Mondovi), Burnett County, WI (Siren), Chippewa County, WI (Chippewa Falls),
Clark County, WI (Abbotsford), Columbia County, WI (Columbus, Wisconsin Dells),
Crawford County, WI (Prairie du Chien), Dane County, WI (Belleville, Black Earth,
Blue Mounds, Brooklyn, Cambridge, Cottage Grove, Cross Plains, Dane, Deerfield,
DeForest, Fitchburg, McFarland, Madison, Maple Bluff, Marshall, Mazomanie, Middleton,
Monona, Mount Horeb, Oregon, Rockdale, Shorewood Hills, Stoughton, Sun Prairie,
Verona, Waunakee, Windsor), Dunn County, WI (Menomonie), Eau Claire County,
WI (Abbotsford, Eau Claire), Grant County, WI (Mount Hope, Lancaster, Fennimore),
Green County, WI (Monroe), Iowa County, WI (Mineral Point, Dodgeville), Jackson
County, WI (Black River Falls), Jefferson County, WI (Jefferson), Juneau County,
WI (Mauston), La Crosse County, WI (LaCrosse, Lafayette, Darlington), Marathon
County, WI (Wausau), Monroe County, WI (Sparta), Pepin County, WI (Durand),
Pierce County, WI (River Falls), Polk County, WI (St Croix Falls), Portage County,
WI (Stevens Point), Price County, WI (Park Falls), Richland County, WI (Richland
Center), Rock County, WI (Janesville), Rusk (Ladysmith), St Croix County, WI
(Hudson), Sauk County, WI (Sauk City, Wisconsin Dells), Taylor County, WI (Medford),
Trempealeau County, WI (Whitehall), Washburn County, WI (Spooner), and Wood
County, WI (Wisconsin Dells).
Drunk Driving (OWI, DUI, DWI)
Wisconsin's foremost authority on drunk driving laws, Attorney
Tracey Wood, consults with lawyers and law firms throughout the United States
to help them build successful strategies for very complex cases. In Wisconsin,
Attorney Wood most frequently represents people charged in the following areas:
Madison (Dane County), Richland Center (Richland County), La Crosse (La Crosse
County), Jefferson (Jefferson County), Wisconsin Dells (Columbia County and
Sauk County), Stevens Point (Portage County), Dodgeville and Mineral Point (Iowa
County), Portage (Columbia County) and Montello (Marquette County).
Federal Crimes
Van Wagner & Wood's criminal defense attorneys handle Federal
cases throughout the state of Wisconsin and Federal appeals cases throughout
the nation. The attorneys at Van Wagner & Wood have handled Federal cases
for more than twenty years, cases and appeals ranging from Federal conspiracy,
drug charges of possession, intent to deliver, sell, distribute controlled substance,
securities fraud, mail fraud, wire fraud, domestic terrorism, Internet crimes
money laundering, to kidnapping.
The criminal defense attorneys at Van Wagner & Wood represent
people charged with Felony Murder, Homicide, Negligent Homicide, Reckless Homicide,
Vehicular Homicide, Reckless Endangerment, First-degree Intentional Homicide,
and Second-degree Intentional Homicide. Those attorneys most frequently represent
people accused or charged in the state of Wisconsin. Often times, they are called
upon by a client residing outside of the state of Wisconsin, which they represent
in very serious crimes such as Felony Murder or Homicide. Van Wagner & Wood
have handled cases for clients in Kansas, Oklahoma, California, New Jersey,
Minnesota, and Illinois.
Van Wagner & Wood's criminal law defense lawyers frequently appear in Wisconsin Circuit Courts in Madison, Wisconsin for Dane County; Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin for Chippewa County Circuit Court; Menomonie, Wisconsin for Dunn County Circuit Court; Eau Claire, Wisconsin for Eau Claire Circuit Court; Lancaster, Wisconsin for Grant County Circuit Court; Monroe, Wisconsin for Green County Circuit Court; Mauston, Wisconsin for Juneau County Circuit Court; La Crosse, Wisconsin for LaCrosse County Circuit Court; Wausau, Wisconsin for Marathon County Circuit Court; Sparta, Wisconsin for Monroe County Circuit Court; Stevens Point, Wisconsin for Portage County Circuit Court; Janesville, Wisconsin at Rock County Circuit Court; Baraboo, Wisconsin at Sauk County Circuit Court; Wisconsin Dells at Columbia County Circuit Court; Wisconsin Rapids at Wood County Circuit Court; Waukesha, Wisconsin at Waukesha County Circuit Court; Elkhorn, Wisconsin at Walworth County Circuit Court. They also appear at Oneida Circuit Court in Rhinelander, Wisconsin; Langlade Circuit Court at Antigo, Wisconsin.
If your case is in another area of Wisconsin, please contact an attorney at Van Wagner & Wood to discuss it.
