About Christopher Lawrence
Christopher Lawrence Panio practices law in Illinois after a steady climb through courtroom work and private practice. He earned both his undergraduate degree and his J.D. in 2002, a year that set the stage for a career spent largely inside the courthouse.
Panio completed a Bachelor of Science at the University of Colorado Boulder in 2002 and earned his Juris Doctor from The John Marshall Law School that same year. The dual timing of those degrees is unusual but reflects a concentrated period of study and transition into the legal profession.
Early in his legal career he worked at Robert N. Wadington & Associates beginning in 2006. That position placed him in a firm environment where he handled litigation tasks, client preparation and courtroom appearances. The experience provided practical grounding in trial work and case management.
In 2012 he founded Panio Law Offices. He has maintained the firm since then, overseeing matters from offices in both the Chicago area and the south suburban community of Homewood. In addition to representing clients, Panio serves as an arbitrator in the Circuit Court of Cook County Mandatory Arbitration Program, a role that involves deciding smaller civil disputes and helping move cases toward resolution.
His bar jurisdiction is Illinois. He has been a member of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association since 2005, a membership that aligns him with other litigators and provides professional resources related to trial practice. That association membership predates his move into private practice leadership but reflects an ongoing connection to the trial bar.
Panio balances casework with the administrative demands of operating a small firm split between two locations. He appears in Illinois courts and conducts arbitration hearings as part of his regular duties. He continues to practice from offices in Homewood and Chicago and maintains a civil litigation and arbitration practice in Illinois courts.
