About Christopher T Van
Christopher T Van Wagner is a Madison-based lawyer whose career spans public prosecution, federal service and private practice. He studied English literature at St. Lawrence University, graduating in 1974, and went on to earn his J.D. from Cornell University in 1981. Those academic foundations lead into a career that moved steadily between courtroom work and firm practice.
He began his legal career in public service. In 1983 he served as an assistant prosecutor handling felony crimes in the Mercer County (Trenton), New Jersey, Prosecutor’s Office. That early trial experience exposed him to the practical demands of criminal litigation and to handling serious, time-sensitive matters at the county level.
After several years in the public sector he entered private practice and then major-firm work. He joined Mayer Brown & Platt as an associate in 1987, where he gained experience in more complex litigation and firm procedures. In 1991 he returned to public service as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Madison. His time in the U.S. Attorney’s Office added federal prosecutorial experience to his resume and deepened his courtroom skills.
Van Wagner shifted back into private practice in the mid-1990s. In 1994 he established a solo practice under the Van Wagner Law Offices name. He later became a shareholder in Van Wagner & Wood, S.C., in 1999. In 2014 he resumed a leadership role as managing partner at Van Wagner Law Offices. Those moves reflect a steady progression from government work to leading a regional practice.
His bar admissions include Wisconsin and presentations in the 7th and 10th U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeal. He remains active in local professional circles and currently serves as president of the Dane County Criminal Defense Lawyers Association. That role keeps him engaged in the county’s defense bar and in issues that affect courtroom practice and indigent defense locally.
Across public and private roles, Van Wagner’s work has centered on trial and appellate advocacy in criminal matters. He practices from Madison, handling criminal defense at both state and federal levels and litigating in the 7th and 10th Circuits.
