Christopher Wirth
Attorney
Phone 616-341-1218
Email Christopher Wirth
Awards & Accolades
Biography
Chris focuses on state and federal litigation, family law, criminal law, commercial law and mediation.
Experienced
- Represented clients in over 3,000 court hearings.
- Tried more than 150 cases to verdict.
- Successfully handled cases across Michigan, including Kent, Ottawa, Allegan, Barry, Berrien, Ingham, Ionia, Kalamazoo, Macomb, Mecosta, Montcalm, Muskegon, Newaygo, Oakland, Osceola, Van Buren and Wayne counties.
- Successfully represented clients in the federal courts for the Western and Eastern Districts of Michigan.
- Represented over 500 children who were victims of child abuse and neglect, and defended wrongfully accused parents in child abuse cases and constitutional parenting rights violations.
- Member of the National Association of Counsel for Children (NACC), the only organization with an ABA-recognized certification in child welfare law.
- Served as a past Special Assistant Attorney General for Michigan, representing the Michigan Public Service Commission.
- Externed in the U.S. District Court (ND Ohio) and interned in the Ottawa County (MI) Prosecutor’s Office during law school.
“I have had the pleasure of working with Mr. Wirth – often as opposing counsel – in family court, including several trials. He is a knowledgeable and skilled attorney. Most significantly, however, he possesses innate psychological understanding and quick wit that together translate into excellent courtroom skill. I would endorse him to anyone facing serious legal challenges in family or criminal law.” – Attorney Michael Brown
Respected
- Voted “Best of the Best” family law attorney by Grand Rapids Magazine survey 2023
- Voted “Best of the Best” criminal law attorney by Grand Rapids Magazine survey 2022
- Named to Super Lawyers list in litigation, 2024
- AVVO Attorney Rating of “Superb” in business law, family law and criminal law
- Awarded a Special Tribute from the Michigan Legislature and Governor Whitmer for advocacy in Child Welfare, 2019
- Nominated Guardian Ad Litem of the Year, Michigan Foster Care Review Board, 2018
- Publicly endorsed in his 2016 judicial campaign by Kent County Judges TJ Ackert, Patrick Hillary, Jeff O’Hara, George Quist and Paul Sullivan
- Received the Paul J. Hergenroeder Award for Outstanding Success in Trial Advocacy
‘Chris — you gave your client one of the best defenses I’ve seen in a long while.’ – Adam Dreher, Ionia County Assistant Prosecutor
Involved
- Represents the 20th Circuit on the Representative Assembly of the State Bar of Michigan
- Appointed by the Michigan Supreme Court to its Court Improvement Statewide Task Force on Child Welfare
- Appointed to the Judicial Qualifications Committee by the State Bar of Michigan Board of Commissioners
- Appointed by Governor Rick Snyder to the Governor’s Task Force on Child Abuse and Neglect
- Elected by peers and served on the Ottawa County Bar Association Board of Directors
- Appointed by the Representative Assembly to the Outreach & Hearings Committee of the State Bar of Michigan
‘Chris has the respect of his colleagues because he believes our laws must be applied without political or personal bias,’ – Abraham Gonzales, past president of the Ottawa County Bar Association
Knowledgeable
- Taught Article 9 Secured Transactions as a visiting law professor at WMU-Cooley Law School
- Taught Entertainment Law and Sports Law as an adjunct professor at WMU-
Cooley Law School - Taught business law as an adjunct in the management department at Grand
Valley State University - Member of the National Association of Counsel for Children (NACC), the only
organization with an ABA-recognized certification in child welfare law - Conducts training on abuse and neglect cases and the role of the Attorney-
Guardian Ad Litem for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services
and its contract agencies - Speaks on the importance of foster care resources and recruitment
“Chris is trusted by Ottawa County to care for our most vulnerable citizens,” – Steve Eckert, retired director of Bethany Christian Services.
Reasonable
- Solutions and outcome-oriented
- Experienced mediator
- Certified domestic facilitative mediator, meeting all Michigan State Court Administrative Office’s domestic relations and domestic violence trainingrequirements under MCR 3.216
Education
- Case Western Reserve University Law School, Cleveland, Ohio
- J.D.
- Honors: cum laude
- Grand Valley State University
- M.B.A.
- Hope College
- B.A.
Areas Of Practice
- Family Law
- Criminal Defense
- State and Federal Litigation
- Commercial Law
- Mediation
Honors
- Named to Super Lawyers list in Litigation, 2024
- Voted “Best of the Best” family law attorney by Grand Rapids Magazine survey 2023
- Voted “Best of the Best” criminal law attorney by Grand Rapids Magazine survey 2022
- AVVO Attorney Rating of “Superb” in business law, family law, and criminal law
- Awarded a Special Tribute from the Michigan Legislature and Governor Whitmer for advocacy in Child Welfare, 2019
- Nominated Guardian Ad Litem of the Year, Michigan Foster Care Review Board, 2018
- Publicly endorsed in his 2016 judicial campaign by Kent County Judges TJ Ackert, Patrick Hillary, Jeff O’Hara, George Quist, and Paul Sullivan
- Received the Paul J. Hergenroeder Award for Outstanding Success in Trial Advocacy
Bar Admissions
- Michigan, 2006
- U.S. District Court Western District of Michigan
- U.S. District Court Eastern District of Michigan
Fraternities or Sororities
- Phi Delta Phi
Past Positions
- Northern District of Ohio, Federal Judicial extern
- The Ottawa County Prosecutor’s Office, Intern
Professional Associations
- American Bar Association, Business Law Section
- State Bar of Michigan, Business Law Section
- Grand Rapids Bar Association, Corporate Section
- Represents the 20th Circuit on the Representative Assembly of the State Bar of Michigan, Present
- Appointed by the Michigan Supreme Court to its Court Improvement Statewide Task Force on Child Welfare, Present
- Appointed to the Judicial Qualifications Committee by the State Bar of Michigan Board of Commissioners, Present
- Appointed by Governor Rick Snyder to the Governor’s Task Force on Child Abuse and Neglect, Present
- Elected by peers and served on the Ottawa County Bar Association Board of Directors, Present
- Appointed by the Representative Assembly to the Outreach & Hearings Committee of the State Bar of Michigan, Present
- National Association of Counsel for Children (NACC), Member
- Ottawa County Bar Association
Current Employment Position
- Attorney