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