Christopher C. Chaney

I am a native of Los Angeles who grew up in the San Gabriel Valley.

I graduated from the University of Southern California with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration. I was a scholarship athlete on the USC football team that was victorious in the 1973 Rose Bowl against Ohio State, won the 1972 National Championship, and defeated the University of Alabama in the historic 1970 game.

After graduating from Whittier School of Law with a juris doctorate, I have been practicing almost exclusively in the area of criminal defense since 1979.

I have lectured in the field of Criminal Law with an emphasis on Death Penalty cases to various bar association groups including California Attorneys for Criminal Justice, the Criminal Courts Bar Association, the Pasadena Bar Association, the Glendale Bar Association, and schools and law firms in the Los Angeles County area. I am frequently sought out to advise on trial strategy and other legal issues by other attorneys, and am respected for my methodical preparation, selfless dedication to my clients and grace under pressure.

Selected Achievements

To be an effective defense counsel I believe it is highly important to participate in all aspects of the criminal justice system.

I am currently:

• Executive Director of the Criminal Courts Bar Association

• Chairman of the Executive Board of the Indigent Criminal Defense Association

• Member of the Pasadena Bar Association

• Member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL)

• Member of the California Public Defenders Association (CPDA)

• Chairman of the Criminal Law Section of the Pasadena Bar Association

• President of the Board of Directors of the Grandview Foundation (a drug and alcohol rehabilitation program)

I have been:

• President of the Board of Governors of California Attorneys for Criminal Justice

• President of the Criminal Courts Bar Association

• Trustee of the Los Angeles County Bar Association

In 2003, 2014 and 2018, I received the Jerry Giesler Memorial Award as Trial Attorney of the Year. In 2014 I was honored with the Trial Attorney of the Year Award from the Los Angeles County Bar Association. In 2008 I was awarded the VIP Mentors Compassion Award for my work and support of my clients and in 2004 I received the Criminal Court’s Bar Association’s Mort Herbert Award for my contribution to the community.