Christopher L. Dunham
About
Criminal Defense Attorney Serving Gainesville
As an Ocala native, Christopher Dunham is committed to providing individuals throughout Marion County with high-quality legal representation. He attended Florida State University College of Law, where he earned his law degree, and then became a licensed attorney in 2007. Mr. Dunham started his career in law by working under State Attorney Brad King for the Fifth Judicial Circuit as a prosecutor. While he was there, he successfully handled thousands of felony and misdemeanor cases. Throughout his time prosecuting individuals, Mr. Dunham tried many cases for Florida, including numerous DUI trials.
Working as a prosecutor was a unique experience for Mr. Dunham that allowed him to gain a comprehensive understanding of Florida criminal law as well as the trial process. Using the skills he acquired as a prosecutor, Mr. Dunham moved to the area of civil litigation and helped clients with their problems there. He gained even more trial experience in civil litigation by working as co-counsel in a variety of injury cases, including a tractor-trailer case involving millions of dollars.
Even though Mr. Dunham is currently focused on family law and criminal defense cases, he, above all, considers himself a trial lawyer. He firmly believes that the real work of a lawyer is not conducted behind a desk but, rather, in the courtroom. As a result of this belief, he chooses his cases based on his clients’ need for proven and strong trial strategy, instead of the circumstances and laws involved.
Mr. Dunham’s successes are attributable to his effective combination of comprehensive legal knowledge and extensive courtroom experience. With dozens of trial cases under his belt, including complex personal injury cases, family law trials involving considerable assets, and first-degree life felony cases, there is no legal issue too complex for him to handle. In addition, Mr. Dunham has provided well-informed counsel in countless hearings involving everything ranging from motions to suppress felony DUI charges to domestic violence injunctions in family law cases.
In order to serve his clients to the best of his abilities, Mr. Dunham prefers communicating with clients directly via email instead of having other staff members pass on information like they do at traditional law firms. Using this type of approach, he allows staff members to focus their efforts on office logistics and timely court document filings, which improves his clients’ overall experience with the firm.
Each case is vastly different from the rest, which is why Mr. Dunham is dedicated to providing clients with the attentive and detailed representation they deserve in order to get the best opportunity for successful results.
Bar Admissions
- State of Florida, 2007
Professional Associations & Memberships
- D.R. Smith American Inn of Court
- Young Lawyers Association
- American Bar Association
- Marion County Bar Association
Education
- University of Central Florida – Associate of Arts Degree
- Florida State University – Bachelor's Degrees and Master's Degree
- Florida State University College of Law - Juris Doctor