G. Christopher Ritter, JD

Contact

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+1 510 394 0045

Expertise

Consulting

As a senior advisor with expertise in trial strategy & jury consulting, Chris Ritter provides insightful guidance in all aspects of these departments, including case analysis and strategy development, mock trial and focus group research, witness preparation, and jury selection. Additionally, he works with trial teams to create highly engaging trial graphics. He is a master at clarifying the complex and making esoteric topics understandable and compelling.

Since joining the firm in 1998, Chris has worked on over 500 cases throughout the country, including more than 100 mock jury and focus group projects. Prior to his time with IMS, Chris was a trial lawyer for 15 years and a partner in a major San Francisco law firm. Chris was an adjunct faculty member for 12 years at University of California, Hastings College of the Law, where he taught trial practice, evidence, and legal writing. Chris is a graduate of the University of Chicago Law School.

Chris is also an accomplished author. He wrote Creating Winning Trial Strategies and Graphics and Powerful Deliberations: Putting It All Together For the Jury, and he co-authored The Trial War Room Handbook: Effective Strategies From the Trenches, all published by the American Bar Association and all lauded as definitive works in their respective fields. Chris has been a featured presenter at programs, including those sponsored by the State Bar of California, the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association, the Texas State Bar, the National Association of Criminal Defense Counsel, the California Continuing Education of the Bar (CEB), the American Bar Association, and Law Seminars International. Since 2017, he has been a visiting lecturer at Stanford Law School.

Chris has always had a strong commitment to providing pro bono assistance to deserving clients. To this end, he has worked on trial teams to overturn the ban on same-sex marriages in California, to free innocent people wrongfully convicted of serious crimes, to hold gun dealers responsible for damages caused by illegal firearms sales, and to protect criminal defendants who have severe psychological problems. Chris has a perfect spot to celebrate his courtroom wins as he is co-owner of Oakland United Beerworks. He promises to buy a beer for any client who stops by.

Notable publications: