Chris Simonds
Attorney at Law
Practice areas
Chris Simonds | Family law partner
Attorney Chris Simonds is known for his strong courtroom presence, strategic litigation and settlement, and ability to efficiently resolve complex legal matters. Chris is a co-founder of the firm’s “Divorced in a Day” mediation program, an innovative, streamlined alternative to traditional divorce. Chris enjoys working with clients in mediation to achieve practical and creative solutions for families.
He began his legal career in Wisconsin, practicing family law before working as both a prosecutor and criminal defense attorney. Chris later founded a successful criminal and civil litigation firm where he built extensive trial experience. He has served as lead counsel in 20 jury trials and countless bench trials. He is proud of his quickest trial acquittal – a client represented by Chris was found not guilty by a jury after only 7 minutes of deliberation.
Chris earned his law degree with a concentration in international law from Western Michigan University. During his studies, he completed international legal programs in Spain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. He also served as an adjunct professor at Herzing University, where he was honored as Adjunct Professor of the Year.
He graduated from Marquette University with a degree in Political Science, where he interned for former Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, studied international politics in London, and played on the university’s hockey team.
Outside of his legal practice, Chris enjoys traveling, boating, and outdoor activities throughout Arizona. He maintains an active lifestyle that includes road biking, skiing, and ice hockey.
I want to change the culture of divorce by providing a service that make the divorce process as straight forward and amicable as possible. I’m happy to introduce our Divorced in a Day program. By putting the parties in control of their own case, I see such better results over contested litigation.
After passing the bar exam in 2009, Chris returned to Wisconsin. He began practicing family law with the Child Support Department. Following his entry into family law, he practiced as both a prosecutor and criminal defense attorney. Chris also opened a highly successful criminal and civil litigation firm in Wisconsin. He also taught law as an adjunct professor at Herzing University. He enjoyed the position and was honored as Adjunct Professor of the Year in 2014. He closed his firm and relocated to Arizona in 2017.
His practice began in criminal courts. He has extensive practice and experience with the early resolution and specialty courts including EDC, RCC, Fugitive of Justice, Drug, and Mental Health Courts. He has been lead counsel in 19 jury trials and countless bench trials. He remains proud of his quickest trial acquittal – a client represented by Chris was found not guilty by a jury in 7 minutes.
In his free time, Chris enjoys traveling internationally and exploring the wild west. He lives in Phoenix with Kate and their German Shepherd. They love exploring the mountains and Arizona backcountry in their Hummer. Growing up, Chris was a competitive water-skier – he continues to enjoy exploring the local lakes and waterskis on the weekends. He has a Coast Guard-issued 100-ton master captain’s license with a sailing endorsement and loves boating. During his transition to Arizona, he lived in Key West and worked as a boat captain. His favorite assignments included yacht delivery to the Bahamas. When feeling creative, Chris loves to play piano and works side gigs spinning as a DJ. He lives an active lifestyle that includes road biking, running, mountain climbing, water, and snow skiing, and he remains active on a hockey team. He attributes his energy for work and life to a plant-based diet and advocates for the lifestyle.