CHRISTOPHER P. DESMOND

Christopher P. Desmond is the chief appellate attorney at Ven Johnson Law, where he leads the firm's appellate practice, handles complex litigation in state and federal courts and lends strategic counsel on cases throughout the firm. His work focuses on high-stakes legal issues that shape case outcomes and define the law at the state and federal levels. He has served as lead appellate counsel in more than 300 appeals, writing briefs and presenting oral arguments on a wide range of legal issues.

With nearly two decades of experience at both the trial and appellate levels, Chris has represented clients before the Michigan Court of Appeals, the Michigan Supreme Court, the United States Courts of Appeals for the Second, Fifth, Sixth, Ninth and Eleventh Circuits, and the United States Supreme Court. He has successfully obtained affirmances of three jury verdicts in excess of $20 million that were challenged on appeal, overcome governmental immunity in multiple cases before the Michigan Supreme Court, and secured numerous civil rights victories that have resulted in published decisions impacting the law on a national level. On several occasions, he has also successfully defended those victories against efforts to overturn them before the United States Supreme Court.

Before joining Ven Johnson Law in 2012, Chris served as a research attorney at the Michigan Court of Appeals and clerked for Judge Cynthia Stephens, where he worked on hundreds of cases spanning a broad range of legal issues over five years. During law school, he worked for three federal judges and in the office of the general counsel for a multinational corporation, gaining early exposure to complex litigation and legal strategy. He earned his Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, from Michigan State University College of Law, where he was named a King Scholar and received multiple jurisprudence awards.