Christopher J. Zaruba

Attorney

Profile

Christopher J. Zaruba joined The Stogsdill Law Firm, P.C. in June of 2014. Prior to that, Chris was an Assistant State's Attorney at the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office from 2009-2014. Chris began his career at the State's Attorney's office handling traffic and misdemeanor offenses, including DUI's, orders of protection, and domestic batteries. In 2012, Chris received the Outstanding Misdemeanor Prosecutor of the Year award. He was promoted to the Felony Juvenile Division where he worked closely with DCFS in handling cases involving abused or neglected children. After working in the Juvenile Division, Chris was again promoted to the Felony Trial Division where he handled serious offenses including drug offenses, burglaries, and aggravated batteries. During his time at the State's Attorney's Office, Chris prosecuted over 300 cases to trial, including many jury trials. Prior to leaving the State's Attorney's Office, Chris was selected to participate in the National District Attorney's Association annual seminar on Trial Advocacy which he successfully completed. Now Chris primarily focuses his practice on the area of family law.

In January of 2014, Chris received the honor of being admitted to practice in front of the United States Supreme Court in Washington D.C. He is a member of the United States Supreme Court, Illinois State, and DuPage County bar associations.

Chris earned his Juris Doctorate degree from the John Marshall Law School in 2009. While on the Dean's list at the John Marshall Law School, he was recognized for receiving top honors in the areas of Evidence and Federal Criminal Procedure. Chris also clerked for the Honorable John W. Darrah of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

While attending the John Marshall Law School and while studying for the Illinois bar exam, Chris interned at the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office. During that time, he participated in trials and drafted motions. Prior to being admitted to the Illinois Bar, Chris assisted then-State's Attorney, Joseph Birkett, in successfully prosecuting DuPage County's last Death Penalty case.

He is active in the DuPage County Bar Association, and serves as the 2014 Chair of the Young Lawyers Committee. He was also invited to become and is a member of the Robert E. Jones chapter of the American Inns of Court.

Chris earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science from the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana. He also completed a minor in History and was recognized on the Dean's List.

In his free time, Chris has been involved in numerous successful campaigns for Republican candidates throughout the State of Illinois and DuPage County.

Year Joined Firm

• 2014

Areas of Practice

• Divorce
• Child Custody
• Child Support
• Collaborative Law
• Mediation
• Family Law
• Appeals

Bar Admissions

• Illinois, 2009
• U.S. Supreme Court, 2009
• Washington State Supreme Court, 2014

Education

• John Marshall Law School
  • J.D. - 2009
  • Honors: Dean's List
  • Honors: CALI Award for Evidence and Federal Criminal Procedure
• University of Illinois in Champaign-Urban
  • Bachelor of Science
  • Honors: Dean's List
  • Major: Political Science
  • Major: History

Honors and Awards

• Super Lawyers, Rising Stars, 2018 - 2019
• American Institute of Family Law, 2015
• Avvo, Top Attorney
• 2012 Outstanding Misdemeanor Prosecutor of the Year
• Lead Counsel Rated

Professional Associations and Memberships

• United States Supreme Court, Member
• Illinois State Bar Association, Member
• DuPage County Bar Association, Member
• DuPage County Bar Association, Young Lawyers Committee, Chair, 2014
• DuPage County Bar Association, New Lawyer Committee, Chair, 2014 - 2015
• DuPage County Bar Association, New Lawyer Committee, Vice Chair, 2013 - 2014
• Robert E. Jones AIC of DuPage County, Member

Past Employment Positions

• Honorable John W. Darrah of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Clerk
• DuPage County State's Attorney's Office, Assistant State's Attorney, 2009 - 2014
• DuPage County State's Attorney's Office, Intern
• DuPage County State's Attorney's Office, Traffic Assistant
• DuPage County State's Attorney's Office, Misdemeanor Assistant, 1st. Chair - Domestic Violence
• DuPage County State's Attorney's Office, Misdemeanor Assistant, 1st. Chair - Orders of Protection
• DuPage County State's Attorney's Office, Misdemeanor Assistant, 1st. Chair - DUI
• DuPage County State's Attorney's Office, Felony Juvenile Assistant
• DuPage County State's Attorney's Office, Felony Trial Assistant