Van Wagner & Wood

Firm Overview

Chris Van Wagner and Tracey Wood, the founders of Van Wagner & Wood, devote themselves exclusively to helping people who have been accused, indicted or arrested on criminal or drunk driving charges, as well as people who have been represented by another law firm and convicted of criminal or drunk driving related charges and wish to appeal the conviction or sentence.

Wisconsin Criminal Defense Attorneys

Madison Wisconsin based criminal defense lawyers, Attorney Chris Van Wagner and Attorney Tracey Wood, represent people in criminal law and drunk driving matters under the jurisdiction of the Wisconsin Circuit Courts throughout Wisconsin. The majority of their clients have criminal or drunk driving cases in the courts in Madison, Eau Claire, Wausau, Portage, Wisconsin Dells, La Crosse, Wisconsin Rapids, Monroe, Black River Falls, Columbus, Jefferson, Janesville or Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin.

Federal Criminal Defense Attorneys

Attorney Chris Van Wagner and Attorney Tracey Wood represent people throughout the United States on charges stemming from Federal Indictments. Attorney Chris Van Wagner previously served as a Federal prosecutor, and since leaving government work and entering private practice has defended people against numerous Federal Indictments with charges ranging from Possession of Drugs to Theft of Military Firearms.

Criminal Defense Against Wisconsin State Charges

The attorneys at Van Wagner & Wood represent people against every type of Wisconsin state criminal charge including very serious crimes such as Murder, Sexual Assault and Criminal Battery, and low level offenses such as Theft, Shoplifting and Possession of Controlled Substance.

Top AV-rated Eminent Attorney, Martindale Hubbell

Van Wagner & Wood holds the highest honor achievable from Martindale-Hubbell, an AV-rating for Eminent Lawyers in their area of expertise.

Wisconsin Super Lawyers

Both Attorney Chris Van Wagner and Attorney Tracey Wood have repeatedly been recognized with the acclaimed Super Lawyers award to distinguish their legal expertise, skills and ethics in law.

Martin Hanson Advocate Prize

Attorney Chris Van Wagner has three-times been awarded the distinguished state-wide Martin Hanson Advocate's Prize for numerous homicide acquittals. Attorney Van Wagner was also awarded "Warrior of the Year" for a tremendously difficult homicide case.

Top 25 Women In Law

Attorney Tracey Wood has repeatedly been named to the Top 25 Women In Law by Law & Politics, Super Lawyers, and is the only criminal defense attorney to receive the honor.

Women In Law

Attorney Tracey Wood is the only criminal defense attorney ever to be awarded the prized Women In Law honor by Wisconsin Law Journal.

Standardized Field Sobriety Test Instructor

Attorney Tracey Wood was the first female drunk driving defense lawyer to be appointed as a Standardized Field Sobriety Test Instructor.

National College for DUI Defense Board of Regents

Attorney Tracey Wood is the only attorney from Wisconsin to have ever been appointed to the Board of Regents for the National College for DUI Defense, as well as the only female to have ever served the board, and the youngest lawyer ever to serve at the time of her appointment.

Madison's Best Criminal Defense Attorneys

In a biannual survey of attorneys across the state of Wisconsin, both Attorney Chris Van Wagner and Attorney Tracey Wood have repeatedly been chosen by their peers as two of a handful of lawyers to be named 'Best Criminal Defense Lawyers in Madison'.

Attorney Chris Van Wagner

Attorney Chris Van Wagner has handled nearly one hundred felony trials in his twenty-plus years as an attorney. His trial cases have ranged from low-level offense all the way to murder, sexual assault of a child and "domestic terrorism". Chris has handled matters in rural and urban counties, not to mention the hardened criminal courtrooms of Chicago, Illinois and Trenton, New Jersey, winning cases he was expected to lose quickly. His experiences have seasoned him into one of the most sought-after criminal defense lawyers for very serious crimes in Wisconsin, and his repeated successes and brilliant legal strategies have earned him the respect of judges and lawyers through Wisconsin.

Attorney Tracey Wood

Attorney Tracey Wood has handled more than 2,000 drunk driving case. She won an acquittal (not guilty verdict) in a Sexual Assault of an Unconscious Victim case, and a reversal of the Wisconsin Circuit Court's decision in a sexual assault case charging a daycare center operator with the crime committed by her husband. Attorney Wood represented a client charged with conspiracy and theft of missile launchers and military tanks from the Ft. McCoy military base in northern Wisconsin. All but one other defendant in that case went to federal prison for years.

Trial Records Speak Volumes

Many criminal defense attorneys never experience the thrill of an outright acquittal in their career, and yet Van Wagner & Wood's attorneys have won several for their clients. Their record clearly reflects their hard work, their intelligent and professional approach to their cases, and their skill in developing a strategy that fits an individual client's case, while drawing upon their knowledge, experience and skill from past cases.

This record of success and professionalism also gives clients another important advantage: their winning records and highly professional reputationa often cause prosecutors to make very favorable settlement offers (sometimes called "plea bargains" or "plea agreements") to their clients, in order to avoid a trial or hearing at which Van Wagner & Wood might prevail.

First Impression Case Analysis

No attorney can or should ever promise an outcome in a criminal or drunk driving case, and the attorneys at Van Wagner & Wood make no exception to that rule. Yet, as many clients have found, when you place your trust in the capable hands of Van Wagner & Wood's lawyers, you will rest reassured that you have done all you can to ensure the best possible outcome under the circumstances.

If you or someone you care about has been charged with a criminal or drunk driving offense, or if you have already been convicted and want to appeal your conviction or sentence, please call (608-284-1200) or e-mail Attorney Chris Van Wagner and Attorney Tracey Wood right away for a brief but professional "first-impression" analysis of your case.