Meet Christopher Doran of Doran Justice, PLLC

Today we’d like to introduce you to Christopher Doran.

Christopher, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I grew up in Mesa, Arizona. Growing up, I wanted to be a sports announcer because I loved sports and public speaking. In the 8th grade, I decided I should do something more meaningful, something where I could use my public speaking skills to help people. I researched careers and decided being a lawyer was the move. I have always been someone that when I decide I am going to do something, I do it. So, from 8th grade on, everyone knew my goal was to be a lawyer.

After graduating high school, I went to college at Arizona State University. During my freshman year, I found a club that changed my life forever – Sun Devil Mock Trial (SDMT). I tried out for the team, and by the grace of God and a couple coaches who saw past my nerves to my unearthed potential, I made it into the program. For the next four years, I competed as a fake witness and a fake lawyer, preparing both civil and criminal cases. From watching Law & Order and other legal shows, I always thought I wanted to practice criminal law, but handling criminal cases in mock trial solidified it for me. I graduated ASU summa cum laude with above a 4.0 grade point average and applied to law school. I was accepted into and chose Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at ASU to continue my journey as a Sun Devil.
During law school, I continued to be a part of SDMT, but now as a head coach (something I still do to this day). I dedicated my law school experience to focusing on criminal law, trial advocacy, litigation practice, and public service. I became President of the Moot Court Board, President of the Pro Bono Board, and a Shelter Director for the Homeless Legal Assistance Project. I set, and still hold, the record for most pro bono hours records by a law student in the school’s history. I won various closing argument competitions and competed in many trial competitions in law school. At graduation, I was inducted into the Order of the Barristers and awarded the Janet S. Mueller Oral Advocacy Award, which is given to one graduating student who has excelled in oral advocacy and moot court competition.
After graduation, I immediately went into private practice primarily practicing as a criminal defense attorney. In two short years, I became a named partner at the firm. Now, for the last six years, I have been the proud owner, alongside my beautiful wife, of Doran Justice. I continue to primarily practice criminal defense work where I defend people accused of all crimes ranging from urinating in public to first degree murder. I like to think that I give people a voice in our judicial system when they need it most. Aside from criminal defense, I also represent victims of crime and victims of other people’s negligence or tortious acts.
I got to where I am today thanks to:
• My family – that gave me the opportunity and the encouragement to be anyone I wanted to be.
• My friends – that believed in me and supported me.
• My wife – that has always been my #1 supporter and teammate.
• My co-workers, bosses, coaches, and mentors along the way – that instilled the values of hard work, people skills, common sense, and customer service.
• My students – that keep my trial advocacy skills and my knowledge of the rules sharp.
• My God – that makes all things possible through Him.
• My clients and their families – that trust me wholeheartedly with their lives.
• My passion – that keeps me going every single day to fight the uphill fight for justice and equality inside and outside the courtroom.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
As a white, male being raised in a middle-class family in Mesa, Arizona, my road was a lot smoother than others. I never had to worry about food being on the table, a roof over my head, or my overall safety in society. For that, I am extremely blessed, and I pause to even use the word ‘struggle’ knowing and seeing what others have been through. Everyone faces obstacles along the way; that is a part of life. One obstacle my wife and I faced when starting our law firm is that three months after we opened, the whole world shut down from a global pandemic, COVID-19. That was a scary time, not just out of concern for our own well-being, but with the financial pressure of making sure our business thrived enough to retain our employees as well. Like all obstacles, we placed our faith in God and persevered.

We’ve been impressed with Doran Justice, PLLC, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Doran Justice has been established since 2019. I am the owner and lead attorney. My wife, Ali, is the co-owner and Director of Operations. I have one associate attorney – Madison, two paralegals – Megan and Morgan, one receptionist – Rachel, and a gaggle of interns, who are some of my current and former undergraduate mock trial students. We primarily handle criminal defense cases for both adults and juveniles, of all levels and types, all across Arizona. On the flip side, we represent victims of crimes, too. We also handle personal injury cases in the form of car accidents, slip and falls, assault, dog bites, and wrongful death. We handle orders of protections and injunctions against harassment on both sides of the case. We represent bonding companies in civil bond forfeiture matters. We draft basic living revocable trusts and wills for people. And, occasionally our practice takes us into family court as well. Doran Justice prides itself on giving a voice to the voiceless when they need it most, no matter what kind of justice is needed. Our core values are HEART: Honesty, Equality, Advocacy, Respect, and Teamwork. What clients, colleagues, and people in the community often say sets us apart from others are two things – passion and communication.

Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
I like to keep my brain sharp, so I will play New York Times games daily on their app. Ever since law school and all the reading we had to do then plus all the reading I have to do now with police reports, I find it hard to read for fun. However, my favorite book is How to Argue and Win Every time by Gerry Spence. Contrary to its title, its not just about “winning” arguments. It is a good book that teaches life-lessons on how to interact with different audiences, and how sometimes, “winning” is actually losing. As for podcasts, I actually started my own podcast called Chris Cases. I sit down with former clients and talk to them about their experiences with the judicial system. My motivation for starting this podcast was that I felt like many of the ones that were out there had legal commentators talk about their takes on high profile cases or legal issues, but no podcast really had people who actually experienced the system themselves talk about it. I wanted to change that so we could hear from the client who got arrested, the client who opted for trial, the client who was torn between taking a plea or not. Sitting down with clients and helping them to share their story to the masses helps to keep me passionate in my journey for justice.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.doranjustice.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/doranjustice/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DoranJustice/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@doranjusticechriscases
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/doran-justice-phoenix-3