Christopher W. ("Chris") Madel is regularly sought after to represent business entities, law firms, and individuals in their most sensitive and grave matters. He has represented clients in many delicate and high-profile investigations and lawsuits (civil and criminal), including trying numerous cases before juries and judges. On several occasions, clients and other lawyers have asked him to assume first-chair responsibility for upcoming jury and bench trials. A former Trial Attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., his experience includes representing clients in substantial minority-shareholder disputes, billion-dollar claims in connection with major corporate acquisitions, alleged theft of trade secrets, computer hacking, corporate espionage, products liability/defect defense, allegations of attorney malpractice and misconduct, as well as defending claims brought by the U.S. Department of Justice and other agencies relating to alleged regulatory violations and white-collar crimes. He has also represented top executives, lawyers, judges, and professional athletes in extremely sensitive matters involving alleged fraud, extortion, harassment, assault, and criminal sexual conduct, often resolving such matters privately and without any publicity.
Chris has no political or judicial aspirations. He truly loves being a lawyer.
Chris's work has received praise from clients, the media, and even his adversaries. He is the first lawyer that The Minnesota Lawyer selected as “Attorney of the Year” for three consecutive years (2011, 2012, and 2013). In the national ABA Journal published in May 2015, the American Bar Association profiled Mr. Madel, along with former Directors of the FBI, U.S. Attorneys, and other top lawyers, in its article entitled, "Meet the lawyers behind high-profile investigations." This article described Chris's internal investigation into the Minnesota Vikings’ release of its former punter, Chris Kluwe. Both the Vikings and Mr. Kluwe’s counsel praised the resulting report. And in 2010, Chris led another internal investigation into allegations that the Fiesta Bowl (located in Phoenix, Arizona) illegally reimbursed employees for campaign contributions, that a prior investigation concealed criminal conduct, and that the Fiesta Bowl made numerous other improper expenditures. This investigation also received widespread praise, including from the Arizona Attorney General, the Arizona Republic’s Editorial Board, the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) Task Force formed to review the report, the NCAA’s President, as well as other media and legal commentators.
In late 2012, Chris appeared on the cover of the premier issue of Attorney at Law magazine in Minnesota. Entitled "Serving His Clients with Legal Expertise, Creativity and Outside-of-the-Box Thinking," the article concludes by stating, “Whether it’s seeing to it that justice is served or ensuring that his clients are acquitted, Christopher Madel represents either side of the table with integrity, staunch loyalty and legal expertise that continue to set the benchmark in local, regional and national cases.”
Chris appeared on the August 2019 edition of Attorney at Law magazine as well. The article, entitled "Offbeat but Authentic," described several of Madel's trial wins and approach to his career. (It is available to read on the right side of this page.)
Chris and a former partner defended Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett against felony criminal charges. Upon his acquittal of all charges after a highly publicized jury trial, Mr. Puckett told the gathered media that he “had the greatest lawyers in the world.”
