Today we’d like to introduce you to Christopher Sunnen.
Christopher, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I grew up in San Diego, where I was active in the local community through a variety of extracurricular activities, and attended Torrey Pines High School. As a young man, I was very interested in the outdoors due to all of the great outdoor opportunities in Southern California as well as environmental protection and preservation. After high school, I went to Washington University in St. Louis, where I majored in history and political science. Upon graduating from college, I felt the calling to work in the public sector and worked for the National Park Service in Yosemite; and the Department of Parks and Recreation for the State of California at Torrey Pines. As part of working for law enforcement, I realized that I had an interest in the law, and was interested in going to law school. Before I went to law school, I also operated a licensed 501(c)(3) non-profit, “Peaks for People,” which raised awareness of my sister’s genetic disease, Rett Syndrome, and money for research into the condition by climbing a number of mountains.
I returned to Washington University in St. Louis for law school, and was an active member of the student community, winning best brief in moot court. I concluded my time in St. Louis clerking for the Honorable David D. Noce, a federal magistrate judge for the Eighth Circuit. When considering my next career move at that time, I knew I wanted to return to America’s finest city, and so I came back to California, took the bar, and entered private practice. I started out my career working on cases involving complex taxation and bankruptcy issues and quickly realized that I had an affinity for both the law and complex litigation. Over the years, I honed my litigation skills in San Diego County, Imperial County, Orange County, and Los Angeles, and worked for a number of amazing parties in the local community.
Because of my long-standing track record of assisting people in the community, and through work, I became interested in family law, which was a natural intersection with my prior practice areas. The one common item with family law, bankruptcy, and tax issues are that people have real-world problems that need real-world solutions, which fits with my motto that “every problem has a solution.” After a long period of time, I was lucky enough to be in the place where I could take the leap to open my own firm with great community support, staff, and client support here in early 2019.
Has it been a smooth road?
Based on what people see in the media, being a lawyer is simple: you put on your fancy clothes, show up in Court with a tiny piece of paper, and automatically win. I wish things were that easy! In reality, the road to becoming a lawyer is difficult – one has to obtain a college degree; then take advanced testing and apply for law school; once in law school, the stress of the paper chase begins, along with the competition that lawyers are renown for. After law school, if one wants to practice in California, one has to prepare – and pass the California Bar, which is a four-day exam with a sub-fifty percent pass rate. From there, the normal pressures of life, such as obtaining a job, dealing with difficult clients, hostile opposing counsels, and challenging cases arise. In 2019, being a lawyer, much less a self-employed lawyer revolves a great deal around managing client expectations and being on call. While interconnectedness in life is great, as a businessman, it can be less than ideal, as clients will be e-mailing or texting at all times and hours of the day; and in some cases, expect immediate responses. All of this is to say nothing of the normal pressures of business; and having to wear a number of hats from social media expert, advertising guru, and just plain lawyer. Having said that, I feel lucky to be where I am and wouldn’t change a thing.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Sunnen Law – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Sunnen Law is a boutique law firm that specializes in family law and bankruptcy law. What I am most proud of as a company is our office culture. We treat all parties, whether self-represented or represented by other attorneys with respect and patience and work to obtain cost-efficient solutions for all levels. Having said that, what sets us apart from our competitors is that while we treat all people with respect initially, we are not afraid to be aggressive when parties are unreasonable, and because of our thorough and methodical process, we are usually able to obtain excellent solutions to our clients’ problems.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and the least?
As someone with an outdoors background, what I like best about our city is obvious: the great diversity that our county has within its small confines. Having traveled extensively, I can truly say that there are very few – if any places – where you can go from great surfing at the beach, to cross country skiing in the mountains, to mountain biking in the desert all within a two-hour drive in the same day. In terms of what I like least about our city, I truly believe that the city does need more housing and affordable housing at that. All of Southern California is expensive; this puts a number of pressures on people that in turn, affects other areas, and how they live their lives. Having said that, I’m also aware of the difficulties present and don’t have a creative solution myself to the housing crisis, but I would like to see a change in that area.
Pricing:
- Firm offers a free half hour consultation.
Contact Info:
- Address: 2121 Fifth Avenue, Suite 205, San Diego, California, 92101
- Website: www.Sunnen-Law.com
- Phone: 619-255-9551
- Email: chris@sunnen-law.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sunnenlaw/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SunnenLaw/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/sunnenlaw
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/sunnen-law-san-diego-3
- Other: @SunnenLaw
Image Credit:
JT Photography
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