You may recognize him -- perhaps you've witnessed him in the courtroom, arguing before the judge or a jury. Or maybe you've seen him at church or the grocery store with his sons and wife. Then again, you could know him by his last name -- the Stanford family has strong local roots. Chris Stanford is the neighbor down the street, your friend from high school, the trusted attorney you turn to when y
ou have legal questions that have you worried. Now, he wants to be the man who protects your family and works to make your community a safer place. As District Attorney, that's exactly what he will do. Born in Knoxville, Chris moved to McMinnville with his family at a young age and grew up in Warren County. Being the oldest of five children, Chris continues to enjoy close relationships with his three younger brothers (Matt Stanford, Greg Stanford and Nathan Stanford) and sister (Callie Jo Martinez). Chris’s father, Bob, worked for Carrier and his mother, Amy, was a teacher at Warren County Middle School. Both parents instilled the value of community service in Chris: Bob was active in Leadership McMinnville, and Amy is a founding board member of Mainstreet McMinnville among many other activities in which the couple participated. Chris is a proud graduate of Warren County High School, Class of 1999. After completing his studies in Political Science at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville and graduating in the top of his class with his law degree from Appalachian School of Law in 2007, Chris dove into private practice by opening his own law office in Johnson City. However, his fond memories of his hometown fueled a long-held desire to return to middle Tennessee, and he moved home to McMinnville in 2009 to join a firm in nearby Manchester. Four years later, Chris and his wife, Christina, also an attorney, established The Stanford Law Firm, PLLC, serving the legal needs of clients across Middle and East Tennessee. As an attorney, Chris practices in numerous legal areas, including family law, business law, personal injury and bankruptcy matters. However, he has also focused much of his practice on criminal law, appearing regularly in both state and federal courts over his fourteen years of experience as an attorney. Chris is not intimidated by the tough cases and has handled high-profile criminal matters during his career. Chris also enjoys every opportunity he gets to try a jury trial and works hard to be the most effective trial lawyer he can be. In addition to his busy law practice, Chris values public service, as his parents did before him; he is former Rotarian and also served as Parliamentarian, President and Past-President of the Manchester Area Chamber of Commerce for seven years. Despite his busy work schedule, Chris's family is his first priority. The Stanfords are members of the Westwood Church of Christ in McMinnville, and Chris has enjoyed coaching and watching his four sons, Ethan, Owen, Andrew and Eli participate in local sports leagues. Chris' legal knowledge, work ethic, honesty and commitment to service combine to make him the clear choice to represent Van Buren County and Warren County citizens in the office of District Attorney. He is uniquely positioned to successfully fulfill his duties in this role, and looks forward to using this office to pursue Justice and improve the lives of the people of the Thirty First Judicial District.
