GET TO KNOW CHRISTIAN
- Christian Van Riper is a candidate for Circuit Court Judge in the 19th Circuit of Florida, Group 1. In making this website, Christian's goal is to provide the community with as much information as possible about himself to help voters choose the best option for this important position at the ballot box on August 23, 2022.
- Christian is a a local attorney with 16 years of experience as an attorney in the Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River and St. Lucie counties.
- Christian began his legal career as a prosecutor for the 19th Judicial Circuit where he prosecuted crimes from DUIs, domestic violence cases, theft cases and other misdemeanors to sexual battery (rape) cases, drug trafficking, burglary, robbery, attempted murder and other serious felonies. As a prosecutor, he conducted numerous jury trials and hearings where he honed his knowledge and experience in criminal law and the rules of evidence.
- What sets Christian apart from his opponent is his considerable experience over varied areas of law, and his experience helping fellow members of the Treasure Coast community through difficult times in their lives. After serving as a prosecutor, Christian started his own private law firm which evolved into the two-person law firm of Van Riper and Nies Attorneys, where Christian provides a wide range of legal services for members of the community alongside his law partner, and cousin, Timothy Nies.
- Christian has helped numerous clients in the areas of criminal law, divorce law, paternity suits, child custody modification matters, dependency cases, contractual disputes and personal injury cases. He also has knowledge of certain aspects of real estate law as it relates to the practice of family law. His experience representing private citizen clients in private practice, along with his service to the community as prosecutor, has allowed Christian to gain invaluable experiences conducting numerous hearings and trials across this wide range of practice areas.
- Equally as important as this knowledge and experience in the technical aspects of the law and rules of evidence, is the invaluable experience that Christian has gained from interacting and relating to and with clients while helping them to resolve their cases. The humbling experience of developing relationships with the many clients that Christian has represented over the years, and the natural inclination to empathize with a people who are facing challenging circumstances in their lives, is something that cannot be gotten by only working as an attorney for the State.
- Regarding criminal cases, Christian has had the opportunity to view and evaluate numerous cases from the perspective of a State prosecutor as well as from the prospective of an attorney defending a client who is facing the fearful and intimidating situation of being prosecuted by the State. Because of this experience on both sides of the courtroom, Christian knows how to evaluate cases fairly and objectively, as any judge should, and he has become adept at assessing the credibility of litigants, witnesses, opposing attorneys and other parties involved in a multitude of cases, also a skill that makes Christian well suited to be a Circuit Court Judge.
Home Grown Treasure Coast Attorney
Christian has lived in Martin County for 45 year. After surviving seven years at the local St. Joseph's Catholic School (when they still had nuns with large paddles), Christian attended Stuart Middle School and Martin County High School where he played baseball and basketball before graduating in 1991.
Christian attended Florida Atlantic University where he graduated at the top of his class. After working as a Florida Child Abuse Investigator, Christian studied law at Stetson University College of Law where he graduated Cum Laude and was selected by the Florida Supreme Court to clerk during his last semester.
Christian was blessed to grow up on the Treasure Coast with its amazing natural benefits. As a child, Christian spent countless hours fishing the Indian and St. Lucie Rivers. Christian never misses an opportunity to show his nephew James (pictured) that our waters offer more fun than Xbox any day of the week.