Az Business spotlighted some of Arizona’s most influential leaders in the July issue, including Christine Whalin, partner and managing criminal defense attorney at DM Cantor.
MORE NEWS: Ranking Arizona: Top 10 criminal defense law firms for 2024
Christine Whalin
Partner and managing criminal defense attorney
Background: One of Az Business magazine’s Most Influential Women of 2023, Whalin is a trial lawyer practicing for more than 17 years in the area of criminal defense. She focuses on representing individuals in all types of criminal cases ranging from state and federal felony and misdemeanor matters. Whalin has represented countless clients in their criminal cases, achieving successful results in the form of dismissals, reduced sentences and complete acquittals after jury trial.
Decision to specialize in criminal law: “While I like to help people, I’m also not a sit-behind-the-desk kind of person. So, when I started figuring out what I wanted to do with my law practice — helping people or helping businesses — helping people was much more personally satisfying. And I like being in court. I love talking to juries. I really enjoy being in trial and that is what drove the decision to do criminal defense.”
Source of pride: “I am one of only 12 female criminal defense attorneys in the state of Arizona who are Board Certified Specialists in Criminal Law per the State Bar of Arizona, Board of Legal Specialization. That certification is what separates the criminal defense attorneys out there between those who are good and those who are great, in my opinion.”
Best business advice: “Listen and watch what is happening around you. I tell the young attorneys in our office that they should have their doors open because 60% of the learning happens in the hallways. The hallways are where attorneys intersect and say, `Hey, I’ve got this issue,’ and they just start hashing out the issue. If your door is shut and you’ve got your cell phone in front of you, and you’re playing some music in your office, and you’re siloing yourself, you are missing out on a tremendous amount of learning.”
Can you turn the job off? “Candidly, no. Being a criminal defense attorney, our job is No. 1. We have clients who need us at all hours of the night. That is not to say that my clients have my cell phone number. Our firm has an emergency phone, so somebody is on call to handle emergencies. But if a client is in need and it’s 8 p.m., you need to help the client. The nice thing about our firm is we have so many talented attorneys, I can go on vacation and turn it off because I know they are going to be there to help if my clients have issues. But it is tough. It’s a career. It’s not a job.”
