Christen L.
Chapman

Christen L. Chapman is counsel at Clarkson in the firm’s Appeals & Writs practice group, where she channels her commitment to equal justice through rigorous advocacy. With a career built on protecting constitutional rights—from defending indigent individuals facing criminal charges to protecting the rights of people with disabilities—she brings sophisticated legal expertise and unwavering dedication to systemic change.

Most recently, she served as the administrative law clerk to the Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Central District of California, working under the Honorable Cormac J. Carney, the Honorable Philip S. Gutierrez, and the Honorable Dolly M. Gee. Before that, she served as a judicial law clerk providing support to multiple district judges on a wide range of civil and criminal matters.

Christen began her career in New Orleans as a public defender, representing clients charged with felony offenses, and later served as an Assistant Federal Public Defender in the Eastern District of Louisiana. In Minnesota, she challenged felony convictions and sentences on appeal as an Assistant Appellate Public Defender and represented individuals with disabilities in individual and class action matters as a staff attorney at Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid’s Disability Law Center.