Donald E. Christopher, one of the firm's founding shareholders, is a fourth generation Floridian. His practice has been broadly focused because he is not only an accomplished trial lawyer, but also counsels clients on real estate and corporate transactions and planning. After receiving his undergraduate degree cum laude in Government from Harvard University, Don attended the University of Virginia School of Law, graduating with a J.D. degree in 1977. Afterwards, he was admitted to the Virginia, District of Columbia, and Florida bars and spent two years serving as law clerk to Chief Judge George C. Young of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida. There, he quickly learned the nuances of trial practice from one of Florida's most respected federal judges.

Don left his clerkship with Judge Young a month early in November 1979 to accept an appointment as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Middle District of Florida. During his three and one-half years in the U.S. Attorney's office in Orlando, he successfully tried over thirty civil and criminal cases. Don developed particular expertise in financial fraud, but his trials and appeals were quite varied, including: the largest known theft of currency from the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing in Washington, D.C.; personal injuries arising out of a Halon explosion at the Kennedy Space Center; a multi-state, multi-million dollar advance loan fee scheme; the extradition of an American bail bondsman to Canada to face kidnapping charges; high-ranking bank officers involved in the "Polar Chips" fraud; several illegal drug cases; and numerous income tax evasion cases.

After leaving the government in May 1983 to begin practice with Hal Litchford, Don returned twice at the request of the Department of Justice to serve as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney in 1983 and 1989. The many civil cases Don has tried before both judges and juries include breaches of contract, employment claims, corporate fraud, construction disputes, suits to set aside fraudulent transfers, antitrust actions, and defense of product liability claims.

Don Christopher is admitted to practice in all state courts in Virginia, Florida, and the District of Columbia, all federal courts in Florida, and the United States Supreme Court. He has been Chairman of the Corporate and Business Law Committee and a member of the Arbitration Committee and the Professionalism Committee of the Orange County Bar Association. He has also served as a member of The Florida Bar's Ninth Judicial Circuit Fee Arbitration Committee and its Federal Court Practice Committee. Don is now a member of the Civil Procedure Rules Committee of the Florida Bar. For over ten years, he has been a member of the Committee on Corporate Counsel of the American Bar Association's Litigation Section.

Since the formation of Litchford & Christopher in 1985, Don Christopher has been the firm's President and has responsibility for overseeing all aspects of firm management. In addition to continuing an active civil trial practice on behalf of both individuals and corporations, Don has appeared on behalf of creditors in bankruptcies, incorporated many businesses, handled mergers of companies, drafted and negotiated a wide variety of business contracts, and represented both purchasers and sellers of shopping centers, apartment complexes, and unimproved land. Business clients appreciate this breadth of experience that has enabled Don to skillfully guide them through many of the toughest decisions and disputes they face.