Christopher Arima

After completing his military service, Chris pursued higher education with a focus on language, law, and accountability. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Liberal Arts with a concentration in Arabic from Excelsior University, graduating cum laude. He went on to earn his Juris Doctor, cum laude, from Syracuse University College of Law, where he concentrated in national security and counterterrorism law. During law school, Chris served as Managing Editor of the Journal of Global Rights and Organizations, acted as Executive Director of the Syrian Accountability Project, and published award-winning scholarship on international humanitarian law and human rights.

Following law school, Chris began his legal career handling complex and demanding matters across both criminal and civil litigation. He practiced at an international law firm litigating high-stakes commercial disputes, served as an Assistant Public Defender representing indigent clients in New Mexico trial courts, and later worked as an Associate in complex medical malpractice litigation. Prior to joining Venardi Zurada, he practiced as an Assistant District Attorney in Albuquerque, New Mexico, managing felony cases from inception to conviction.

Chris’s decision to join Venardi Zurada is deeply personal. When he was eleven years old, he was involved in a catastrophic car accident that caused a traumatic brain injury and significant bodily harm and took the life of his father. He knows firsthand the confusion, grief, and frustration that accompany serious injury and the challenge of navigating insurance systems while recovering physically and emotionally. That experience informs his approach to advocacy. He is committed to seeing the whole client, not just the claim, and to guiding individuals through some of the most painful and complex moments of their lives with clarity, honesty, and care. Chris is dedicated to the pursuit of fairness, justice, and the right of every person to be treated with dignity and equality before the law. He brings that commitment to every case he handles, whether large or small, and considers it an honor to stand alongside those who have been harmed and to advocate for accountability and meaningful recovery.