Christian Luciano Santiago joined Vogelzang Law in 2021 as a litigation attorney. Christian not only brings a vast amount of legal knowledge to the firm, but he also has an extensive background in medicine. Prior to receiving his J.D. from the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law, he attended medical school in Puerto Rico, where he was born and raised. After leaving Puerto Rico, Christian moved to Chicago for law school. He fell in love with Chicago after attending a medical conference here in 2011, and he knew he would be back, eventually, to live here.
With both the legal and medical perspectives on his side, Christian has a unique insight of the toll treatments can take on the body when you are injured. This level of understanding allows him to provide empathy, trust and knowledge when establishing relationships with clients. “When I get a new case, I evaluate [it] on the merits of exposure,” says Christian, “but I [also] look at it from diagnoses to treatment, to medical bills, to everything that happens to one of our clients from a medical perspective.”
When litigating a case, he always remembers that there is a human behind every lawsuit and ensures that his compassion shows each step of the way. “It’s making sure to advocate as hard as we can for our clients,” says Christian, “but at the same time, it’s also reminding ourselves that there is the human aspect to a lawsuit — there is a person and/or family behind this lawsuit that has suffered.” Christian makes sure to remind defendants of this fact in every single case. For Christian, there is no better feeling than to represent our clients in a court of law, but also to be able to provide our clients with closure to a difficult and stressful period in their lives.
Outside of the workday, Christian lets off some steam by going bowling with his team every week and playing volleyball in the summer. He’s an avid home cook, where he loves to infuse his Puerto Rican culture into his dishes, with one of his favorites being mofongo, a “a plantain mash filled with chicken, skirt steak, or shrimp,” says Christian. “It’s delicious.”
Check out some of Christian’s favorites below!
What is your favorite quote?
My favorite quote is the title of a French song by Edith Piaf, “Non Je Ne Regrette Rien”. It translates to, “No, I don’t regret anything.”
What is your favorite book?
The Harry Potter series.
What is your favorite movie or show?
Marvel Cinematic Universe movies and Succession on HBO.
What is one thing that is portrayed on TV shows about law that can be “debunked?”
When you’re watching Law and Order, or any TV law show, it’s not all as easy as it seems. There are a lot of human emotions involved in the daily practice of law. These shows sometimes portray lawyers as moving from one case to another, but the reality is that there are human beings, families, individuals, that are affected in litigation. Our job is to help them achieve some sort of reconciliation as their advocates, but also being present for them during difficult and emotional milestones during the pendency of their lawsuit.
If you want to connect with Christian, please click here.