Chris Wooten

Attorney At Law

My family traces its Huntsville roots to Redstone Arsenal in the 1960s, when both my grandfathers were stationed here with Army missile programs.  My history in North Alabama goes back to the small Lauderdale County farm where my grandmother’s family slaughtered their own hogs and picked their own crops before they had electricity or running water.  Over the years, we’ve made this part of the world our home.

My maternal grandfather was the son of an immigrant family, and that was the cause of many challenges in his life.  Despite that, he dedicated his life to this country.  He spent twenty-six years in the Army and then went to work on Redstone Arsenal as a civilian.  He taught me that integrity and honor weren’t just words—they were things you carried in your heart—and they were what formed the choices you made when times got tough.  He taught me that it didn’t matter where people came from, what they looked like, or what language they spoke. People should be judged by their deeds and how they act when no one else was looking.

When I was young, my father was laid off and had to completely start over.  He operated a sheet metal press in a factory and stocked shelves at discount stores to provide for us while he went back to school and earned his college degree.  Eventually, he even put himself through graduate school at night, just so that he could do better for his family.  He taught me that there is value in hard work—not just to make money to pay the bills, but as a way to prove yourself.  You should take pride in your work and in a job well-done, and you should respect the people you work with.  It doesn’t matter if you are standing on the assembly line or working deals in the executive suite—your attitude should be the same.

I never planned on a career in the law.  I took my first paying job when I was fourteen, stocking drink coolers and sweeping floors at a country gas station.  I was the oldest child in my family, so I had to make my own way and put myself through college. I would often work two or even three jobs at a time.  I’ve worked as a grocery store clerk, dishwasher, and security guard.  I’ve dug ditches and driven ground rods by hand, waited tables, unloaded freight trucks, and stocked shelves.  I’ve been a restaurant prep cook and retail store manager.  I’ve worked third shift on a factory floor.  I learned that any job worth doing is worth doing right, and that every job deserves respect.  Then, when I had the opportunity to go to law school and become an attorney, I realized that I had a chance to stand up and fight for the people that I had worked alongside my whole life.  From the day I passed the Bar, I’ve done nothing but represent working people and their families, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.