Christopher P. Yates

Christopher Paul Yates is an American judge and attorney in the state of Michigan. He has served as both a trial-level and appellate judge. He was one of Michigan's first business court judges, serving in that role for ten years, and later developing a national presence and influence as a business court judge.

In 2024, he was assigned by the Michigan Supreme Court to the specialized Michigan Court of Claims to handle litigation involving governmental entities. In 2026, he retired from the bench and joined Ven Johnson Law as a senior trial attorney focused on complex civil and appellate litigation.

He served in two prestigious judicial clerkships, has held positions of significance outside of his judgeships, and has received numerous awards as a judge.

Education

Yates received a Bachelor of Arts from Kalamazoo College in 1983. In 1987, he earned a Master of Business Administration from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a Juris Doctor from the University of Illinois College of Law.

Judicial service

In 2008, Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm appointed Yates as a trial level circuit court judge in the 17th Circuit Court, located in Kent County, Michigan. He was subsequently elected as a judge to the Kent County circuit court. As a trial judge, he presided over civil, criminal, and family law cases.

Business court judge

On March 1, 2012, Yates was the first judge assigned to manage a specialized business court docket pilot project in the Kent County Circuit Court, one of three Michigan county circuit courts designated in 2011 to operate pilot project business courts. As of January 1, 2013, the pilot projects were replaced by a permanent statute-based set of business court dockets in Michigan circuit courts with three or more judges, with Yates contributing to that business court legislation. Yates continued to serve on the Kent County business court docket until early 2022. He authored well over 300 legal opinions as a business court judge.

Yates also has a national presence as a business court judge. In 2024, he began serving a term as president of the American College of Business Court Judges.

Appellate judge

In 2022, Yates was appointed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer to Michigan's 3rd District Court of Appeals to replace Judge Jane Beckering. Yates served on the Michigan Court of Appeals until 2026, when he announced his retirement.

Court of claims

In 2013, Michigan's Legislature created the Court of Claims to resolve major claims against the State of Michigan and its various agencies and personnel. Under that law, the Michigan Supreme Court assigns Michigan Court of Appeals judges to serve on the Court of Claims.

As of January 15, 2024, Yates was assigned by the Michigan Supreme Court to sit as a judge on the Court of Claims for a period covering the remainder of his term as a court of appeals judge, ending on May 1, 2025. He continued as a judge with the Court of Claims into May 2026, retiring as a judge that same month.

In 2026, Yates joined Ven Johnson Law as a senior trial attorney in the firm's Kalamazoo office, focusing on complex civil and appellate litigation. The Judicial Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Board of Trial Advocates (2022) The Judicial Award from the Michigan Defense Trial Counsel (2020) The Hilda Gage Judicial Excellence Award from the Michigan Judges Association (2019)