Christopher Godios was born and raised in Hamburg, New York. He attended Allegheny College in Meadville, PA where he received a Bachelors of Arts degree in Political Science. In 2003, Chris moved to Akron, Ohio in order to attend law school at the University of Akron. During law school, Chris worked as an intern at the Ninth District Court of Appeals, the Summit County Court of Common Pleas, and as a law clerk at Sternberg, Newman and Shifrin Inc (now Smith & Godios Inc.). In May 2006, Chris graduated from the University of Akron Law School, Magna Cum Laude.
In 2006, after passing the bar examination, Chris was hired as an attorney at our firm. Since then, Chris has successfully represented over a thousand disabled individuals at their Social Security Hearings, the Appeals Council, and in Federal District Court. In the past, Chris also worked as a part-time legal writing instructor at the University of Akron School of Law.
In 2007, Chris began representing military veterans before the Department of Veterans Affairs at the VA Regional Office and at the Board of Veteran’s Appeals. Chris has given speeches on various Social Security and Veterans Disability related topics to a number of organizations in the Akron, Ohio area- including at the Akron Bar Association, Summit County Traumatic Brain Injury Collaborative, Coleman Behavioral Health, and at Community Support Services. In 2012, Chris became a partner at Smith & Godios Inc.– at the time Shifrin Newman Smith, Inc.
Chris is a VA accredited attorney and he is also admitted to the Ohio Bar, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, The United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, and the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. Chris is a member of NOSSCR (National Organization of Social Security Claimants Representatives) and NOVA (National Organization of Veterans Advocates). In addition to working in the field of disability, Chris also practices in areas of personal injury, foreclosure defense, and various other civil matters. Chris lives in Fairlawn with his wife and two dogs. He volunteers at Stewart’s Caring Place giving pro bono legal advice to cancer patients, and he also serves on the Board of Directors for Family Promise of Summit County- a non-profit agency that provides assistance to homeless families.
Bar Admissions
- Ohio
- U.S. District Court Northern District of Ohio
- U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims
Education
- University of Akron School of Law, Akron, Ohio
- Honors: magna cum laude
- Allegheny College, Meadville, Pennsylvania
- Bachelors of Arts
- Major: Political Science
Professional Associations and Memberships
- National Organization of Social Security Claimants Representatives, Member
- National Organization of Veterans Advocates, Member