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Practice Areas: Family Law, Possession of Child Pornography

Additional Information: See:

United States of America v. Paul Hovorka

Chris McClure serves as a key member of Swier Law Firm's Family Law Practice Group. Chris focuses his practice on divorce, child custody, child support, elder law, spousal support, property division, pre- and post-marital planning, and adoptions. He was recently honored as one of the National Academy of Family Law Attorney's "Top 10 Attorneys Under the Age of 40."

Chris graduated magna cum laude from Augustana College where he was elected Student Body President. He obtained his law degree from the University of South Dakota School of Law, where he was Managing Editor and a published author for the Great Plains Natural Resources Journal.

Chris is admitted to practice before South Dakota's Circuit Courts, South Dakota Supreme Court, South Dakota Federal Court, and South Dakota Federal Bankruptcy Court. Before joining Swier Law Firm, he worked for the South Dakota Department of Social Services and served as lead counsel for South Dakota's Division of Child Support. During Chris's tenure, the Division collected over $100 million in support payments and was ranked as one of the nation's leading child support programs. In this position, Chris worked with top executives in state government and coordinated numerous child support attorneys. While with DSS, he also worked extensively in the areas of guardianship, child protection, bankruptcy, HIPAA, mental health, and chemical dependency.

Chris also has significant appellate court experience and has prevailed in numerous appeals before the South Dakota Supreme Court, including Wernke v. Cortez, 2010 SD 47 and Nelson v. Dept. of Social Services, 2013 SD 18. He also worked on an amicus brief in the landmark United States Supreme Court case - Plains Commerce Bank v. Long Family Land & Cattle.

Chris is the author of the report 36 Financial Records You Should Have & Understand As You Approach A South Dakota Divorce, a member of the South Dakota State Bar's Family Law Committee, and an adjunct professor at the University of South Dakota Law School. He was also a member of the 2012 Child Support Commission and drafted South Dakota's paternity disestablishment laws.