MTACDL - Lawyers of the Year

Presented by Wendy Holton, Criminal Justice Act Supervising Attorney, to the FDOM/MTACDL conference on March 9, 2023:

The Montana CJA Panel award is named in honor of John Adams. When he was a young lawyer, the future second president of the United States was asked by the Court to represent the British soldiers charged in the criminal case arising from what is commonly known as the Boston Massacre. Through this representation Adams set the example for generations of criminal defense lawyers who understand that taking on the unpopular cause or the difficult client protects the integrity of the system and thus the rights of us all.

The 2023 recipient of the John Adams CJA Panel Lawyer of the Year is Paul Gallardo. Paul is one of the panel members who we know will always be willing to jump in and help. Not just with his cases – he’s willing to help other panel members as well. On more than one occasion he has made a trip to the jail to provide documents to a client or get a signature for a panel member who doesn’t live in Great Falls

Paul is able to develop great attorney/client relationships with even the most difficult clients because he spends time with and listens to them. When other attorneys have not been successful establishing a solid relationship or the representation goes sideways, he is one of our go-to panel members. His reputation for quality representation and good results is such that, when one of our incarcerated clients learns that Paul has been assigned their case, they are happy and relieved.

Paul makes sure the system works and tries to make sure that our clients are treated fairly in other ways as well. Recently, he successfully litigated an excessive use of force case.

Paul is conscientious in everything he does – including reading and following the Billing Guide and responding promptly to e-mails and phone calls. He is an overall good guy and a great lawyer. Most importantly, he is successful because he truly cares about his clients.

Wendy Holton presents the 2023 John Adams Award to a 2-D Paul Gallardo, who wasn't able to attend in person.