Biography – Gary Pearlmutter

Lawyer for 30 years

Graduate of the University of Arizona Rogers College of Law with Honors
Fellowship in Water Law with University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center
Licensed to practice law in the State of Arizona and Federal District Court of Arizona
Director of one of the county’s Legal Defender Office for 14 years
Practice Areas:
- Criminal and Juvenile Law
- Mental Health Law
- Guardianships and Conservatorships
- Child Abuse and Neglect
- Public Contracts
- Civil Rights
- Non-Profit Organization Formation, Governance and Management
Extensive Criminal and Civil Trial Experience
Managed and directed Guardian ad Litem (Best Interest Attorney) Program for Abused and Neglected Children.
- Advocating for drug treatment and counseling to rehabilitate them;
- Prosecuting removal of children and teenagers, who are victims of abuse and neglect in their homes;
- Prosecuted the longest child dependency and welfare trial in the history of Coconino County; won in the juvenile court and prevailed on appeal in the Arizona Supreme Court
Active Advocate for Reform of the Mental Health Civil Commitment Program
Chair of the State Bar Continuing Legal Education Committee since 2015; member since 2002
Serve regularly as court appointed mediator and arbitrator in real estate, contract and employment disputes and tort litigation
Member of Executive Committee for American Council of Chief Defenders and Chair of the Best Practices Committee

Served in Zion, Grand Canyon and Saguaro National Parks as Law Enforcement Ranger;
Received Special Achievement Award for DUI Enforcement
Honors Graduate from the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center
Top Gun Award at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center;
First School Resource Officer in Grand Canyon School
Trained Peer Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Counselor for fellow law enforcement officers;
Horse Patrol Coordinator
Completed Advance Training with the DEA to serve on National Park Service Drug Intervention Teams; and
Led Effort to Arrest a Suspected Terrorist (Wadih el-Hage) for conducting Weapons Training in Saguaro National Park; he later become the personal secretary of Osama ben Laden and then led the unit that bombed the American Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya.

Director of one of the county’s Public Defender Offices for the last 14 years;
Supervised an accomplished team of criminal defense, juvenile court, mental health and child welfare & dependency attorneys;
Administered county contracts with private attorneys, forensic experts and behavioral health agencies;
Prepared and administered budget for the office and consistently received compliments for fiscal management from the County Manager’s Office and Board of Supervisors.

Seminars on Establishing Veterans Courts for the Arizona State Bar Association
Seminars on the Ethics of Supervision for Lawyers
Adjunct Professor of Hospitality Law at Northern Arizona University for seven years
Past Instructor of Constitutional and Criminal Law at the National Park Service Law Enforcement Academy at Northern Arizona University
Presenter of Multiple Courses on Vehicular Homicide Investigations for Attorneys
Data-based analyses of Criminal Justice Systems