Having retired in 2021, Mike R. Galli, Esq., excelled as a deputy district attorney for the Santa Clara County Office of the District Attorney beginning in 1984. During this time, he also served as a unit member of the Case Issuance Unit beginning in 2010. Having been employed by the Santa Clara County Office of the District Attorney in San Jose, California, for over 38 years, he previously thrived in a myriad of other roles, including as an assistant unit leader and assistant supervisor of the Felony Narcotics Unit and a supervisor for the Asset Forfeiture, Welfare Fraud and Restitution Services Units. Likewise, he was a trial body in the Driving Under the Influence Unit, the Juvenile Unit, the Felony Narcotics Unit, the Preliminary Examination Unit, the Major Fraud Unit, and the Writs and Appeals Unit.
During his longstanding tenure with law enforcement, Mr. Galli has also served as an instructor at the Robert Presley Institute of Criminal Investigation since 2007. He has also lectured at such universities as the Santa Clara University School of Law, the Peninsula Law School, Gavilan Community College and West Valley Community College. His career was born of his academic journey, having first received an Associate of Arts in history, with honors, from Foothill Community College in 1978 and a Bachelor of Arts in political science and government, cum laude, from the University of San Francisco in 1980. Thereafter, he earned a Doctor of Jurisprudence from the School of Law at Santa Clara University in 1983. The same year, he was admitted to practice in the state of California and before the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
Demonstrating versatility in his profession, Mr. Galli has authored several books and manuals, including the “Search Warrant Law and Practice Manual” in 2009, which is presently in its sixth edition. Notably, Mr. Galli’s manual has been instrumental in the instruction of officers and district attorneys throughout California. Alongside this effort, he wrote, “Warrantless Searches: A Guide for Police-Citizen Contacts, Cell Phones and Exclusions” in 2014 and “People v. Diaz: Right Result, but Wrong Rationale” in 2012.
In light of his outstanding progress and aptitude in the field, Mr. Galli recently received the Excellence in Training Lifetime Achievement Award from the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards & Training in 2022. He was previously named the Region One Prosecutor of the Year by the California Narcotics Officers Association in 2016 and the Author of the Year by the California District Attorneys Association in 2009. Furthermore, he received the 1992 Excellence Award from the San Jose Police Department and was named Employee of the Month by Santa Clara County in 1990. Earlier, Mr. Galli received commendation letters from the San Jose Police Department’s Narcotics and Burglary Prevention Units in 1989.