Mike Galli

Having accrued more than three decades of experience in the legal realm, Mike R. Galli, Esq. has flourished as a deputy district attorney for the Santa Clara County Office of the District Attorney since 1984. In his role, he currently reviews police reports from eight different police agencies, files felony and misdemeanor criminal charges and reviews all non-narcotic misdemeanor citations to determine eligibility for a pre-filing diversion program. He also handles legal questions regarding search and seizure issues from police officers and other deputy district attorneys throughout the State of California. Additionally, Mr. Galli serves as a unit member of the Criminal Complaint Unit at the District Attorney’s Office and as an instructor at the Peace Officer’s Standards and Training (POST) Robert Presley Institute of Criminal Investigation.

Over the years, Mr. Galli has also worked within numerous units as a unit member and supervisor. He has been assigned to the misdemeanor DUI unit, juvenile unit, felony narcotics, asset forfeiture, economic crimes, preliminary examinations and motions, writs and appeals. He had also been the assistant supervisor of the narcotics unit twice, was the first supervisor of the narcotics asset forfeiture unit and supervised the welfare fraud and restitution services units before his current assignment. Presently, Mr. Galli maintains affiliation with the California Narcotics Officers Association and the Litigation Section of the American Bar Association, as well as the High Tech Crime, Public Fraud and Asset Forfeiture Committees of the California District Attorneys Association.

Reflecting on his career this far, Mr. Galli is particularly proud of writing more than 2,200 search warrants and only losing one, which was due to the fact that an officer committed perjury. Notably, he was named CNOA Region One Prosecutor of the Year in 2016, CDAA Author of the Year in 2009 and Santa Clara County Employee of the Month in 1990. In addition, he received the SJPD Excellence Award in 1992, as well as a San Jose Police Department Narcotics Unit and Burglary Prevention Unit Commendation Letter in 1989. Simply put, Mr. Galli attributes his success to hard work and to his maternal grandparents for instilling a strong work ethic in him.

Mr. Galli’s first encounter with the legal profession came from a family misfortune, as his father was shot in the head from a robbery in the 1970s. Fortunately, he survived but the perpetrator was only charged with a robbery and not attempted murder. The perpetrator pled guilty to that charge and only served two years in prison, which did not sit well with Mr. Galli, ultimately leading him to pursue a career as a prosecutor. After earning an Associate of Arts in history, with honors, from Foothill Community College in 1978, he went on to achieve a Bachelor of Arts in political science and government, cum laude, from the University of San Francisco in 1980. In 1983, Mr. Galli obtained a Doctor of Jurisprudence from the Santa Clara University School of Law.