About Thomas C
Thomas C Gallagher is a Minnesota-trained lawyer whose career spans more than three decades. He completed his undergraduate studies in psychology at the University of Minnesota—Twin Cities in 1978 and earned his J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1984. Those years set the foundation for a practice centered on criminal defense and an active role in the legal community.
Gallagher began his post-law-school career in the late 1980s. He served as an associate at Cloutier & Musech in 1988, gaining early courtroom and litigation experience. That work exposed him to trial preparation and courtroom procedure and helped shape the practical approach he would carry forward into private practice.
By 1993 he was credited as a trial lawyer at Gallagher Criminal Defense. Over the years he has handled a range of criminal matters, representing clients in state proceedings and managing trial work. His day-to-day practice has involved case investigation, client counseling, pretrial motions, and courtroom advocacy. He has spent much of his professional life focused on defending clients charged with crimes under Minnesota law.
Gallagher has been active in professional organizations that intersect with criminal justice policy and practice. He has been a member of the Minnesota Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers since the mid-1990s. He also belongs to the NORML Legal Committee and joined the Minnesota Society for Criminal Justice around 2000, participating in conversations about criminal law practice and reform.
His involvement includes leadership roles. He served on the Minnesota State Bar Association Board of Governors from 1995 to 2001 and chaired the Hennepin County Bar Association Criminal Law Section from 1995 to 1999. He held an editorial role on The Hennepin Lawyer committee from 1989 to 2004. In the early 2010s he took on responsibilities with Minnesota NORML, serving as a director on its board beginning in 2011 and chairing the board during 2017–2018.
Outside bar organizations, Gallagher spent six years as a commissioner on the Minneapolis Civil Rights Commission from 2011 to 2017. That position placed him at the junction of legal practice and municipal oversight, where policy and enforcement often meet.
He maintains an office under the name Gallagher Criminal Defense in Minnesota. His current practice centers on criminal defense work in Minnesota courts, handling trial and pretrial matters for clients facing state charges.
