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Peter
Cahill
Originally published in
the November 2007 issue.
Author: Michael Goodwin
Were it not for a bad case of
mononucleosis, Peter Cahill might be pulling teeth and filling
cavities today.
Cahill was
thinking about becoming a dentist when he came down with mono as
a senior in high school. Unable to work or go to school, Cahill
tagged along with his father, a prosecutor, and watched him
work. He remembers being fascinated by the trial process.
Cahill, a
native of the Milwaukee area, eventually recovered his health
and went on to college at the University of Minnesota. But the
seed for a legal career had been planted, and after college he
decided to go on to the University of Minnesota Law School,
graduating
magna cum laude
in 1984.
Now, after more
than two decades as a practicing attorney, Cahill is settling
into a new role on the bench as a district court judge in
Hennepin County. He was appointed by Gov. Tim Pawlenty in May.
“It’s the best
job I’ve ever had,” he said in a recent interview in his
chambers at the Hennepin County Government Center. “You have to
figure out what’s fair, and what the law says. You just have to
find the right answer. How can it get better than that?”
The job also
gives Cahill a chance to return to the courtroom, where his
legal career began and where he has always felt most at home.
Cahill joined the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office in 1997 as
an assistant county attorney in the Violent Crime Division. He
later served as managing attorney in the Juvenile Prosecution
Division from 1999 to 2000 and then as chief deputy county
attorney from 2000 to 2006. At the time of his appointment, he
was serving as managing attorney in the office’s Special
Litigation Division, a position he had held since January of
2007.
Prior to his
tenure in the county attorney’s office, Cahill was in private
practice, focusing on criminal defense. He was an attorney in
the law firm of Colich and Wieland from 1987 to 1988, a partner
in the firm of Colich and Cahill from 1988 to 1993, and a solo
practitioner in Wayzata from 1993 to 1997. He started his legal
career in 1984 with the Fourth Judicial District Public
Defender’s Office. Cahill also founded The Blue Pages, Inc., a
specialized directory of lawyers in Minnesota, in 1996, and he
served as its chief executive officer until 1997.
Cahill said he
knew early on in his career that the courtroom was where he
wanted to be. Though he enjoyed being involved in policy
decisions during his service with the county attorney’s office,
he gets the most satisfaction from being in court.
“I love the
challenge [of being in court],” he said. “It’s the pure
practice of law. There is no purer practice than being in the
courtroom. It’s where all the action is.”
It’s a
challenge that he still enjoys as a judge, although there are
obvious differences between being an advocate and being neutral.
“You’ve got to make the right call.
You’ve got to ask what the law is, and what is fair and just.
It’s not an easy answer sometimes. You have to step back and
listen carefully, and make the best decision.”
Cahill said he
is looking forward to learning more about areas of the law in
which he has less familiarity, such as family law. As an
experienced trial lawyer, however, he said he has not
encountered many surprises in the course of his new job. He
said that the county’s excellent support staff has eased his
transition from lawyer to judge, and that he has also received a
lot of good advice from his colleagues on the bench. Cahill
said the best advice he has received is to remember that he is
the one in charge in the courtroom.
“If you need to take time to think,
take it,” he recalls being told by another judge. “Don’t feel
pressured to make snap judgments. Take the time to do a good
job.”
Cahill has some
advice of his own for attorneys appearing before him in court:
be on time, be prepared, and, above all, be respectful.
“I’m big on
courtroom decorum,” he said, noting that respect extends not
only to the judge, but also to the opposing counsel, the parties
involved, and the audience. “The public deserves a court that
is respectful to everyone and is fair and just.”
Throughout his
career, Cahill has been involved in service to the profession
and to the community. He has been an active member of the
Minnesota County Attorneys Association, serving on the Criminal
Law Committee and the Technology Committee. He is also a member
of an advisory task force for CriMNet, a state-level program
that works with state and local agencies to make criminal
justice information available to officials in law enforcement,
the courts, and corrections, and he is part of a group studying
possible changes to Hennepin County’s Drug Court. He has been a
frequent CLE speaker as well as a guest lecturer at the
University of Minnesota Law School, University of St. Thomas Law
School, and William Mitchell College of Law.
“The
contributions he will make as a district court judge will extend
far beyond the courtroom itself,” Governor Pawlenty said in
announcing Cahill’s appointment to the bench.
Cahill, who
lives in Plymouth, has served as a member of the City of
Plymouth’s Charter Commission, as a coach for the Wayzata High
School Mock Trial Team, and as a volunteer judge for the
Minnesota State Bar Association High School Mock Trial
Tournament. Cahill and his wife, Jane, have also been involved
in the activities of their four children, the youngest of whom
is currently a senior at Wayzata High School. Cahill spends his
spare time doing genealogy research, archiving old family
photos, and perfecting his barbecuing techniques.
His main focus,
however, is on just becoming a good judge.
“It is such an
honor to have this appointment,” he said. “I want to return the
favor by doing a good job.” |
