After 40 years of legal service leading countless prosecutions in three California counties, now retired attorney J. Michael “Mike” Mullins still works for the community. At age 72, he spends three days each week with Legal Aid of Sonoma, where he helps clients seek temporary restraining orders, performs legal research and provides legal advice. He also helps Catholic Charities with immigration issues.Mullins, a long-time resident of Kenwood, with his wife, Liz, spent 29 years in the Sonoma County District Attorney’s office, where he was elected to Sonoma County’s top legal job for two terms from 1995 to 2002. Notably, he oversaw the successful prosecutions of Richard Allen Davis, for the kidnap and murder of Polly Klaas, and Robert Scully for the murder of Deputy Frank Trejo. He also supervised a multi-year investigation of street gangs in Northern California that successfully prevented more than 300 murders. He also led the prosecution of one of the first Catholic priests charged with sexual abuse and investigated the bishop of the Santa Rosa diocese.
In addition to enjoying his life in Sonoma County, Mullins (at first) traveled and otherwise enjoyed his retirement. But he didn’t want to remain inactive for long or let his skills decline. “I wanted somewhere to use my brain,” he says.
On behalf of Catholic Charities, Mullins began assisting qualified immigrants to obtain documented status under a program the Obama administration instituted by executive order in 2012. A chance meeting with Ronit Rubinoff, director of Legal Aid of Sonoma, at a Sonoma County Bar Association event led him to volunteer with Sonoma County Legal Aid, which helps low-income residents with domestic violence/civil harassment restraining orders, guardianship services and eviction/housing cases. He also performs legal research for the director of Legal Aid and serves as a mentor to younger attorneys there.
Mullins modestly summarizes his volunteer work as “keeping my brain working and keeping me out of the house.”
Source: Sonoma County Bar Association
One thought on “February 2015 People Hidden Heroes Mike Mullins”
Michal mullins was the biggest dick in sonoma county and still is. He destroyed many familys as he prosecuted family disputes even when he had no victom but a jane doe. He was somebody that extorted money ftom my family and many more. He destroyed my life with the one i lovd