James Giller passed away peacefully in his sleep on Tuesday, April 18th, 2017 at age 88.  Jim Giller was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota on September 17th, 1928 and grew up in Saint Louis Park, Minnesota with his parents Helen (Korengold) and Ephraim Giller, and his younger sister Audrey.  He attended the University of Minnesota where he earned Bachelor and Juris Doctor degrees in 1951 and 1953 respectively.  

Jim moved from Minneapolis to San Francisco, California in 1957 to escape the winter cold and the summer bugs, was admitted to the California Bar, and began practicing law as a criminal defense specialist.  Jim’s two life passions were his family and the law (with tennis as a close runner up).   

He led a distinguished career as an attorney at his firm, Mintz, Giller, Himmelman and Mintz for nearly 60 years, and continued to stand up in court and argue complicated criminal cases on behalf of his clients until health issues forced him to retire at age 87.  With a sharp mind and the highest level of integrity, he defended clients in well over 100 trials with a dedication to helping those less fortunate than him secure their right to a strong defense and a fair trial.   Over his career, he spent thousands of unpaid hours working to benefit the court system, the Bar, and the community.  He served as President of the Alameda County Bar Association and was the founder of the Alameda County Bar Association’s Criminal Court Appointed Attorneys Program (“CAAP”), which provides the financially disadvantaged with access to a defense from skilled private practice attorneys. Jim built, shaped and served as Chair of the CAAP for decades.

In 1960, Jim married Mary Lou (Valencia) Giller and they raised their three children, Leslie, Jeff, and Scott at their home in Lafayette, California.  Although Mary Lou and Jim divorced in 1984, they maintained a close and caring life-long relationship, and Mary Lou was at his side along with Leslie, Jeff and Scott when he passed away.  He deeply loved his family and had a special place in his heart for his five grandchildren, Sam, Katy, Ben, Nathalie, and Andrew, his children’s spouses and partners, Dane, Yvette, and Jennifer, and his nieces, Liz and Leigh.  

Jim grew-up surrounded by the tightly knit Korengold family, which included his 18 aunts and uncles and his 18 cousins who all lived in the Minneapolis area and spent their summers together at their family cottages on Lake Minnetonka.  The extended Korengold family was deeply important to “cousin Jimmy” and he never missed a single one of the family reunions, including his last, just two weeks before his death.

Jim Giller will be missed by all, but will live-on through the legacy of his good works and his positive influence on the lives of his family, friends and clients.   

Services will be held at 12:30 pm, on Saturday, May 20th at the Lafayette Memorial Veterans Hall, 3780 Mount Diablo Boulevard, Lafayette, CA.  Family members, friends, and work colleagues are all encouraged to attend.