Neil W. Gunther

Assistant Public Defender
Monroe County Public Defender’s Office

Monroe County Assistant Public Defender Neil W. Gunther said wins don’t bring him pride, relationships do.

“As a lawyer, I view myself as a problem solver. The clients I represent come to me with a problem. Most of the time, they are scared, frustrated, and even angry about the situation they are in. It’s the relationships that I build with my clients in this early stage of the case that I consider my biggest accomplishment as an attorney,” he said.

The Rochester native graduated cum laude from the University of Dayton School of Law in 2011, and is already a standout among his peers, said Richard Murajda, who nominated Gunther for the Excellence in Law award. Murajda noted that Gunther has a track record for gaining favorable outcomes for his clients from motions to trials.

Gunther serves as secretary of the criminal justice section for the Monroe County Bar Association, but considers his greatest public service the work he performs for his clients.

Through an internship with the Federal Public Defender’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio, Gunther successfully defended a woman who was charged with child neglect after her 3-year-old son walked down the street while she was doing laundry. The case, he said, drove home the importance of defense work.

“She was a busy mother of two children that turned her back for a few minutes. She was not someone who should have been charged with a crime,” he said.

Gunther said that he’s never won an award for his work before, but always is “extremely proud” when he gets a thank you note from a client.

“I can’t say that I have one goal that I am striving for,” he said. “I just hope that I can represent each and every client that I have to the best of my abilities.”