Cal Cunningham

Cal is an experienced trial lawyer who has been practicing criminal defense since he graduated law school in 2008. He has tried cases to juries on criminal charges ranging from petty shoplifting to aggravated murder. He is adept at handling cases with complex legal issues, expert witnesses, and scientific forensic evidence. He believes that too often our legal system functions to oppress the most vulnerable members of our community, and he is passionate about serving those who are most in need of a zealous advocate to fight back against criminal allegations.

Prior to joining the firm, Cal practiced criminal defense at the Kitsap County Office of Public Defense for nine years and, before that, as a public defender at the Salt Lake Legal Defenders Association in Utah. He is qualified under the Washington Supreme Court’s Standards for Indigent Defense to handle all types of criminal charges including Class A felonies and charges involving potential life sentences without the possibility of parole (LWOP).

Cal has won awards for his outstanding trial advocacy skills including an award from the Litigation Section of the Utah State Bar, the National Institute for Trial Advocacy, a scholarship from the National Criminal Defense College, and the Kitsap County Bar Association’s President’s Award. In addition to lending his years of trial experience and guidance to our firm’s criminal defense team, his current practice focuses on litigating on behalf of indigent criminal defendants who have been found not guilty by reason of insanity and who are now committed to the custody of the Department of Social and Health Services.

Education

• Juris Doctorate, 2008, University of Utah College of Law
• BA, 2005, University of Utah
• National Criminal Defense College, Mercer School of Law, 2009

Bar Admissions

• Utah, 2008
• Washington, 2015

Professional Associations

• Washington Defender Association, member since 2015
• Kitsap County Bar Association, member since 2015