ABOUT RUSTY
“Rusty Tolley is one of the most interesting and talented men I’ve ever known. He went from being a U.S. Army JAG officer to a respected partner in one of the country’s major law firms. After practicing law for 16 years, he left a successful and lucrative law practice in Atlanta to become a wrangler on a cattle ranch in southern Arizona. After learning how to be a sure-enough cowboy, he applied for and completed the extremely rigorous training to become a New Mexico State Police Officer, where he served for more than ten years with distinction. He then became a criminal investigator in the 6th D.A.’s office where he applied both his legal and law enforcement experience to good effect.
If ever a man had a well-lived life, endless curiosity and an inquiring mind, an unquenchable thirst for adventure, an unfailing sense of humor, and a treasure trove of stories to tell, that man is Rusty Tolley. He’s a trial lawyer and a poet, a soldier and a story-teller, a cowboy and a cop. Tell me where he’s speaking next, because I want to be there.”
Jack Watson
Former White House Chief of Staff
Former Head of Litigation, Long Aldridge and Norman
Former Chief Litigation Strategist, Monsanto Corporation
Rusty describes himself as “a recovering attorney.” “I didn’t grow up dreaming of being a lawyer,” he says. “I grew up dreaming of being a cowboy. I got sidetracked somehow along the way, but I never got over the pull of the cowboy dream.”
After sixteen years of practicing law, Rusty got his chance. His wife, Leah, also a lover of the west, found an internet job posting seeking a wrangler, preferably one with a spouse who was willing to both ride and cook, to work on a remote ranch in southern Arizona. Half joking, Leah asked if Rusty would consider such a proposition. Not joking, Rusty asked Leah if she was willing to be poor.
Three days later, at the age of 41, he accepted the wrangler position and quit his lucrative law practice in a large Atlanta firm to follow his dream. “Which proves,” he says, “that you’re never too old…to embarrass your mama.”
Rusty, Leah and their son, Ben, thirteen at the time, moved almost 1700 miles west to live and work on the ranch. Rusty observed, “We went from living in a densely populated metropolitan area surrounded and bisected by jammed interstate highways to living nine miles from the nearest paved road. Being horseback six days a week, moving and working cattle was an unbelievable, uplifting learning experience. And while I can’t claim to be a “real” cowboy, I was blessed to ride and work with some sure-nuf real ones and to learn something about the ‘cowboy way’. I learned, for instance, that it’s not all about money. And I learned that if a cowboy ever says, ‘Hey y’all watch this’, you better get out of the way so you don’t get hurt with him.”
Following that peak experience, Rusty was able to fulfill another dream of becoming a “lawman”. He served with the New Mexico State Police and later as Lead Investigator for the District Attorney’s Office for the 6th District. Asked why he left ranch work to pursue a career in law enforcement, Rusty replied that he “wanted to do something safer.”
Does he ever miss his career as a lawyer? “Only on paydays”, he says.
More seriously, Rusty quotes Scott Teter, who quit a lucrative private practice to prosecute domestic violence cases: “I spent the first half of my career trying to make a living; I wanted to spend the second half trying to make a difference.
Rusty, Leah and their 14-year-old daughter, Brianna, currently reside in Cliff, NM. Leah is an Assistant Professor of Nursing at WNMU in Silver City. Their son Ben grew up to be a real cowboy. He rides for the 4H brand and lives with his wife JoLyn, a high school math teacher, and their two young children on a large ranch in Southwestern New Mexico.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Captain, U.S. Army Judge Advocate
General’s Corps: Served as Labor Law Advisor to the four commands then located at Fort Sam Houston, TX. Represented the Army before courts and boards in employment law matters. Meritorious Service Medal, Letters of Commendation, Basic Airborne Course (Jump School).
Attorney and Partner: Long Aldridge & Norman (Subsequently McKenna Long & Aldridge, now Dentons, an international law firm): Elected to Board of Directors. Team leader in Litigation and Dispute Resolution Department.
Wrangler on working cattle and guest ranch in Southern Arizona.
New Mexico State Police Officer: District 12 Officer of the Year for 2002 and 2003. Certified Field Training
Officer. Responsible for multiple seizures of illegal drugs. Letters of Commendation.
Lead Investigator, District Attorney’s Office, 6th Judicial District: Responsible for investigating significant criminal matters. Forensic Interviewer of child survivors of sexual and physical abuse. Pre-prosecution Diversion Program Director. Certified as Lecturer by Department of Public Safety (DPS). Investigator of the Year Award.
EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND:
Distinguished Graduate, U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s School, Charlottesville, Virginia.
Juris Doctor, Summa Cum Laude, University of Georgia School of Law; Georgia Law Review; Order of the Coif; Research Assistant to Dean; Co-Author of Chapter: “Medical Legal Considerations,” in Introduction to Radiologic Technology textbook; Recipient: Welborn Cody Scholarship, American Jurisprudence Awards, and Macey and Sikes Bankruptcy Award.
B.A., Summa Cum Laude, (Criminal Justice); University of Georgia; Phi Beta Kappa; Mortar Board; Phi Eta Sigma; Cadet Commander, Army ROTC Battalion; President, Criminal Justice Society; Distinguished Military Graduate.
ADMITTED TO PRACTICE:
Georgia Bar; United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia and United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit (Currently inactive status).
HONORS AND ACTIVITIES:
Board of Directors, Silver Regional Sexual Assault Support Services. New Mexico School Board Association Achievement Award. Coach, Animas High School Mock Trial Team. Nominated for Hidalgo County Volunteer of the Year. Featured in television segment of FOX 10 News, Phoenix, AZ. Featured in article in the “Fulton County Daily Report”. Recipient of University of Georgia Criminal Justice Studies’ Outstanding Alumni Award. Recipient of Army Meritorious Service Medal, and three Army Letters of Commendation. Earned Army Parachutist’s Badge. Recipient of New Mexico State Police District 12 Officer of the Year Award for 2002 and 2003 and NMSP Letters of Commendation. Recipient of Investigator of the Year Award.