Grover C. Trask

Special Counsel

Grover Trask is Special Counsel in Best Best & Krieger LLP’s Municipal Law practice group.  He leads the Firm’s Public Policy and Ethics sub-practice group.  Mr. Trask’s practice focuses on government accountability, ethics, conflicts of interest, and election law matters. He provides compliance counseling on governmental accountability and, in particular, ensuring timely and accurate investigation of alleged ethical violations. He also advises and represents clients on public integrity issues involving conflicts, fair political practices and other areas of regulations impacting public and corporate entities and individual elected officials.

Mr. Trask served for nearly a quarter century as Riverside County District Attorney and 32 years as a prosecutor. As District Attorney, he headed the fourth largest District Attorneys office in California with an annual budget of $85 million and a staff of over 800 people, including 256 attorneys. Mr. Trask supervised the successful prosecution of hundreds of criminal defendants during his career. While District Attorney, he implemented innovative programs targeting local gangs, drug dealers, child and elder abusers, domestic violence and consumer/white collar fraud. His strong public safety stance had statewide impact affecting important policy issues such as juvenile crime reform and tougher laws on drug dealers.

In 1990 Mr. Trask was appointed by Governor Deukmejian to chair a statewide Blue Ribbon Commission on Prison Reform, and in 1996 Governor Wilson appointed him to chair the California Task Force to review Crime and the Juvenile Justice Response.  He served as Vice President and Board member of the National District Attorneys Association for over a decade. He is qualified to practice before the United States Supreme Court and has appeared before the court twice.

Mr. Trask served on the board of trustees of the American Prosecutors Research Institute, located near Washington D.C. from 1998 to 2008.  He twice served as president of the California District Attorneys Association. In 2006, Mr. Trask received the prestigious Ed Miller Leadership Award from the California District Attorneys Association, joining only two other recipients in ten years. He is the author of “Police Liability: The Prosecutor’s Role and Ethical Duties When Deadly Force is Used” in The Prosecutors Deskbook, published by the American Prosecutors Research Institute. In 2008 he authored the “Public Agency Attorney’s Role in a Criminal Ethics Investigation of an Official” for the Public Law Journal. Mr. Trask regularly lectures on ethics issues facing public officials and their agencies.  In 2007 he received the Boy Scout’s Centennial Distinguished Citizen Award.

Mr. Trask currently serves as special counsel to the Riverside County Executive Officer. In 2008, Mr. Trask at the request of the Board of Supervisors lead an election audit review of the Riverside Registrar of Voters.  Mr. Trask has assisted public agency clients throughout California with internal investigations involving public officials and personnel matters, financial conflicts of interest, misuse of public monies, grand jury investigations, Political Reform Act and Brown Act matters.

Mr. Trask currently serves as Chair of the Community Foundation and as Vice-Chair for the Inland Empire Economic Partnership. He is also a member of the Children’s Spine Foundation.  In 2007, Mr. Trask was selected to the board of the California Institute for the Advancement of Criminal Justice.  Additionally, he has served as a consultant to the U.S. Department of Justice (1991-1994) and has taught at the National College of District Attorneys. He is one of the 2006 Inaugural Directors for Chapman Law School’s LL.M in Prosecutorial Science.

Education

• University of San Diego (USD), J.D.
• San Diego State University, B.A.

Bar Admissions

• California (1974)

Grover C. Trask

Special Counsel

• California District Attorneys Association
  • Board of Directors. 1984-88. 1990-92.
  • President. 1987-88.
  • Environmental Protection Committee. Chair. 1992-present.
  • Judicial Nomination Evaluation Reform Committee.
• National District Attorneys Association
  • Board of Directors. 1988.
  • Subcommittee on Child Support Automation. Chair.
  • Board of Directors. Vice President. 1992-present.
  • Violent Crime Working Group. Member. Appointed by NDAA President William O'Malley. 1994.
  • National Traffic Law Center. Member. 1994-95.
• Riverside County Bar Association
  • Law and Media Committee. Co-chair. 1982-present.
  • Legislative Committee. Chair. 1985.
  • Judicial Selection Committee. Member. 1982-86.
• Riverside County Deputy District Attorneys Association
  • Past President.
• Riverside County Law Enforcement Administrators Association
  • President. 1984 & 1986.
• American Prosecutors Research Institute
  • Board Member.
  • Chairman.
• Fight Crime, Invest in Kids
  • State Advisory Board Member.
• Alternatives to Domestic Violence
  • Advisory Council.
• Riverside County and Desert Bar Association
  • Member.
• The Children's Spine Foundation
  • Board Member.
• California Lawyers Magazine
  • Editorial Advisory Board.
• Boy Scounts of America
  • Executive Board Member.
  • Distinguished Citizen of the Year Award.
  • Scounting for Food Drive - Chairman.
• University of California Riverside
  • Citizens AdvisoryCommittee.
• Riverside General Hospital Foundation
  • Member.
• Calvary Presbyterian Church
  • Member.
• Barbara Sinatra Children's Center
  • Board of Directors.
• Community Foundation
  • Chair.
•  Inland Empire Economic Partnership
  • Vice-Chair.

Grover C. Trask

Special Counsel

Grover C. Trask

Special Counsel