Brock D. Hunter

Minneapolis Criminal Defense Attorney Protecting Your Rights

Criminal Defense Attorney Brockton D. Hunter proudly defends the rights of individuals in both state and federal courts. He has a strong background of providing powerful legal guidance to his clients, in and out of the courtroom. Clients who come to Brockton D. Hunter, P.A. can trust that their case will be handled with the highest level of professionalism. Since the firm's establishment, Attorney Hunter has been offering award-winning representation throughout Minnesota for clients facing a wide range of criminal matters.

Background & Recognitions

Selected to Super Lawyers® Every Year Since 2011

Attorney Brock has former experience as a U.S. Army Recon Scout. In this position, he focused his defense on the psychologically injured veterans dealing with criminal court and was able to advocate on their behalf within the justice system. Throughout the years of his professional career, Attorney Hunter has honed his legal skills to ensure that clients are receiving the best possible representation for their legal matter.

Following are some of his most notable recognitions:

• Serving as the President and Legislative Chair for the Minnesota Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (MACDL)
• Received the Special Achievement Award in 2009 from MACDL
• Received the 2011 Professional Excellence Award – This is the Minnesota State Bar Association’s “most prestigious award” which recognizes his efforts to advance the legal profession as a whole as well as the administration of justice
• Been selected as a “Rising Star” (2006 – 2009)- A peer reviewed recognition and a “Super Lawyer” (2011 – Present)

He also has experience helping draft and lead the passage of Minnesota’s Veterans Sentencing Litigation Act, Minn. Stat. 609.115, Subd. 10., which was then cited in the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case, Porter v. McCollum, 130 S. Ct. 447, at 455, n.9 (2009). Those are cases that first addressed combat trauma in criminal sentencing.

Other actions he has taken include:

• Helping to pass similar veteran sentencing legislation in other states
• Has been called on to brief the Obama Presidential Transition Team
• Spoken to leadership of the Department of Defense & the Department of Veterans Affairs on the best ways to address troubled veterans who allegedly commit crimes
• Trained thousands of attorneys, judges, law enforcement officers, and mental health professionals across the country on the above

In addition, he is the lead editor and co-author of the book, “The Attorney’s Guide to Defending Veterans in Criminal Court.” He is also the co-founder and President of the Veterans Defense Project, a non-profit organization committed to helping veterans involved in the justice system.

• American Bar Association
  • Co-Chair Military Justice Committee, Criminal Law Section
  • Member Commission on Homelessness and Poverty
• National Association of Drug Court Professionals/Justice for Vets
  • Board Member, 2019 – Present
  • Chair of Veterans Treatment Court Committee, 2020 – Present
• Minnesota Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (MACDL)
  • President, 2011
  • Board of Directors, 2005-2011
  • Legislative Committee Chair, 2005-2011
  • Special Achievement Award, 2009
• Minnesota State Bar Association
  • Professional Excellence Award, 2011
    • Minnesota State Bar Association’s Highest Honor
• Named as a Super Lawyer
  • 2011 – Present
• Named as a Minnesota Rising Star in the area of criminal defense, 2006-2009
• Editor and co-author of the treatise, The Attorney’s Guide to Defending Veterans in Criminal Court, available at www.veteransdefenseproject.org.
• Co-Founder and Chair of the Veterans Defense Project, a non-profit organization dedicated to public policy advocacy and education to promote vigorous and effective defense of veterans in America’s criminal courts.
• Drafted and led passage of the Veterans’ Sentencing Mitigation Act (Minn. Stat. §609.115, Subd. 10) through the Minnesota Legislature in 2008, later cited by the U.S. Supreme Court in Porter v. McCollum, 130 S.Ct. 447 (2009)(See Footnote 9).
• Briefed the Obama Presidential Transition Team on veterans in the criminal justice system, January 2009.
• Spoke on veterans in the criminal justice system before leadership of the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs, Washington, D.C., September 2009.
• Member of Veterans Court Working Group that planned and implemented Minnesota’s first Veterans Court.
• Consulted in passage of veterans sentencing legislation in Illinois, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and other states.

Community Activities

• Superior Kayak & Outdoor Adventure Club (“SKOAC”)
  • Co-Founder, former Board Member and President of the Twin Cities-based sea kayaking and general outdoor sports organization. Club web site: www.skoac.org
• Member of Environmental Crossing of Lake Superior (“ECOLS”) ’99 Expedition Team
  • Completed an 88-mile unsupported sea kayak crossing of Lake Superior, with four other sea kayakers, done in cooperation with the Nation Wildlife Federation, to draw attention to the Great Lakes’ imperiled health.
• Frequent member of wilderness expeditions to remote, beautiful places.

PRESENTATIONS

• University of Arizona Law School, Tucson, AZ, April 6, 2022
• Minnesota County Attorneys Association, Minneapolis, MN (via Zoom), March 30, 2022
• Minnesota State Public Defenders, Minneapolis, MN (Via Zoom), February 24, 2022
• 2nd Judicial District Judges, St. Paul, MN (via Zoom), October 29, 2021
• 3rd Judicial District Veterans Treatment Court Staff, Rochester, MN (via Zoom), October 29th, 2021
• Minnesota Office of Administrative Hearings, St. Paul, MN (via Zoom), May 3, 2021
• Keynote, 6th Annual Ohio Veterans Summit, (via Zoom), November 19th, 2020
• Defending Veterans in Capital Cases Conference, New York, NY (via Zoom), October 30, 2020
• Minnesota Judicial Branch Live Statewide Webcast, Judicial Center, August 7, 2019
• Vet Court Con, Washington, D.C., July 14, 2019
• Veterans of Foreign Wars Leadership, Washington, D.C., June 12, 2019
• Baltimore Death Penalty Mitigation Training, Advancing Real Change, Baltimore, MD, May 18, 2019
• MN Dept. of Corrections’ Annual Conference, Breezy Point, MN, May 7, 2019
• National District Attorneys’ Association Annual Leadership Summit, Austin, TX, April 5, 2019
• Texas Veterans’ Mental Health Symposium, El Paso, TX, Mar. 6, 2019
• Hennepin County Attorney’s Office, Minneapolis, MN, Feb. 12, 2019
• Dakota County Attorney’s Office, Hastings, MN, Jan. 11, 2019
• Carver County Attorney’s Office, Chaska, MN, Dec. 7, 2018
• Scott County Attorney’s Office, Shakopee, MN Dec. 6, 2018
• Minnesota Veterans Services Organizations’ Commanders’ Task Force, St. Paul, MN, Nov. 19, 2018
• Texas Mental Health Symposium, Texas Tech Law School, Lubbock, TX, Nov. 16, 2018
• Wisconsin State Public Defenders’ Annual Conference, Milwaukee, WI, Nov. 1, 2019
• Disabled American Veterans, St. Paul, MN Oct. 5, 2018
• Suburban Hennepin County Prosecutors, Bloomington, MN Sept. 14, 2018
• Minnesota County Veteran Services Officers’ Annual conference, Grandview Lodge, Sept. 11, 2018
• Minnesota County Attorneys’ Association Leadership Summit, Rutgers Bay, MN, Sept. 7, 2018
• 1st Judicial District All-Staff Training, Lakeville, MN, Sept. 5 – 6, 2018
• National Veterans Court Conference, Houston, TX, May 29, 2018
• Ramsey County Prosecutors, White Bear Lake, MN, May 11, 2018
• Federal Defender Investigator National Conference, Bloomington, MN, May 8, 2018
• Minnesota Treatment Court Initiative Members and Staff, Minnesota Judicial Center, Apr. 18th, 2018
• MN CLE Webcast, Statewide Legal Training Broadcast, Mar. 29, 2018
• Missouri State Public Defenders Annual Conference, St. Louis, Missouri, March 23, 2018
• Stearns County Veterans Court and Related Stakeholders, St. Cloud, MN, Nov. 5, 2017
• Carver County Veterans Court and Related Stakeholders, Chaska, MN, Oct. 27, 2017
• Federal Public Defenders National Conference, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, August 25, 2017
• Minnesota Criminal Justice Institute, Minneapolis, Minnesota, August 23, 2017
• National Coalition for Homeless Veterans Annual Conference, Washington D.C., June 1, 2017
• Criminal Defense Attorneys of Michigan Annual Conference, Detroit, Michigan, March 17, 2017
• Minnesota State Public Defenders Conference, October 15, 2016
• Kansas Federal Defender Annual Training, Lawrence, Kansas, Apr. 22, 2016
• National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, The Science of the Mind: Litigating Mental Health in Criminal Cases, Austin, Texas, Feb. 19, 2016
• Ohio Attorney General’s Veteran Criminal Justice Conference, Columbus, OH, Dec. 3, 2015
• Virginia State Police Critical Incident Training, Norfolk, VA, Oct. 19, 2015
• Vet Court Con, Washington, D.C., July 27 – 29, 2015
• Kentucky State Public Defenders Conference, Lexington, KY, June 17, 2015
• Kentucky State Bar Association Conference, Lexington, KY, June 17, 2015
• Federal Public Defender Investigator Training, San Diego, CA, Apr. 17, 2015
• Arkansas State Specialty Courts Conference, Little Rock, AR, Apr. 9, 2015
• San Diego Public Defenders Office, San Diego, CA, Mar. 9, 2015
• American Society of Criminology Conference, San Francisco, CA, Nov. 22, 2014
• Veterans’ Defense Conference, New York State Public Defenders, Albany, NY, Oct. 17, 2014
• CIT (Crisis Intervention Training) International Conference, Monterey, CA, Oct. 15, 2014
• National Legal Aid
• Community Oriented Defenders Network, Washington D.C., July 23—24, 2014
• Florida Partners in Crisis Conference, Orlando, FL, July 2, 2014
• Vet Court Con, Anaheim, CA, May 30 – 31, 2014
• Ohio Veterans Courts, Marion, OH, May 22, 2014
• Delaware Public Defenders’ Capital Case Conference, Wilmington, DE, May 2, 2014
• University of Cincinnati Law School, Cincinnati, OH, Feb. 21, 2014
• Vet Court Con, Washington D.C., December 2 – 4, 2013
• National Criminal Defense Forum on Forensic Mental Health & the Law, Denver, CO, September 19-20, 2013
• Louisiana Public Defenders’ Investigator Workshop – Investigating Veterans Cases, Baton Rouge, LA, July 15-16, 2013.
• National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers’ Annual Leadership Retreat, Washington D.C., May 31, 2013.
• National Coalition for Homeless Veterans’ Annual Conference, Washington D. C., May 29 – 30, 2013.
• Texas District Judges Association’s Spring Training Conference, Lubbock, TX, March 21, 2013.
• Los Angeles Public Defender’s Office, Los Angeles, CA, November 16th, 2012.
• Santa Barbara Criminal Court System, Santa Barbara, CA, November 15th, 2012.
• Communicating for Life: Capital Defenders Training, Louisiana Public Defenders, Baton Rouge, LA, October 24, 2012
• American Bar Association’s 2012 Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL, August 3, 2012
• Community Oriented Defender Conference 2012, Brennen Center for Justice, New York University Law School, New York City, July 20, 2012
• National Association of Drug Court Professionals Annual Training Conference, Nashville, TN, June 1, 2012
• American Bar Association’s Commission on Homelessness and Poverty, ABA Mid-Year Convention, New Orleans, LA, February 3, 2012
• AmeriCorps Veterans Court Training, Camp Ripley, MN, January 20, 2012
• Minnesota Public Defenders Appellate Division, St. Paul, MN, December 16, 2011
• Minnesota Judges Conference, Minneapolis, MN, December 9, 2011
• 7th District Court-wide Training, St. Cloud, MN, December 2, 2011
• Minnesota Justice Foundation Annual CLE, Minneapolis, MN, November 15, 2011
• Minnesota Department of Corrections Leadership, St. Paul, MN, October 20, 2011
• 10th District Public Defenders, Anoka, MN, October 6, 2011
• Domestic Abuse Project, Minneapolis, MN, October 5, 2011
• 3rd District Court-wide Training, Rochester, MN, September 23, 2011
• Minnesota District Judges Association Annual Conference, Brainerd, MN, September 7, 2011
• St. Thomas Law School, August 24, 2011
• State Public Defenders District Chiefs, St. Paul, MN, June 30, 2011
• Washington County Attorneys Office, Stillwater, MN, May 25, 2011
• NAMI Minnesota Conference, Grand Rapids, MN, May 24, 2011
• 2nd District Public Defenders, St. Paul, MN, May 11, 2011
• Stearns County Law Enforcement Training, St. Cloud, MN, April 20, 2011
• St. Thomas Law School, Minneapolis, MN, April 13, 2011
• Stearns County Law Enforcement Training, St. Cloud, MN, April 7, 2011
• 8th District Law Enforcement Training, Benson, MN, March 3, 2011
• 8th District Law Enforcement Training, Willmar, MN, February 24, 2011
• Dakota County Court Training, Apple Valley, MN, February 8, 2011
• MSBA Criminal Sentencing CLE, Minneapolis, MN, January 19, 2011
• Clarion Veterans in the Law CLE, Eagan, MN, December 2, 2010
• Behavioral Health and Education Training Academy, San Diego, CA, November 18, 2010
• University of St. Thomas Law School, Minneapolis, MN, November 9, 2010
• 8th District Attorneys Training, Willmar, MN, November 4, 2010
• Dakota County District Court Training, Hastings, MN, October 21, 2010
• The New Hampshire Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers Annual Conference, Manchester, NH, October 15, 2010
• 8th District Judges Training, Glenwood, MN, October 1, 2010
• The International Association of Women Police Annual Conference, Minneapolis, MN, September 28, 2010
• Minnesota CLE Veterans Court Webcast, Minneapolis, MN, September 28, 2010
• National Housing and Redevelopment Authority Conference, Duluth, MN, Sept. 23, 2010
• The National Native American Law Enforcement Summit, Cloquet, MN, September 22, 2010
• Minnesota Criminal Justice Institute, St. Paul, MN, August 24, 2010
• Minnesota Women in Criminal Justice CLE, Brooklyn Park, MN, July 30, 2010
• Minnesota CLE Webcast on Veteran Courts, Minneapolis, MN, June 1, 2010
• Twin Cities Suburban Prosecutors Association Annual CLE, May 14, 2010
• Behavioral Health and Education Training Academy, San Diego, CA, April 8, 2010
• Hennepin County Veterans Court Training, Minneapolis, MN, March 22, 2010
• Hamline Law School, St. Paul, MN, November 3, 2009
• MSBA Criminal Law Section, St. Paul, MN October 29, 2009
• St. Martin’s Table, Minneapolis, MN, October 28, 2009
• Defense Forum Washington 2009, Alexandria, VA, September 16, 2009
• Florida Public Defenders Association “Life Over Death” Conference, Orlando, FL, September 11, 2009
• Minnesota State Bar Association Annual Convention, Duluth, MN, June 2009
• Minnesota County Veterans Services Annual Conference, April 2009
• Clarion Legal Presents: Criminal Justice 2009 Forensics and Ethics Series, Webcast CLE, March 2009
• Minnesota Social Services Association Annual Conference, Minneapolis, MN, February 2009
• Hennepin County Bar Association, Minneapolis, MN, January 2009
• Thompson University/Clarion Legal, Webcast CLE, November 2008
• Minnesota Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Fall CLE, Minneapolis, MN, October 2008
• Ramsey County Bar Association, St. Paul, MN, October 2008
• National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers’ State Legislative Conference, Milwaukee, WI, August 2008
• Center for Mental Health Services, National Center for Trauma-Informed Care, Washington, D.C., July 2008

https://youtu.be/7Q_pQyHZ0SE 

PUBLICATIONS

• The Attorney’s Guide to Defending Veterans in Criminal Court - A comprehensive manual to the art and science of defending military veterans who become entangled in the criminal justice system. Available at www.veteransdefenseproject.org
• Echoes of War - A two-part featured article published in the National Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys’ “Champion” magazine.
• Echoes of War, part II - The second installment a two-part article featured in the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers’ “Champion” magazine.
• Echoes of War: Combat Trauma, Criminal Behavior; How We Can Do Better This Time Around - A featured article in the FORUM Magazine, California Attorneys for Criminal Justice (CACJ).