Criminal Defense Attorney to Take Bench as New Flathead County Justice of the Peace
Flathead County commissioners appointed 47-year-old Tim Wenz to replace former Justice of the Peace Paul Sullivan, who was recently sworn in as the newest district court judge
By Maggie Dresser
After practicing law for more than two decades in northwest Montana, criminal defense attorney Tim Wenz will take the bench as the newest Flathead County Justice of the Peace starting Feb. 3.
Wenz in December was appointed by the Flathead County commissioners to replace former Justice of the Peace Paul Sullivan, who in November was elected as the newest district court judge to replace retiring Judge Robert Allison.
Growing up in Great Falls, 47-year-old Wenz graduated from law school at the University of Montana in 2002 before moving to the Flathead Valley to work as a prosecutor for the Flathead County Attorney’s Office. He started his own practice in 2007 where he focused on criminal defense, representing clients from Eureka to Polson with charges ranging from speeding tickets to homicides.
Wenz’s experience has helped him gain a broad perspective throughout his career and he believes everyone deserves guidance through the court process.
“Everybody deserves representation in court regardless of what you’re charged with,” Wenz said. “I’ve enjoyed helping people and trying to find the best resolution with considerations for everybody involved.”
During his 18 years as a criminal attorney, Wenz also contracted with the Office of the Public Defender, taking cases across northwest Montana for the most vulnerable clients, reiterating his passion for the right to representation.
Working with Justice of the Peace Eric Hummel, Wenz strives to streamline the court process and promote efficiency.
“Streamlining keeps things moving without clogging the system with unnecessary paperwork and things like that,” Wenz said. “I’d like to be as efficient as possible, and I think Judge Sullivan and Judge Hummel have done a great job of keeping things moving in justice court and making sure people have a right to a speedy trial.”
As cases involving chemically dependent and mentally ill clients rise, Wenz hopes to help individuals by ordering evaluations and treatment instead of incarcerating them. Throughout his two decades as an attorney, Wenz says cases involving mental health are often difficult to resolve.
“I think we have a problem with criminalizing mental health sometimes because there are not really any other options,” Wenz said. “I hope to try and get people the help that they need rather than be jailed for committing a crime because they have mental health issues. I’ve been dealing with those for 22 years and I’m trying to do what’s right by them and right by everybody [involved].”
Sentences that involve mental health counseling and evaluations could be part of the solution, Wenz says, and he hopes to replace jailtime with long-lasting solutions that help individuals instead of punishing them and overwhelming the jail.
As Wenz closes the chapter on his criminal law practice, he is looking forward to taking the bench in Flathead County Justice Court with the support from his colleagues.
“I’m looking forward to it and I hope to do well by the people that supported me and pushed me to do it,” Wenz said. “I think it’s going to be a good experience.”