ROBIN RUCKER GAILLARD, ESQ.

Attorney | Historian

Robin Rucker Gaillard is a native of Prince George’s County, Maryland, and principal/owner of the Law Office of Robin Rucker Gaillard, LLC, celebrating over twenty years in private practice. Mrs. Gaillard concentrates her practice in the areas of family law, estates and trusts, personal injury, and civil litigation and a member of several area bar associations, including the historic J. Franklyn Bourne Bar Association, the National Bar Association, the Prince George’s County Bar Association, the Montgomery County Bar Association, and the Anne Arundel County Bar Association. 

Mrs. Gaillard obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations and Foreign Affairs from the University of Virginia (UVA), and studied abroad completing a program of studies in France. After graduating from UVA, she served on the staff of U.S. Senator Paul S. Sarbanes (D-MD) and on the staff of U.S. Congressman Kweisi Mfume (D-MD). Her experiences on Capitol Hill prompted Mrs. Gaillard to pursue a law degree so she attended the University of Baltimore School of Law and obtained her Juris Doctorate. While pursuing her law degree, she served as a staff editor on the Law Forum and authored two recent development articles to the legal publication, among other activities. After obtaining her law degree, Mrs. Gaillard went on to serve as Judicial Law Clerk to the Honorable G.R. Hovey Johnson in Maryland’s 7th Judicial Circuit (Prince George’s County, Maryland). 

Mrs. Gaillard demonstrated her commitment to community service early in her career by volunteering her time representing indigent and low-income litigants with cases in family law, bankruptcy, probate/estate administration, and other legal matters as assigned by the Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service, Community Legal Services (formerly The Law Foundation), and other legal services outlets. She continues to serve the community including ensuring that low income residents have access to seasoned and knowledgeable attorneys, notwithstanding the ability to pay for these services. She also continues to provide information to self-represented litigants involved with the court system in Prince George’s County, and participates in legal services fairs, panel discussions, expungement fairs, and legal counseling events sponsored by community organizations, as well as privately. Mrs. Gaillard fully supports political and civic engagement efforts in her community, both throughout her city of Bowie, Maryland, and throughout Prince George’s County, statewide, and on the national level. One of her core beliefs is that access to quality legal services and to the ballot, and meaningful civic engagement, are critical tools in strengthening our community. 

Mrs. Gaillard’s passion for the law is surpassed only by her devotion to her family: Samuel B. Gaillard, Jr., her husband of 30 years; Mizan A. Gaillard, her daughter; and Camaran A. Gaillard, her son. Her experiences in raising her children to be accomplished, socially conscious and faith-filled contributing members of society motivate her to continue to serve others. For more than 25 years, Mrs. Gaillard has been a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, Iota Gamma Omega Chapter (Prince George’s County, Maryland), where she has devoted countless hours to service projects and programs for the benefit of others. And since 1987, Mrs. Gaillard has been an active member of St. Augustine Catholic Church (founded in 1858; mother church of Black Catholics in Washington D.C.), where she is engaged in its various ministries in service to parishioners and members of the wider community. 

Her legal career and her devotion to family and community are complemented by her passion for high adventure, cultural relevance, historical preservation, and environmental advocacy. To that end, Mrs. Gaillard is an avid scuba diver and since 2002 has been a member of the Underwater Adventure Seekers (UAS) scuba diving club in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1958 by marine scientist and Purple Heart recipient Dr. A. Jose Jones, this group of African American scuba divers has remained steadfast in its commitment to educating the community about marine science, environmental stewardship, and dive safety world-wide, among other important issues. UAS engages in marine-related activities that highlight the historical relevance and role of African-descended people globally. These events include restoration of coral reefs domestically and abroad; encouraging environmental sustainability; and using archeology surveying to map slave wrecks in our oceans (See, e.g., The Slave Wrecks Project, 

https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/initiatives/slave-wrecks-project). With the latter, UAS, in collaboration with other organizations, contributes to locating and giving context to historically significant marine sites and artifacts such as slave ships (e.g., The Clotilda; The Sao Jose; The Henrietta Marie; and The Guerrero) and fallen aircraft used for training by the Tuskegee Airmen now resting in the Great Lakes. UAS scuba diving club and its individual members have been diving continuously since 1967 (e.g, Aruba, Belize, Cuba, Curacao, Dominica, Egypt, Fiji, Indonesia, Malaysia, Morocco, Mozambique, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Saba, South Africa, Thailand, etc.), where we act as ambassadors of African-American culture and ideals, serve others, and uplift all whom we meet. 

Mrs. Gaillard has dedicated herself to personal excellence, leadership, compassion in serving others, legacy creation, and lifelong learning, as these are the most effective tools in transforming lives and in empowering self and others. She is available for speaking engagements and community activities concerning the above.