Attorney Mark Ralles receives St. Thomas More Award

Mark Ralles received the 2021 St. Thomas More Award at the Diocese of Tucson Red Mass on November 5, 2021. Learn about his involvement in the judicial community and committment to faith.

Mark Thomas Ralles was born in Des Moines, Iowa, and was raised in the Catholic faith of his mother and father and received his first Holy Communion at St. Pius X Catholic Church in Des Moines. When he was young, the family also participated in his grandfather’s Greek Orthodox community and he spent time in his grandfather’s restaurant, The Butterfly, in downtown Des Moines. Later his family moved to Nebraska and he helped manage his father’s restaurant in Omaha. Mark received his bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Nebraska at Omaha (1977) After graduation Mark continued to work in restaurant management for the Hilton Hotel. Mark entered the study of law at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, and studied also at the University of Arizona. While at the University of Arizona College of Law, Mark attended daily Mass at the Newman Center and became well acquainted with the Dominican sisters and priests. He also met his future wife, Leticia, during these early years at the Newman Center. Mark received his law degree in December, 1984, and after admission to the Arizona Bar in the Spring of 1985, started his first attorney job prosecuting DUI’s and other misdemeanors for the City of Tucson. This was a special time, working with a team of colleagues who despite philosophical and political differences, were devoted together to working for the public good. In the summer of 1987, Mark started in private practice as an associate for the civil law firm of Will Scott and Steve Rennekar. During this period of time, Mark continued at the Newman Center and developed a close friendship with the Director, Fr. David Geib, who imparted a keen interest in the metaphysics of Catholic theology. Mark also worked on projects for Father Geib, including creating organizational documents for The Newman Foundation at the University of Arizona. Also during this period of time, Mark volunteered with Southern Arizona Legal Aid and received an Outstanding Pro Bono Lawyer of the Month award. With experience in real estate and some trust law, Mark started Ralles Law Firm, focused on trust creation and fiduciary representation in 1994. This must have been a good move because the very next year, 1995, Leticia moved back to Tucson. Mark and Leticia began a courtship and in 1997 they were married at Leticia’s parish, St. Frances Cabrini. Both their daughters were baptized at St. Frances Cabrini by Father Robert Fuller. Since 2010, Mark and Leticia have been active members of St. Thomas the Apostle parish. In his law practice, Mark has continued to handle corporate and trust creation, and fiduciary and special needs trust administration and management. For Mark, and for many lawyer members in the Saint Thomas More Society of Southern Arizona, it is the practice of law that has consistently brought opportunities to share the suffering and loss of others. Happily, Mark recognizes that loss and sadness are no stranger to the One who walked up the hill with the Cross, the One who shares the burden of anyone who asks, the One who brings light to the darkness.