Troy Gilchrist has dedicated his entire professional career to serving local governments. Starting in 1991 as a law clerk and then in 1992 as an attorney with the Minnesota Association of Townships. Troy hit the ground running, working to answer questions and prepare guidance documents on a wide range of township legal issues. He drafted the original versions of most of the documents in the MAT Information Library, including the Manual on Town Government. He also traveled the state for several years as part of the MAT short courses and summer short courses providing training to town officers. In 2000, Troy became the General Counsel and Director of Operations for the MAT Agency. Within a few years, he worked to establish the Minnesota Association of Townships Insurance Trust, a statewide self-insurance pool that now insures nearly every township in the state.

In 2006, Troy went into private practice with Kennedy & Graven, Chartered so he could
represent townships directly as their town attorney. In his 17 years with the firm, Troy provided services to over 400 townships, served as city attorney for several cities, and represented watershed management organizations.

In 2024, Jason Hill and Troy decided to form Town Law Center PLLP to allow them to focus their time on serving townships. Working with town officers, regardless of whether they are from among smallest townships in the state to largest townships, has been one of the most rewarding aspects of Troy’s career. After serving townships for more than 32 years, Troy is thrilled to start this new chapter in his career to be able to spend even more time assisting townships.

Education

• St. Cloud State University, B.A., Criminal Justice
• Alexandria Technical College – Law Enforcement Skills Training
• Hamline University School of Law, J.D., Production Editor with the Hamline Journal of Public Law & Policy

Additional Experience

In addition to his legal career, Troy served as a firefighter on the Becker Fire Department for more than 11 years and is the past President and Vice-President of the Department’s Firefighter Relief Association.