Terry M. Giles and Kalli O’Malley Giles make their home in Houston, Texas.
Terry was born in St. Louis, Missouri. He received his Bachelor of Arts Degree from California State University at Fullerton and his Jurist Doctorate from Pepperdine University School of Law, where there is now a “Terry M. Giles Honor Scholar”. He established one of the largest and most successful criminal law firms on the West Coast, only to withdraw from the firm in 1983, disillusioned with the criminal legal system.
Starting over, he took a small Toyota dealership and built it into the fifth largest in the world. He then helped build a Canon copier distributorship into the third largest in the country and negotiated the sale of ComputerLand, Inc. a company with $2.5 billion in annual sales. He also reestablished his legal practice, but this time focused exclusively on civil trial matters and only for clients and causes that he believed in. In 2008 he was runner up for National Jury Trial Lawyer of the Year for his work in the Catholic predator priest cases in California. His career includes buying or building 35 companies in a variety of industries but today, his company, Giles Enterprises, has diversified interests in biotech, time management, European 5-Star hotels and restaurants, and financial portfolio investments. He is chairman of Landmark Worldwide Corporation, a San Francisco-based enterprise with 43 offices in 20 countries and Pacific Biomarkers, Inc., a diagnostic laboratory enterprise in Seattle. Additionally, Terry serves on the Boards of Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans (where he and Kalli also Chair the Scholarship Committee), the Pepperdine University Board of Regents, and The Giles-O’Malley Foundation.
Terry has received the Medal of Honor Alumni Award from Pepperdine University, Alumnus of the Year from Pepperdine University School of Law, the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans Award, and the Distinguished Alumnus Award of California State University of Fullerton. He further serves as an adjunct professor of law at Pepperdine University School of Law.
Kalli was born in Houston, Texas. In college, she was a member of the Kilgore Rangerette dance team, and she received a Bachelor of Science in Journalism, Summa Cum Laude. She worked as a journalist in the 1980’s while attending law school at the University of Houston Law Center. While in law school, she was a member of the Order of the Barons Honor Society. Following graduation, she practiced commercial litigation at the prestigious law firm, Andrews & Kurth, and was a prosecutor at the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, where she enjoyed courtroom and trial work, and working with the victims of crime.
In the 1990’s, she founded the Houston chapter of Girls Incorporated, a national organization that has as its mission to inspire girls to grow into confident, responsible adults, while achieving economic independence and personal fulfillment. She served as the President of the Board in Houston and on the National Board, which is headquartered in New York City. Kalli has also been an active volunteer in her children’s schools and has taught 2nd grade Sunday school at the family’s church. She is also currently active in sponsoring and mentoring several immigrant families from Mexico, emphasizing high educational goals for the children and progressive life goals and skills for the adults. She encourages the use of positive thinking in helping these families integrate into the American culture and as a long time member of the Guidepost Board of Advisors, has distributed copies of the Spanish version of the Power of Positive Thinking as part of this work.
Kalli has two children, Lauren and Keller, and has retired from the active practice of law to focus on the family enterprises and interests with Terry.