Ryan M. Pacyga
Top rated Criminal Defense attorney in Saint Paul, Minnesota
Pacyga & Associates, P.A.
Practice areas: Criminal Defense, White Collar Crimes, Personal Injury; view more
Licensed in Minnesota since: 2002
Education: William Mitchell College of Law
Selected to Super Lawyers: 2014 - 2026 
Selected to Rising Stars: 2008 - 2013 Call today:
612-474-5420
Free Consultation Pacyga & Associates, P.A.
860 Blue Gentian RdSuite 175
Saint Paul, MN 55121 Visit website
Ryan Pacyga is a Minnesota trial lawyer with more than two decades of experience trying serious cases in state and federal court. He is the founder of Pacyga Trial Lawyers, a selective practice based in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metro that represents clients in serious criminal defense matters and serious personal injury cases, including catastrophic trucking accidents and wrongful death.
Criminal Defense
Ryan has tried and won some of the most difficult criminal cases in Minnesota. His practice covers the full range of serious state and federal charges: murder, criminal sexual conduct, federal mail and wire fraud, aggravated assault, drug trafficking, firearms offenses, and white collar crime. He has obtained not-guilty verdicts and dismissals in cases where conviction seemed inevitable — including a federal acquittal via motion for judgment of acquittal, one of the rarest outcomes in federal court.
Notable results include a not-guilty verdict on two counts of first degree murder, dismissals and not guilty verdicts in criminal sexual conduct cases, not guilty and dismissals in federal fraud cases, not guilty in firearm possession cases, not guilty in serious assault cases, and a landmark Fourth Amendment decision from the Idaho Supreme Court reversing a lower court's denial of a suppression motion and creating new constitutional law on vehicle searches.
Other criminal defense attorneys regularly consult Ryan on complex cases and hire him to take over trials. He has been invited to present on trial strategy and self-defense law at law schools and continuing legal education seminars across Minnesota.
Personal Injury & Wrongful Death
Ryan brings the same trial-focused approach to catastrophic personal injury, trucking accident, and wrongful death cases. Pacyga Trial Lawyers is not a settlement firm — it builds cases for trial and achieves results accordingly. Attorneys who handle personal injury matters and need a referral partner with genuine trial experience trust Ryan with their most serious cases.
Recognition & Leadership
Ryan has been named to the Minnesota Super Lawyers list annually. He served on the Board of Directors of the Minnesota Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and is a lifetime member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. He is also a member of the Academy of Truck Accident Attorneys. He has been recognized by Minnesota Law & Politics as one of the state's leading criminal defense attorneys and was named to the National Trial Lawyers Top 40 Under 40.
He has been sought out as a legal commentator by the New York Times, CNN, Fox News, KFAN, and 93X, Fox 9, KSTP, the Minnesota Star Tribune and has represented numerous high-profile clients including professional athletes.
Practice areas
Criminal Defense, Criminal Defense: White Collar, Personal Injury - General: PlaintiffFocus areas
Assault & Battery, Brain Injury, Construction Accident, Criminal Fraud, Criminal Law, Criminal Law - Federal, Drug & Alcohol Violations, False Accusations, Felony, Murder, Sex Offenses, White Collar Crime, Wrongful Death
- 50% Criminal Defense
- 40% Criminal Defense: White Collar
- 10% Personal Injury - General: Plaintiff
First Admitted: 2002, Minnesota
Professional Webpage: https://arrestedmn.com/attorney/pacyga-ryan-m-esq/
Bar / Professional Activity
- Lifetime Member, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
- Board of Directors, Lawyers Guild of St. Thomas More , 2025
- Vice-Chair, Professionalism Committee, Hennepin County Bar Association's
- Member, Minnesota State Bar Association
- Board of Directors: Minnesota Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
- Member, Minnesota Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
- Treasurer, American Inns of Court, Richard T. Oakes Chapter
Verdicts / Settlements (Case Results)
- State v. I.O.: Charges of Criminal Sexual Conduct Dismissed after victory in suppression hearing., 2020
- State v. D.P. Three counts of criminal sexual conduct in the third, fourth and fifth degrees. After a year and a half of litigation, all charges dismissed. , 2025
- State v J.E. Not guilty two counts of 1st degree murder, as well as two counts of second degree murder , 2025
- State v. Gilbertson: 3rd degree criminal sexual conduct. Allegation was that defendant and the accuser had been drinking together, got drunk, and had sex. Accuser woke up and had a blackout where she remembered parts but not others. State alleged Defendant knew or should have known that the accuser was "physically helpless" or "mentally incapacitated." The state also filed for aggravating factors which, if found guilty, would have permitted a 96 month prison sentence. Ryan and his client took the case to trial. He showed biases and lies of the state's witnesses, including the accuser. After a week and a half trial, the jury only deliberated for 3 hours before finding the defendant NOT GUILTY. The jury relied on, among other things, a key recording where Ryan pointed out the change in a story and how the detective was helping coach the accuser into this change. The jury listened to the recording again in deliberations, and the part that Ryan pointed out. , 2024
- State v. Vasquez: 1st degree Criminal Sexual Conduct. Facing a 12-year prison sentence, Ryan Pacyga took the case to trial and earned a not guilty verdict for his client., 2024
- United Stats v. Somerville: 8th Circuit Court of Appeals. Ryan Pacyga was trial counsel on federal felon in possession of firearm case. Ryan raised a 6th Amendment issue and Due Process issue on appeal, arguing that the Court interfered with Defendant's right to a fair jury. The 8th Circuit shared the concerns that Ryan had raised and remanded the case back to the trial court for further proceedings., 2023
- Idaho v. Randall (Idaho Supreme Court). Ryan Pacyga was trial court counsel, litigated a suppression issue based upon unconstitutional canine/dog search of vehicle. The district court denied the suppression motion but the case went up on appeal to the Idaho Supreme Court. The Supreme Court agreed with Ryan Pacyga's arguments and reversed the trial court and suppressed the evidence, creating new constitutional search/seizure law in Idaho., 2021
- State v. M.F.: Dismissal of felony assault charges at trial., 2020
- State of Minnesota v. A.O.N. Trial resulting in dismissal of all 5 charges of criminal sexual conduct. The defendant had a DIFFERENT lawyer at first. He went to trial on 5 charges of criminal sexual conduct. The jury voted 9 guilty and 3 not guilty. The defendant fired his lawyer and hired Ryan Pacyga. Ryan Pacyga took the case and went to trial. This time, with Ryan Pacyga as the lawyer, the jury voted 11 NOT GUILTY and one guilty. The prosecution dismissed all charges after that trial and the defendant is free., 2019
- United States v. Lachlan McConnell: not guilty 46 counts of fraud and controlled substances; State v. R.M.: Not guilty assault with firearm via self defense; State v. L.F.: criminal vehicular homicide no adjudication, blood test suppressed; State v. B.L.: Not Guilty criminal sexual conduct; State v. J.H.: Not Guilty felony domestic assault; State v. E.Z.: Not Guilty 1st Degree Assault; State v. M.W.: Felony drug distribution dismissed; State v. A.W.: Solicitation of Prostitution dismissed; State v. J.D. 1st degree controlled substance sale dismissed; State v. T.L.: solicitation of prostitution dismissed; State v. J.M.: violation of Order for Protection dismissed; State v. Yang.: 3rd degree controlled substance dismissed; State v. Milton.: obstructing legal process dismissed; State v. B.B.: Not Guilty 1st Deg. Assault; State v. S.S.: Not Guilty 2nd Degree Assault; State v. C.C.: Not Guilty Felony Violation of Order for Protection; State v. Hartwig: Not Guilty of aiding a murder and felon in possession of a handgun. State v. Benedict: Not Guilty of burglary. State v. Wilmes: 9 counts of attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon: jury verdict "not guilty" on every count; State v. T.B.: 14-count attempted murder: dismissed; State v. Kpedua: domestic strangulation jury trial: not guilty; State v. Zweber: drug possession: evidence suppressed, case dismissed; State v. A.L.: DWI jury trial: not guilty, State v. Khan: Not Guilty, domestic stragulation. State v. Jacques: Not Guilty, DWI. State v. Johnson: Case dismissed after 18 pounds of cocaine suppressed due to unconstitutional search; State v. Shoen: Not guilty, felony assault. State v. Bielke: Not Guilty, 1st Degree Assault. State v. Craig: Not Guilty, felony violation of OFP; State v. Yang: 3d Controlled Substance Suppressed, case dismissed; State v. Williams: Not Guilty strangulation, terroristic threats, domestic assualt; State v Hamilton: Not Guilty Felony Domestic Assault; State v. Cook: Not Guilty felony DWI; State v. Gibbs: Malicious Punishment of Child Dismissed.
Videos
- Criminal defense lawyer Ryan Pacyga explains what Criminal Sexual Conduct is in Minnesota, including the five different degrees of charges., Series on Criminal Sexual Conduct, Criminal Defense, Law, 2020
Pro bono / Community Service
- Volunteer mentor to college and law students 2002-present
- Volunteer: Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers, 2025
- Volunteer: Salvation Army, Minneapolis, MN, 2022
- Volunteer Union Gospel Mission St. Paul, MN, 2023
- Volunteer mentor, University of St. Thomas School of Law, 2022
- Axelberg v. Commissioner of Public Safety (Minn. 2014). Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers
- Volunteer youth hockey, football, and baseball coach
Educational Background
- University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN, B.A., in Speech Communications, Honors: Dean's List, 1999
Scholarly Lectures / Writings
- Training lawyers how to raise and use the defenses of self defense and defense of another in murder and assault trials, author/presenter, The Law of Self Defense and Defense of Another, 2014
- How to obtain additional evidence in criminal cases that can uncover helpful facts for a criminal defendant., author/presenter, Paradee Requests, 2015
- The law of entrapment in a criminal case is complex. How to discover if your client was entrapped, and if so, how to present that in court to obtain a successful result., Presenter/Author, Entrapment: How to use the defense at trial, 2015
Honors
- Named to Top 100 Trial Lawyers by the National Trial Lawyers 2014, 2015, Top 100 Trial Lawyers, The National Trial Lawyers
- Minnesota Law & Politics, "Who's Who in Criminal Defense"
- Top 40 Trial Lawyers Under 40 by the National Trial Lawyers, Top 40 Under 40, The National Trial Lawyers, 2013
Industry Groups
- Assaults
- Drug Crimes
- DWI & DUI Defense
- Federal
- Federal Crimes
- Felonies
- Fraud
- Murder
- Sex Crimes
Office location for Ryan M. Pacyga
860 Blue Gentian Rd
Suite 175
Saint Paul, MN 55121
Phone: 612-474-5420
Selections
- Super Lawyers: 2014 - 2026
- Rising Stars: 2008 - 2013
