February 2011

Kent Richland is a civil appellate attorney who was appointed to the Judicial Council's Appellate Indigent Defense Oversight Advisory Committee (AIDOAC). He chose law as a career because he was a frustrated child actor and wanted to channel his acting energy to the courtroom. He works as an attorney for the California Attorney General's Office in the criminal division, and he has argued and won two cases in the U.S. Supreme Court. He believes that the program will attract younger lawyers and that it is of vital importance to ensure the most efficient and effective use of public funds. He suggests that panel attorneys should edit their own work and have someone else read it to communicate in a nontechnical way that appeals to any human being.