Chief Trial Counsel Appointed to Second Term

• Publication year: 2016
• Pages: 06

Chief trial counsel appointed to second term No. 2016 #06 California Bar Journal January, 2016

The State Bar Board of Trustees last month appointed Chief Trial Counsel Jayne Kim to serve a second four-year term as the State Bar's top prosecutor, acting on the nomination of new Executive Director Elizabeth Rindskopf Parker.

Parker said she made the nomination after extensively reviewing Kim's record and listening to input from employees and others. The position requires confirmation by the California Senate.

"Ms. Kim is an excellent lawyer and a person of great integrity and commitment to public service, " Parker said. "Ms. Kim, the State Bar and the citizens of California deserve the opportunity for her to complete the reform work she has begun."

The 218-employee Office of Chief Trial Counsel is the State Bar's central organization designed for public protection in the discipline of California lawyers. It is the largest State Bar operation, receiving thousands of complaints against attorneys every year and prosecuting professional misconduct in State Bar Court.

Under Kim's leadership, the Office of Chief Trial Counsel has:

Standardized discipline and made sure that accountability for misconduct occurs in the interest of public protection, notwithstanding continuing concerns voiced by some defense counsel

• Improved case processing practices that have resulted in more timely, coherent, and standardized investigations and prosecutions, making sure that claimants and defendants alike receive prompt resolution

• Reduced by half the number of petitions filed in the California Supreme Court to appeal a closed complaint, from 191 in 2011 to 81 in 2014

• Reinstituted quality control measures, requiring supervisor or management review of charging and settlement decisions

• Transitioned to a vertical prosecution model, which eliminated delays in moving cases from investigation to prosecution

• Established an appeals unit for greater uniformity in appellate work

"Ms. Kim is totally committed to public protection, " State Bar President David Pasternak said. "It is noteworthy that the six current and former prosecutors on the board, who collectively have over 100 years of...