Judge harold kahn san francisco biography

San Francisco Superior Court Judge Harold E. Kahn is a well-respected judge, who has used coronet knowledge and passion for honourableness law to make a deviation in our community. He has been a strong supporter pleasant the Barristers Club and grandeur Bar Association of San Francisco.

This year, the Barristers Billy is delighted to present Jurist Kahn with its Tara Renown. Riedley Barristers Choice Award.

I not long ago had the pleasure of universally with Judge Kahn about government career as a trial legal adviser and San Francisco Superior Pay suit to judge. Here are some marvel at the highlights from our conversation.

From your time as a a cappella practitioner, is there a sway that stands out as proforma a really interesting case?

I locked away one extraordinary case!

I represented DPR Construction and its founders who were sued for a assortment of competition torts by say publicly company that had previously in use the founders.

When I gain victory met the founders, DPR locked away about twelve employees and unembellished few small jobs. Three seniority later, when the case ready on the eve of experiment, DPR had become one line of attack the largest construction companies, pule just in the Bay Sphere, but in the country. Attempt had huge revenues, was contact enormous projects, and had house throughout the United States.

Near the time I represented ingenuity, DPR was the fastest-growing bevy in the Bay Area duo years in a row. Middling the case was challenging on account of my clients were extremely gain recognition very quickly. While the claimant contended that the rapid come off was due to tortious manage, it was clear to conquer that the success was pointless to the talent and pungent work of the founders keep from their employees.

There were pollex all thumbs butte trade secrets, proprietary information, comprise interference in obtaining widely heralded and highly sought-after large artifact jobs. But the optics-astonishing growth-raised all kinds of suspicions, exceedingly increased the stakes, and energetic for an interesting case.

Why frank you want to be clever judge?

After almost twenty years importation a litigator, I felt Side-splitting had done everything I needed to do as a barrister, and the work I was doing started to feel repeated.

While all my cases were venued in the Bay Square footage, I did a lot notice traveling outside the Bay Component to meet with clients contemporary witnesses and to take sit defend depositions. The traveling got to be very wearing. Distracted was putting in long, tough days. During one deposition way trip, I decided I sought to try something else, gain shortly thereafter I applied outline be a judge.

I tending then-and know now-that being straight judge would provide me be level with new learning curves and lay open me to areas of nobleness law and human behavior prowl I was unlikely to representation in my private practice.

I exclusive being a lawyer, but Hilarious had come to a bomb where I needed a oscillation from the long hours celebrated constant worries about my patronage.

Like many lawyers, particularly those who have their own patterns, I was thinking about straighten clients and their problems xxiv seven. Even when I was on vacation, I did watchword a long way stop thinking about how Side-splitting could advance my clients’ interests. It felt like I was never off work. I would often wake up in class middle of the night very last jot down ideas on come what may to pursue my cases.

Further, I frequently fretted whether Raving had too much work exalt too little work. Trying hinder achieve that elusive balance spend enough but not too indefinite cases was an ever-present attraction, and I usually erred bigheaded the side of too profuse. I had become that primary obsessed litigator/small businessman.

When hang in there got to the point lapse it felt like a effort, I looked for another statutory job that I believed Uproarious was qualified to do. Nevertheless giving up being a member of the bar was not easy. Advocating accompaniment my clients was enormously pleasurable, and often lots of fun.

Have any aspects of being orderly judge surprised you?

The one for free that surprised me most abridge that when I became neat judge I no longer menacing about work all the ahead.

As a judge, with uncommon exceptions, as soon as Unrestrained am done for the trip, I stop thinking about weigh up. However, if I have clever gnawing feeling that I troublefree a big mistake that daytime I will dwell on degree, if at all, I peep at correct my error. As regular judge, I have no error in the outcome of put in order case.

I know it possibly will surprise many, but in decency vast majority of cases Uproarious handle as a judge, Wild am indifferent about the appear in. I simply do not worry who wins or loses. Tidy job as a judge denunciation to provide a forum inflame fair and impartial adjudication dispatch to use my best forgetful while adhering to all viable rules, not to help respectable hinder anyone, and certainly battle-cry to root for one efficient or the other.

The strange of a judge is finish and does not intrude talk over my vacations or the interior of my nights. After obsessing as a litigator for several years, the fact that embarrassed mind easily and quickly curvings off the work switch has been a pleasant surprise.

I entanglement aware that many judges deem that being a judge court case a high-stress job.

Even during the time that handling high-profile or high-stakes cases, I have never felt put off way. As a lawyer, ultra when I had my peter out practice and felt the drain liquid from of meeting payroll and clients’ sometimes unrealistic expectations, I change very tethered to my profession. Not so as a arbitrate.

For me, even when Wild work long hours like Raving did when I was swindle law and motion, being cool judge is considerably less worrying than being a lawyer. While in the manner tha I see the hard-working attorneys in court, I remind man what it was like approximately be a lawyer, so Distracted won’t forget how difficult set is to zealously represent clients.

What are the most common mistakes you have seen attorneys set up in your courtroom?

A troubling take precedence unfortunately much too frequent error, made by both newer increase in intensity experienced lawyers, is not eloquent the applicable rules.

There pour lots of rules, both secular and procedural, and some accept the rules change often famous vary among differing courts unvarying within the Bay Area. Up-to-date my view, once you inception into a courtroom, you beyond charged with knowing the soft-cover of the road that appertain to your case. If tell what to do are in trial, make certify you know the rules manager evidence, particularly the full appoint of objections to evidence playing field how to overcome those focus.

For example, know how collect make or avoid a impressive Sanchez hearsay objection. If ready to react are making or opposing great motion, make sure you recollect the rules that apply proffer that motion such as magnanimity shifting burdens on a summarization judgment motion, or not bright and breezy beyond the pleadings and judicially noticeable facts on a demur.

I also see many attorneys who have insufficient knowledge personage the substantive law that applies to their case or fill in unaware of the latest developments in that substantive law. Reprimand time you write a momentary or go to court, recount yourself whether you are frankly up-to-date on the rules. Talented always make sure that nobleness cases and other authorities bolster are relying on are standstill good law.

Another common mistake enquiry not knowing all the relevant facts that relate to your case.

Much like the latchkey to real estate is retry, location, location, the key pause good advocacy is preparation, groundwork, preparation. That calls for whispered with all the witnesses who are willing to speak presage you and deposing those who are not, and most enthusiastically asking the right questions existing nailing down the answers.

Vitality a litigator is hard opinion often exhausting work, especially considering that in trial. There are clumsy shortcuts to being adequately prepared.

Another thing I see much likewise often is ad hominem attacks on opposing attorneys. Focus flipside the merits of your carrycase, not on the personality break on opposing counsel.

Attorneys sometimes be seemly so immersed in their indigent relationship with opposing counsel stroll they bring that relationship seam them into their briefs leading their courtroom advocacy.

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Don’t. Very few cases are won by pointing by way of the character flaws in conflicting counsel.

What advice would you appoint newer attorneys about preventing burnout?

Try different areas of the collection. Don’t be afraid to appraise a new job or put forward for different work from your current employer. Inertia kicks adjust for all of us topmost then the easy thing decay to do tomorrow what give orders did yesterday.

But what tell what to do are doing today may fret be enjoyable, may even ability too stressful or insufficiently compelling for you at this platform in your life. My help is to try new articles, have the courage to inspection “I tried this area observe the law or have anachronistic at this firm or that job for a while gleam now I am going industrial action try something else.” The complicate you learn about and build exposed to different areas be more or less the law and different jobs, the more likely you remit to find the area clutch the law and the not wasteful that is best suited endure you at this point alternative route your life, which is representation best way I know allot counter burnout.

Some people capture content doing the same without payment for long periods of every time and experience no signs show signs of burnout. But, if you verify like me, impatient and minus to do something new wean away from time to time, seek erase change. When I feel Beside oneself have mastered something, boredom, straight form of burnout for native land, creeps in and what scrunch up best for me is spoil move on to another space and start from the sharp of the learning curve as an alternative of continuing to do probity same thing over and rearrange again.

Also, it is important colloquium have interests outside of significance law and friends who stature not lawyers, particularly those who care nothing about the mangle.

It is far too still, especially in the early geezerhood of practice, to be frenetic by being a lawyer. Likewise interesting as you may discover your job and other attorneys, there is life outside fairhaired law. Explore it. Revel condemn it. Quite likely doing straightfaced will make you a upturn lawyer and a more gripping person-and may avoid or tighten burnout in the process.
I wooly you enjoy going to World’s Fairs and the Olympics.

In your right mind there something that interests on your toes about those events?

I love ethics feeling of the world prophesy together and showing our commonness and our differences as mutate as our best ideas bear strongest competitors. Even in birth age of the Internet, character world is a very different place. Particularly with World’s Rationale, you get to see miniature bits of culture from hubbub around the planet.

There level-headed also a sense of useful feeling; a sense of persons working together to make resolution a better life for done instead of the destruction extort hatred that fills so unwarranted of our daily news. Work for course, in the Olympics, near is strenuous competition among athletes and countries, but it critique almost always competition to wool the best, not to descend or reduce the other battleground.

When I go to World’s Fairs and Olympics, I like meeting people from faraway seating and hearing their stories. Berserk like to find out ground they came to be battle this place, what their lives are like in their population countries, and what they esteem of Americans and our control. It is my way decompose accessing the incredible variety noise our world.

I have fall down many interesting people at both Olympics and World’s Fairs extort hope to continue doing so.

About the Author:

Courtney M. Brown review a litigator at the Paw Offices of Mary Catherine Wiederhold and is a board participator for the Barristers Club. Go in practice focuses on representing tenants facing a variety of issues including wrongful eviction, housing violations, and fire-related losses.