Ex-bar
prosecutor Jayne Kim
named interim chief trial counsel
Jayne Kim, a
former State Bar prosecutor and current assistant U.S. Attorney in Los Angeles,
was named interim chief trial counsel last month. She replaces James Towery,
who resigned in June after less than a year in the job.
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Jayne Kim was named
interim chief trial counsel |
James Fox,
retired San Mateo County District Attorney and the longest sitting district
attorney in California prior to his retirement in January, has been retained as
a consultant to help Kim bring change to the Office of Chief Trial Counsel.
“Jayne is
very impressive and totally committed to public protection,” said State
Bar President Bill Hebert. “She also understands that we are looking for
a change agent in OCTC and is more than up to that task.”
In accepting the
appointment, Kim said, “I am honored to take on this assignment. My
career has been devoted to public protection. Returning to the State Bar in
this capacity gives me the opportunity to establish a zero/zero goal —
that is getting the State Bar’s backlog down to zero and assuring that
there is zero tolerance for attorney misconduct in California.”
The chief trial
counsel heads the bar’s disciplinary unit, which prosecutes California
lawyers for professional misconduct. The office has been under pressure to
reduce its backlog of pending cases; Executive Director Joe Dunn has set a goal
of zero by the end of the year. Four high-ranking prosecutors were ousted in
July, further shaking up the discipline unit.
The backlog
consists of cases pending longer than six months after receipt, without
dismissal, admonition or formal disciplinary charges. According to the 2010
discipline report, the backlog stood at 1,908, exactly 100 more than the
previous year. The number does not include cases held or abated.
Changes in how
the backlog is calculated and reported were made in response to a 2009 state audit that
found inefficiencies in the discipline operation. When Gov. Schwarzenegger vetoed the
bar’s 2010 fee bill, he specifically cited the audit.
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Kim pledges a zero backlog and zero tolerance for lawyer misconduct
Darryl Bush photos |
“I think
the real test and goal of the office is not to meet a certain number at the end
of the year, but to have substantial efficiency,” Kim said. “I
don’t want the State Bar chasing backlog numbers. I want them eliminated
and to keep it that way throughout the year.” She was emphatic, however,
that a zero backlog can be achieved. “It’s a pivotal time for the
bar and a time to make some great changes.”
Although not
specific about changes in the department, Kim said she “will take a hard
look at what we’re doing” and wants to develop a better training
program and consider some structural changes. “It is clear to me that I
am expected to serve as a change agent in OCTC,” she said. “To
fully accomplish this, I welcome the assistance of Jim Fox — he will help
me develop structural changes and training programs, bringing his wealth of
experience as a successful prosecutor to complement mine as we address the
issues confronting OCTC.”
In
addition to the backlog issue, the discipline unit has received complaints in
the past two years from thousands
of distressed homeowners who accuse their lawyers of mishandling their clients’
loan modification efforts. A special task force was created in 2009 to
prosecute those complaints. Another group was appointed to handle major
misappropriation cases.
Kim, 42, grew up
in Wisconsin and graduated from the University of Minnesota Law School.
Visiting California as a law student, she was drawn by “the weather, the
diversity, the people, the food, everything. I knew this was the place for
me.”
She started her
career as a public defender for Los Angeles County before joining the bar for
almost eight years. As an assistant U.S. Attorney, Kim handled cybercrimes and
intellectual property, and worked on organized crime cases and with a drug task
force.
Kim is married
to Rudy Camarena, a sergeant with the Santa Monica police department.
She will take
the bar’s top prosecutorial job by mid-September and will be
headquartered in the Los Angeles office.