Judge Kira Klatchko, Class of '04
Judge Kira Klatchko ’04 serves on the Superior Court of Riverside County. She was a partner at Lewis, Brisbois, Bisgaard, and Smith LLP and vice chair of its Appellate Practice when California Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. appointed her in 2016. Upon graduating from King Hall, Judge Klatchko first worked as an associate at her parents’ law firm, Klatchko & Klatchko. She then joined Best, Best, and Krieger LLP, where she founded and chaired the firm’s appellate group.
Judge Klatchko has been president of the Riverside County Bar Association and chair of its Appellate Law Section. She was also a volunteer mediator with the California Court of Appeal for the Fourth District. A certified Appellate Law Specialist, she is co-contributing editor for the Matthew Bender Practice Guide on California Civil Appeals and Writs, and she has served on and chaired the California State Bar’s Standing Committee on Appellate Courts. She is also the President of the Warren Slaughter-Richard Roemer Inn of Court.
What's fun about being a judge?
Being a judge is great. When I started, I sat in a family law department for almost two years. I now sit in an unlimited civil department. They are very different experiences, but they are both fun in their own ways. In family law, although the cases were often about very serious and sad subject matter, I really enjoyed getting to know people in the community. I am from the Palm Springs area where I sit. Over 80% of the people in family law are self-represented, so you see all kinds of people from the community, many of whom you know. You learn a great deal about your neighbors and because you have direct contact with people you get a sense that you are able to connect and, in some instances, really make a positive difference.
I now sit in an unlimited civil department, and the work is very interesting and challenging. I think the best part though is interacting with our jurors. Because we are in a small community, in almost every venire there is one person that I know or who knows a member of my family. It is a treat to interact with jurors and learn something about them. We have a diverse, interesting, and unusually smart pool of jurors. Watching them work and watching their expressions and reactions through the trial is just fascinating. We also have many great lawyers, not just locally but from all over the state of California. Watching good lawyers in trial is always a pleasure.
I also really enjoy being involved in local student and community outreach programs. I am president of our local Inn of Court and each year we visit middle schools and provide hundreds of students with information about the rule of law, their constitutional rights, and about the courts. Many of the students we work with have had limited or no interactions with lawyers or judges, and any interactions they may have had are often not positive.
Did you always want to be a judge? Did you plan your career with that goal?
No, I did not plan that at all. I was an appellate lawyer, and I really loved being an appellate lawyer. I'm still very active in the appellate world because I co-edit the Matthew Bender appellate guide. And I have been working as a research fellow with the UC Berkeley California Constitutional Center on several appellate-related research projects. I published a paper last year on appellate standards of review. The appellate community is very small and collegial. I never planned on changing course. But one day a local judge reached out and encouraged me to consider the good I could do if I joined the bench. After talking with him I started seriously considering what it might mean. I liked the idea of a new and different challenge, and I thought if I were fortunate enough to be appointed, it would be a wonderful opportunity to be of service and to be part of the community. I am grateful that Governor Brown gave me that opportunity. It’s been more than seven years and I am still really enjoying the job.
What do you do when you aren't working?
I spend as much time as possible with my friends and family. I also have many hobbies. We have great weather here, so I try to make the most of it. I play a lot of tennis, hike, ride my bike, walk and otherwise try to spend time outside. I ski and I am learning to sail. I enjoy reading, live theater, and all kinds of music. I like to cook, and I certainly like to eat, so I'm always out trying new restaurants, wherever I can. And it is always fun to travel when I can get away.
Why did you choose to attend King Hall?
I wanted to stay in California. I went to Berkeley as an undergraduate and, while I enjoyed it, I was ready for a change. I was open to looking at other schools in California. I visited a number of schools, but I thought Davis really provided a different experience. When I went to visit and when I met with other potential students, they were so nice, smart, and friendly. It was clearly not the stereotypical law school.
It seemed like a very supportive environment. I met wonderful people at Davis, and I had some amazing professors who I still think of very often. Some of my closest friendships are with people I met at King Hall.
I also liked the public service aspect that King Hall has always emphasized. Many of my classmates wanted careers in public interest or nonprofit work, teaching, or government. Many law schools at that time were focused only on students who wanted to join large law firms. I wasn’t sure that was what I wanted to do. I enjoyed having options and having classmates with diverse interests.
What is your favorite King Hall memory?
I have many wonderful memories, so that is a difficult question to answer. One thing that I think of often is my time as a civil procedure T.A. for then Dean Rex Perschbacher. He was a great guy and unabashed in his love for civil procedure. He used to joke about running down the street screaming out “Pennoyer v. Neff!” One day in class, he commented to the 1Ls that if they had civil procedure questions they should talk to me because I was destined to be a civil procedure expert who would one day teach the class. I cannot say that I became the expert that he envisioned, and I have yet to scream anything about Pennoyer v. Neff, but his encouragement meant a great deal to me. I always think very fondly of that time, and I still have a copy of the textbook he co-authored.
How have you stayed involved with King Hall?
I have not been as involved as I’d like, because I'm here in Southern California so I often cannot attend campus events. I have been lucky enough to assist with new admittee outreach. I would encourage others to join the effort. It is interesting to talk with potential new students and hear about their concerns and what they are looking for in their law school experience. Their concerns are different then the ones I had when I was looking at law schools. I enjoyed the wonderful education and atmosphere at King Hall and am always pleased to talk about it. And I certainly keep in touch with many of my King Hall classmates.
Of what are you proudest?
In a professional sense, I am proud of the career I have had. It has been absolutely fascinating. I’ve met some wonderful people along the way, and I have no regrets. I enjoyed being an advocate. I enjoyed my appellate practice. And I enjoy being on the bench and being of service here in this community that I was born and raised in.
As part of that, I'm proud to have started practice with my family firm. My parents are lawyers, and they are both hitting their 50th year of practice this year. I'm very proud of them and what they have accomplished and will always cherish the time we spent working together. Not many people can say that they made their first court appearance with their parents as co-counsel. They inspire me, particularly my mom who was one of very few female lawyers in her class. When I was young, I went to observe her sitting as a pro tempore judge in Department PS1, and I now I sit in the exact same courtroom as the first female judge in an unlimited civil department in the desert area.
Do you have any advice for current law students?
Law is not one thing. You don't have to be a corporate lawyer. You don't have to be a litigator. There are so many things you can do in the law, many of which you've never even heard of before. I learn about new sub-specialties all the time, some of which did not exist when I was in law school. You should try to find a field or practice that allows you to use the unique and valuable skills that you have acquired in a way that brings you a sense of satisfaction and fulfillment. If you are not getting that, you should reevaluate. You do not have to leave the profession. One thing I didn't realize when I was a law student is that different people with different personality types and backgrounds gravitate to different areas of the law. If you're wondering if you made a mistake going to law school, or if you are burned out in your practice, it may be that you just haven't found the group that you really belong to, or the area of law that you connect with. I was very lucky to find that.