By Kevin B. Hambly
Shinnick & Ryan, LLP
Judge Enright was appointed by Governor Pete Wilson in August 1997 to Superior Court. He was appointed to the Municipal Court in March 1995. Before this, he obtained his bachelors’ degree in history from Stanford University in 1975, and he obtained his J.D. from University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law in 1979. He then worked as a Deputy District Attorney in Mendocino County from 1979 to 1984. As a deputy DA, Judge Enright worked on rape cases, child molestation cases, murder cases, and cases that involved white collar crimes such as embezzlement, and defrauding the elderly. He tried over 100 jury trials to verdict as a deputy DA, and he was always in trial.
After working as a DA, Judge Enright went into private practice from 1985 to 1995. During this time, he worked as a private practitioner at Butz, Lucas, Dunn and Enright. While at this firm, Judge Enright worked on the defense side of cases that involved claims for negligence, medical malpractice, and employment law.
Judge Enright was appointed by Governor Wilson in Municipal Court in 1995; and then he was appointed to San Diego Superior Court in 1997. He held appointment to the bench since 1997, and he has stood for re-election every six years.
It was a pleasure speaking with Judge Enright about his experiences leading up to and on the bench.
Judge Enright’s Decision to Attend Law School
According to Judge Enright, his dad is his hero. Judge William B. Enright – Judge Kevin A. Enright’s father – was a district attorney and judge in San Diego for many years. Unfortunately, Judge William B. Enright recently passed away. During Kevin Enright’s senior year in college, however, he decided to follow in his dad’s footstep. According to Judge Kevin Enright, his dad was a criminal defense attorney in San Diego in 1954. He went to law school at Loyola School of Law in Los Angeles. He then worked at a deputy DA for approximately three years and was appointed to district court in 1972. Judge Kevin Enright’s father inspired him to pursue a career in law.
Judge Enright’s Decision to Become a District Attorney
Judge Enright wanted to experience trial, and he felt the way to do that was to either go into the public defender’s office or the district attorneys’ office. He got a job at the district attorneys’ office, and his dad was a tremendous influence in his decision to pursue this career.
Judge Enright’s Decision to Work in Private Sector
Judge Enright had been in the DA’s office for five years and had tried most of the cases one could try in his position. After doing this, he wanted to experience depositions and other aspects of civil practice, including civil trial work. This is why Judge Enright decided to explore private practice options outside of the district attorneys’ office.
Judge Enright’s Path to Becoming a Judge
To become a judge, Judge Enright had to apply to the governor’s office, and he had to go through two separate committees. First, he had to go through a private committee that the governor appoints. Second, he had to go through a public committee, which is the judicial nominee’s appointment committee. The job of both of these committees is to vet the candidates. Also, both committees perform their work simultaneously, but they work independently from each other. If both committees approve or otherwise accept the candidate, then the judge elect may be appointed to the bench.
Judge Enright’s Court
For Judge Enright’s first two years on the bench (1995-1997), he presided over criminal trials, preliminary hearings, and had a high volume of cases before his court. In 1997, he was appointed to the Superior Court in Vista, where he stayed on criminal matters, including criminal readiness and settlement conferences, and he presided over other calendar matters. He then came back downtown, where he did more criminal trials, but this time, he was just presiding over felony cases. Once the Superior and Municipal courts combined, all cases were tried in the same court. This consolidation occurred in 1998.
In 2000, Judge Enright was assigned to the civil department as an independent calendar judge. At this time, Judge Enright presided over construction defect litigation cases. After a couple of years, he moved onto general civil litigation, and then onto the independent civil calendar.
Judge Enright’s Advice for New Lawyers
Judge Enright has five main points that he would have liked to have had when he passed the bar.
First, he would try to identify a mentor. This person could be someone outside of your firm, and this should be somebody you can go to when your practice becomes difficult or when difficult questions arise. You also want to make sure that you have a good rapport with this person, and you also want to make sure that this person is okay with you picking their brain. Judge Enright shared the following quote: “Show me the idol of the person, and I will show you the direction of their lives.” Accordingly, he believes that, if you can, select a mentor, and do so very carefully.
Second, Judge Enright believes that you should do everything you can to guard your reputation with jealousy. In litigation, or in transactional law, all you really have is your reputation. This is something you work hard to obtain, but it could be sold very cheaply. You have got to jealously guard your most precious asset, which is your reputation.
Third, he believes that attorneys should attempt to bring balance into their lives. Judge Enright then provided the following quote from Justice Rehnquist – “don’t let your career swallow your lift.” Particularly, with lawyers who work at big firms, they can be in a very difficult position when attempting to balance their lives. Attorneys, just like anyone else, need time to spend time with their families, time for hobbies, time for recreation. The billable hour requirement can be difficult. As a new attorney, when you work, you work hard; when you play, play hard; when you spend time with your family, spend time with your family. This is very easily stated, but hard to implement in life. If you can strive to do this, it can lead to a lot of happiness in your life.
Forth, the practice of law is an old profession, so treat it that way. With everything you say as an attorney, and everything you do, treat your words as if you are working in an honorable profession. A lawyer wrote the declaration of independence; lawyers wrote the bill of rights. Probably, the most eloquent expression of the aspirations of the people was written by a lawyer, that is, the Gettysburg Address. This is true, even though the legal profession can sometimes get a bad rap.
Lastly, do not lose sight of your desire to change the world. Most of us, when we come into the profession, are idealistic and striving to change the world, or to do things approaching changing the world. To do this, however, you have to be the change that you want to see in the world. If you really want to change things, you need to be that change. Another quote that Judge Enright’s dad told to Judge Enright by Albert Switzer – “A tragedy of life is what dies inside a man while he lives.” This profoundly expresses the importance of remaining idealistic. Many people wanted to become a lawyer to have the opportunity to do something that is meaningful and significant.