The following is a news release from the Kern County Administrative Office:
Kern County Supervisors today appointed Konrad Moore as Public Defender. Moore had served as Interim Public Defender since October 2012 following the death of Public Defender Art Titus.
The Office of Public Defender provides legal representation to indigent criminal defendants in Kern County Superior Court cases. As Public Defender, Moore supervises a staff of 62 attorneys who handled more
than 35,000 cases last year.
"The Board of Supervisors has been impressed by the quality of Konrad Moore's leadership during a difficult time for everyone in the Public Defender's Office," Board of Supervisors Chairman Mike Maggard said. "Mr. Moore is dedicated to continuing the legacy of service built by those who preceded him in this important position, and we are pleased to appoint him as Public Defender."
Moore joined the Public Defender’s Office in 2000 and became Chief Deputy Public Defender in 2008 before assuming the Chief Assistant position in 2011. As Chief Assistant, Moore assigned and tracked felony cases, supervised outlying Public Defender offices, and defended a number of homicide cases in court. Before coming to Kern County, Moore spent a year in private practice and served six years as a Deputy District Attorney, first in Stanislaus County, where he prosecuted felony and misdemeanor jury trials, and in Monterey County, where he prosecuted juvenile gang offenses. Prior to that, Moore practiced civil law at Kirkland & Ellis, LLP. Prior to attending law school, Moore earned his license as a Certified Public Accountant.
Moore earned a Juris Doctor degree at the University of California, Berkeley Boalt Hall School of Law, and he holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of California, Berkeley. He is on the board of directors of the California Public Defenders Association, for which he has presented seminars in trial skills. He has also published articles on criminal justice issues in the Los Angeles Times, Sacramento Bee, San Francisco Chronicle, and Orange County Register.
