Welcome to Our New Assistant Training Director

by Meryl Carver-Allmond, BIDS Training Director

I am beyond excited to have Christina Kerls joining the BIDS Training Department this month as our new Assistant Training Director. Many of you will know Christina from her long service with BIDS – in both the Appellate Defender Office and the Northeast Kansas Conflicts Office – and as an adjunct professor at Washburn Law School. But for those who haven’t gotten to know her yet, I sat down this week to ask her a few questions to help introduce her.

Meryl: Tell us a little about your experience as an attorney so far.

Christina: I’ve been a public defender for just short of 16 years. I was with the ADO for almost 12, the NE Kansas Conflicts Office for almost three, and now the Training Department. In addition, I’ve been adjunct faculty at Washburn Law, where I have been helping with trial skills classes and competition trial teams since about 2006. Additionally, I’ve helped with the Trial Advocacy, Cross Examination, and Deposition classes. I’m also part of the faculty for the NITA Public Service Training that is held every year in October.

Meryl: What was your best day as an attorney?

Christina: My best day was when Danielle Hamilton-Slate and I got a not guilty verdict for a felony murder case that never should have been charged. It was a tragic accident, and our client was as much of a victim as the deceased. That verdict made me feel like we made a huge difference in not only our client’s life, but also the life of his family who did not have to lose him in addition to the deceased.

Meryl: What made you want to join the BIDS training department?

Christina: I have wanted to be a public defender since I was about 8 years old, watching Matlock with my Grandma. I wanted to be Matlock, but for the people who couldn’t afford Matlock. I have been teaching trial skills since my second year in law school, when I coached Washburn’s Undergraduate Mock Trial Team. Being a part of the BIDS training department allows me to put together two of the things that I am most passionate about in my life. I have loved actively practicing law. But when the opportunity came to share what I have learned over the past 20 years in both teaching and practicing, and what I intend to keep learning as long as I can, to the whole agency, it felt like it was something that I had to do. I didn’t have a choice. It felt like I could be a part of creating an agency where every indigent defendant has their own personal Matlock as their attorney. It felt like an opportunity to help change the stigma of public defense and instead of the public, clients, prosecutors, judges, etc..., thinking, “Oh man, they’ve got a public defender,” it’s “OH MAN!!! THEY’VE GOT A PUBLIC DEFENDER!!!!”

Meryl: What challenges do you see in your new role?

Christina: I think the biggest challenge will be finding the time. Caseloads are large. Sometimes it seems as though every minute of every day is scheduled, and there just isn’t time to stop and take a breath, let alone improve and grow skills with more training. But I am really hoping that we can continue to keep the momentum and excitement about the agency that has developed in the last couple of years going and growing.

Meryl: What one project or part of training are you most excited to get to work on?

Christina: I am incredibly excited to help create the New Lawyer Training program. It is an extension of what I have done with Washburn Law and NITA for so many years, but with the additions of the areas that aren’t covered in most practical skills programs that are just as important, if not more so, than the active trial skills. Trial skills are important. But what I’ve learned over the last several years is that being able to talk to your clients, negotiate for your clients, and do seemingly mundane things like keeping files organized and your time managed are what really help to make the most effective advocates. I’m very excited to be a part of the team working to develop a comprehensive training program for attorneys (and others) entering the agency that helps them to feel confident about their ability to help our clients in every way we can. 

Meryl: Alight, let’s end with a fun question. I know that —in addition to both being passionate about training – we share some other hobbies, too, including a love of Harry Potter and fiber arts. Is it true you have an entire Harry Potter-themed office?  

Christina: I do have a lot of Harry Potter-themed decorations in my office, although they aren’t all displayed right now because I’m in the process of switching offices. That includes my favorite thing I’ve ever crocheted – a set of Harry Potter dolls! 

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Please join me in welcoming Christina! And please feel free to reach out to her with your training ideas, suggestions, and feedback.