San Diego Criminal Justice Memorial
Honorees
A memorial directory honoring deceased judges, prosecutors, and defense attorneys who advanced criminal justice in San Diego County.
William Alden Brockett, Jr.
1941-1996
Bill Brockett was born on January 21, 1941. He was a United States Naval Academy graduate and served as a commissioned officer in the Navy. He graduated from Yale Law School and immediately became immersed in criminal law. He worked as a staff attorney with Federal Defenders in San Diego and then with State Defenders, trying numerous criminal cases for the indigent.
After four years as a public defender in San Diego and San Francisco, Brockett took time off to play professional poker and bicycle through Europe. (SF Recorder, 6/18/96). He had diverse interests and was said to be “as happy shooting pool as he was reading poetry.” (Brockett’s brother-in-law and a civil rights lawyer Thomas Meyer) (SF Recorder, 6/18/96). Brockett co-wrote the well-respected CLE book Effective Direct and Cross Examination in 1986 with John Keker.
He had a reputation as a lawyer who was intellectually astute and persuasive before judges and juries. U.S. District Court Judge Claudia Wilken, who had known Bill for more than 20 years, regarded him as good on the law and charming in front of a jury.
Bill moved to San Francisco and broadened his practice to include civil litigation. He and John Keker formed the highly respected firm of Keker & Brockett. Both went on to achieve formidable reputations as brilliant and tenacious advocates for their clients. Brockett liked to say that “In the process of building Keker and Brockett, we went from representing bank robbers to bank presidents.” (SF Recorder, 6/18/96).
Bill later became a partner in the Legal Strategies Group of Emeryville. He was a vigorous and committed proponent of nuclear non-proliferation and worked as a volunteer in that cause. He was widely known for his humanity and wit. He died at the untimely age of 55 in Berkeley on June 15, 1996 from a brain tumor.
Upon his passing, members of the Bar commented that “Bill Brockett was a great gentlemen to try a case with and a great gentlemen to try a case against.” (James Brosnahan); “He showed that civility and grace in the practice of law was not and should not be a bygone of the legal community.” (Louise Ma). (SF Recorder, 6/18/96). The Bill Brockett Public Interest Fellowship was established in his honor to fund community outreach projects by recent law school graduates. He left us with many thoughts, including these:
Is there a way to practice law with dignity? I need to care less about winning the trivial battles, more about decency.
Never be gnawed by the rats of remorse.
I believe in living life to the fullest, or ten o’clock, whichever comes first.