LAL #063 — Attorney Mark Richards: Defending Kyle Rittenhouse

<p>How fortunate we are to play host to Mr. Mark Richards, Kyle Rittenhouse's lead defense attorney in what many will believe to be the watershed moment in modern America's promise to each of us the due process of law. </p> <p>We are barely a couple of weeks removed from the jury verdict in State v. Rittenhouse, the widely publicized case that considered the events as they unfolded in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on August 25, 2020, amid the larger, burnished silhouette of a summer marked by widespread protests symbolic of the agitated republic America today remains.</p> <p>Mark very generously agreed to sit with us for Law and Legitimacy to bring the attorney's voice to the forefront and to shed light on various aspects of his representation—some top-of-mind in the public consciousness, others that until now lay dormant. </p> <p>We began as we always do here by asking Mark to talk about his life before his engagement as Rittenhouse's attorney of record. Mark is Wisconsin born and bred. A graduate of both the University of Wisconsin and the University of Wisconsin Law School. To date, Mark has nearly 125 jury trials under his belt as a defense attorney. </p> <p>Mark and I talk about the nature of the law in Wisconsin. Some of you may find our discussion of the "trial tax" familiar from previous conversations and episodes. Mark talks about his inspiration in the law, I ask him to discuss the case that most broke his heart, and together we lay coordinates for our discussion of the Rittenhouse saga. </p> <p>Through our conversation you will learn not only how Mark became Rittenhouse's lead attorney, but why Mark was indeed the best man for the job. </p> <p>We cover it all:</p> <ul> <li>The early involvement of attorneys John Pierce and Lin Wood;</li> <li>Kyle's extradition to Kenosha County jail;</li> <li>Mark's assessments of Judge Schrader and the prosecution;</li> <li>The role of the jury consultant and the three (3) mock juries utilized;</li> <li>The prosecution's challenge of Kyle's 5th amendment right to silence;</li>