Judge Joyce Karlin

Re Judge Joyce Karlin (“Judge Who Gave Probation in ’91 Killing Quits,” Feb. 11):

I am an attorney at the Juvenile Dependency Court, where I represent abused and neglected children. For the past year I have had the privilege of practicing in Judge Karlin’s courtroom. I found her to be professional, hard-working, thorough, intelligent and, most important, compassionate.

As a minors attorney, I always appreciated the time Judge Karlin took to speak to the children and to explain her decisions. For example, if she ordered that a child had to remain in foster care, and the child began to cry because he or she wanted to go home, Karlin would recess the court and speak with the child until he or she was calm. If a child was too intimidated or scared to attend the hearing, she would clear the courtroom and show the child around.

Children in our court must often testify about very painful subjects, such as molestation or physical abuse. They are often testifying against the people they love most--their parents. When a child was required to testify, Judge Karlin would make sure that the child was comfortable and ready to testify before beginning. In short, she took the time to care.

I learned a lot about how to be professional and how to treat people, especially my young and fragile clients, from Karlin. I will miss her and my clients will miss out on the benefits of having her on their side.

JILL I. FRANKLIN

Los Angeles