MEET RICHARD
Richard Forrest Kern is an experienced attorney running for District Court Judge. With over 15 years of legal experience, he has a proven track record of delivering for our community.
Richard has significant experience in the area of family law, entertainment law, government, and appellate law. He has successfully represented clients since 2009 in multiple counties throughout the State of North Carolina.
Richard has lived and worked in New Hanover and Pender Counties since his family moved here in 1985. He is a life-long Republican and has worked as a propmaker, a carpenter, and a musician before becoming an attorney. His experiences have provided him a well-rounded sense of fair-mindedness and understanding.
Richard graduated from Hoggard High School in 1993. Albany Law School in upstate New York in 2008 with his juris doctorate degree. He earned a B.A. in Political Science from The University of North Carolina at Wilmington in 2005 and, in 2003, earned an A.A. in Political Science from Cape Fear Community College.
While in law school, Richard interned/externed in the chambers of the Honorable John M. Tyson at the North Carolina Court of Appeals and worked at the Government Law Center in Albany, New York, researching land use and zoning law issues.
Richard is also a published legal writer in the area of land use and zoning law and has served as an alternate member of the New Hanover County Zoning Board of Adjustments.
Richard lives in Castle Hayne with his lovely wife, Dara, and their two dogs, Cricket and Loki. In his spare time, he still plays music.
