Richard Foster

Deputy Public Defender, he/him

In 2015 Richard graduated from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Summa Cum Laude with a degree in Economics and Minors in both Professional Writing and Real Estate. In 2019, Richard earned his Juris Doctor at the William S. Boyd School of Law, with a Concentration in Alternative Dispute Resolution. Since then, Richard has been admitted to the Bars in Nevada, Washington, and Oregon.

Richard has always been drawn to public service. For the last four years, he has volunteered as a judge in the Truancy Diversion Project, working with troubled students to ensure they are given tools and support needed to graduate rather than drop out. Since first admitted to the Bar, Richard has been a pro bono attorney in the Child Attorney Project (CAP), protecting the legal rights of neglected and abused children; in fact, Richard accepted his first CAP client before taking his first paying client. He has also volunteered his time to serve clients in situations such as name and gender marker changes, sealing prior criminal records, obtaining divorces, and helping to secure child custody in abusive situations.

During his short legal career, Richard has been repeatedly recognized for providing community legal services. First while in Law school, he exceeded the school’s minimum pro bono expectations, earning the designation of Highest Pro Bono Honors. In 2021 he was awarded Nevada Legal Services’ Pro Bono Solo Practitioner Award and Legal Aid of Southern Nevada’s Pro Bono Attorney of the Month January 2021. In 2022, Richard received Nevada Legal Services’ Pro Bono Attorney of the Year.