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Attorney keeps busy pace from run to court
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Family law attorney Kendall Darr sits at her desk in the Manteca law offices of McFall, Burnett and Brinton. She is also the deputy city attorney for Manteca. - photo by GLENN KAHL

A 5K run is the first thing on the daily agenda for family law attorney Kendall Darr before she heads to one of several committee meetings, to court or just going to her office at the McFall, Burnett and Brinton law firm in Manteca.

One of two women attorneys in Manteca, Darr had worked first for a Sacramento law firm dealing with the legalese involving construction firms after graduating from the University of California at Davis Law School.

At Downey High School in Modesto she was a cheerleader along with other activities along with having some interest in sports.

She played right center field last month in a softball game between the city management group  and the Del Webb at Woodbridge  team.  On the squad with her was city manager Karen McLaughlin, Joan Tilton and Suzanne Mallory – and they reveled in their win.

She serves as vice chair on both Give Every Child a Chance tutoring program and the Boys and Girls Club. Darr also handles the finance duties of GECAC.  She showed her family pride in talking about her sister nearly 10 years her elder who serves as an ER nurse at Doctors Medical Center in Modesto.

Darr recalled her second grade teacher Phoebe Payne who was in awe when her 7-year-old student “put barricades up,” telling her in no uncertain terms: “Nope I don’t want to read!”

She said she remembers telling Mrs. Payne that she didn’t care what grades she got on her report card saying she was OK with C’s and S’s. She was emphatic in her negative position about the idea of reading.  But by the end of her second grade, her teacher had won the battle and had her loving reading – a natural for a budding attorney.

Mrs. Payne and her husband had a lot to do with her education as she caught up with him in high school as her biology teacher.  She remembers he was a lot like his wife in many good ways.

Darr was actually surrounded by educators in addition to her sister being nearly a dozen years ahead of her and her dad was principal at three elementary schools – Mark Twain, Enslen and Fremont.  Her mother was a school counselor at Downey High School and a resource specialist during her four years of high school.

“Education is huge,” she says.  “That’s why I like Give Every Child a Chance.  I think giving someone a cornerstone to their education is the top priority.”

 She says of her life: “I have a great job, great family and I like to assist people when they need assistance.”

Darr cited her position working with attorneys John Brinton and Don Lupul and the staff as being just like family because they get along so very well.

“We don’t always agree – we sometimes debate with each other.  Not necessarily are any of us wrong, but we can point to the good points of everyone’s arguments,” she said. “Three brains work well together.”

She said she had just run her first 10 K run on July 22 in the “Wharf to Wharf” event from Santa Cruz to Capitola.  Darr said the biggest challenge in running those hills was having to train in the valley on the flat land.

In her dealings with family law and divorces, she said she tries to the best of her ability to know a couple has made their decision after thoroughly thinking about their situation. 

In her junior year of law school Darr became a certified law student in the family law clinic at the university where she worked pro bono and later served as an intern at the Yolo County Superior Court.