About Karim Joseph
Karim Joseph Kentfield studied computer science at the University of California, Berkeley before turning to the law. He earned a B.A. in Computer Science from UC Berkeley in 2003 and returned to the same campus for his legal education, receiving his J.D. from Berkeley Law in 2012. The combination of a technical undergraduate background and a later legal training shaped an analytical approach to complex legal problems.
After law school, Kentfield launched a series of federal clerkships that placed him at the center of appellate practice. He served as a law clerk to Judge William A. Fletcher on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in 2012, then clerked for Judge Sri Srinivasan on the D.C. Circuit in 2013. Those early years in appellate chambers exposed him to a wide range of constitutional and administrative appeals.
Kentfield transitioned to private practice and tax law in 2014, joining Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom as a tax associate. That year in a large-firm tax group added a new dimension to his litigation skills and brought experience with tax controversies and complex transactional matters. He later returned to the judiciary for a term as a Supreme Court clerk, serving Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in 2017. That appointment placed him in direct contact with the Court’s processes for deciding which cases to review and how opinions are crafted.
In 2019 Kentfield joined Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP as a senior associate in the Supreme Court & Appellate Group. At Orrick he worked on matters at the appellate level, preparing briefs, petitions, and oral argument materials for courts of appeals and the Supreme Court. He has practiced in jurisdictions that include California and the District of Columbia, and he has maintained professional ties to academic and legal organizations, including a membership with the University of the District of Columbia beginning in 2015.
Colleagues describe Kentfield’s trajectory as one built on courtroom and bench experience rather than on a single practice label. His technical undergraduate training, time in tax practice, and multiple federal clerkships give him a range of perspectives on appeal strategy. He is admitted to practice in California and the District of Columbia. He currently concentrates on appellate litigation and Supreme Court advocacy.
