Richard (Dick) Neuhoff passed away on March 21, 2018, in Hartford, Connecticut. Though he was born in Elmira, New York, he spent most of his childhood in Durham, New Hampshire. After graduating from Phillips Exeter Academy, he attended Dartmouth College. Following his graduation from Dartmouth in 1969, Richard went on to Stanford Law School. He began his legal career as a criminal defense trial attorney at the Santa Clara County Public Defender’s Office in San Jose, California.
Following her appointment to Chief Justice of the California Supreme Court in 1977, the Honorable Rose Elizabeth Bird invited Richard to join her staff as lead research attorney. In addition to researching and preparing draft decisions, he supervised the work of the Chief Justice’s law clerks.
In 1986, Richard left the Court to begin what would become a 30 year career as an appellate attorney representing defendants on California’s death row. He joined the staff of the California Appellate Project in San Francisco, where he assisted attorneys who were appointed to represent death row inmates in appeals and habeas corpus proceedings.
In 1993, Richard went into private practice, where he focused on non-capital criminal appeals as well as death penalty cases. While continuing his private practice, Richard was selected by the California Supreme Court to co-counsel the Court’s appointed attorneys handling capital cases. Richard was a contributing author to capital case defense manuals and a frequent panelist/lecturer in capital case defense seminars. Richard was well respected for his extensive expertise in both state and federal substantive and procedural law, his insightful analysis of legal issues, and the clarity and precision of his appellate briefs. Throughout his career, he mentored younger attorneys who were entering his field of law.
Richard is survived by Barbara Zuras, his spouse of 30 years, and two children, Nicholas Richard and Rachel. He leaves behind his mother, Blanche Fielding Neuhoff, and two brothers, David Neuhoff of Ann Arbor, Michigan and Stephen Neuhoff of Henniker, New Hampshire.
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