Greener Grass? What do you think?
I really like my job. In fact, I love it. Where I do my job? Well…. It leaves much to be desired. So of course I’m interested in what the experience of being a public defender is like for people in other places, and especially what it’s like to be a newly graduated PD in other places. So I was fascinated to learn that about these three new hires in Victorville, CA. Apparently they start out with “an extensive four-week training course” and then they go to trial. That sounds pretty cool. The fact that the local paper profiles them prior to their first trials so that their clients are likely to know that their attorney is fresh off the pumpkin truck?1 That’s not so cool, yet it is cool because it shows a community interest in public defenders that certainly seems absent here.
One of these new public defenders said that one reason she wanted to be a public defender is the quality of people she works with:“I think that public defenders in general are great people to work with,Ã¢â‚¬Âť Dyerly said. “They have huge hearts.Ã¢â‚¬Âť
Sounds like a bright-eyed, idealistic, newly-graduated law student, doesn’t it?
How about it, folks? I know just about every public defender out there w/a blog is the kind of person Ms. Dyerly describes, but is the same true of the people you work with? Are public defenders big-hearted in general, or are they just as petty, selfish, and egomaniacal as any other attorney? Inquiring minds want to know…
- This would be assuming that public defender clients read newspapers. Your instinct might be that the average person who can’t afford a lawyer probably also does not read the newspaper. That may be true so long as that average client is not in jail. If your clients are in jail, be prepared: They probably know more about local news (especially as it relates to criminal justice) than you do. ↩
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September 25th, 2007 at 5:09 am
Unfortunately, people will be people. I’ve seen all kinds of pds. For the most part, however, they share the same ideology described above.
September 25th, 2007 at 6:22 am
I dont know bout PD’s, but I’m extremely lucky to be able to work with domestic violence lawyers. They’re amazing, driven, and incredibly knowledgeable.