How to Become a Public Defender
A career as a public defender lacks the glamour of most types of law. It pays much less than other legal fields, and public defenders have little say over potential clients. They're government employees and often represent criminals and other defendants no other lawyer will touch. By providing defense for the poorest criminals, public defenders ensure that everyone is given fair legal representation.
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Instructions
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Study the way successful public defenders have handled their cases. While you are still in law school, read up on the job requirements to become a public defender. If your goal as a lawyer is to make lots of money, this job isn't for you. If you want to help the underprivileged and engage in social activism through your law practice, consider becoming a pubic defender.
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Apply for openings at state, federal or appellate courts. Public defenders work for the United States government, so the testing, interviewing and waiting process may take awhile. Since this is a high turnover job, there are always available positions.
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Brush up on your research skills and become proficient at it. Public defenders don't have a staff to do their research for them, so you will have to spend a lot of time on paperwork, including filing papers, interviewing witnesses and doing background checks.
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Step up to the plate quickly. You can become a full-fledged public defender shortly after graduating from law school. Some public defenders are assigned a case with no previous litigation experience.
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Prepare yourself for long hours and unruly clients. The government sends destitute and criminal defendants to public defenders for help, so be prepared to deal with difficult clients. Not all clients sent to public defenders are dangerous or unsavory, but be aware that a good number of your clients will fit this category.
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Comments
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I agree, why would someone couple a public defender clients as unruly? Public defenders get clients from all walks of life, some are criminals yes but others can very well be people who happened to be entangled in criminal law (after all, we DO know everyone who gets arrested isn't GUILTY) Public defenders clients are seeking justice but for what ever reason cannot afford an attorney weather it's a college student, a single mother, or just a regular person who is trying to make ends meet and can't dish out thousands on an attorney. This article is inaccurate and disheartening. Certainly not true in Georgia either. and PS. public defenders do have assistants and investigators who they work with daily.
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I agree, why would someone couple a public defender clients as unruly? Public defenders get clients from all walks of life, some are criminals yes but others can very well be people from any walk of life who happened to be entangled in criminal law who seek justice but for what ever reason cannot afford an attorney weather it's a college student, a single mother, or just a regular person who is trying to make ends meet. This article is inaccurate and disheartening. Certainly not true in Georgia either. and PS. public defenders do have assistants and investigators who they work with daily.
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doubler
Oct 23, 2009
This is the most inaccurate description of a career as a public defender as I've ever read! Long hours? Unruly clients? High turnover? Certainly not true here in NY. Getting a job as a public defender is one of the most competitive gigs there is, the hours are great, the clients and cases interesting, and the perks, student loan benefits and hours more than make up for the pay. This article sounds like it was written by a Republican corporate attorney. Ridiculous!
