Public Works

Battle

By YARED GETACHEW

In counseling sessions and through speaker events featuring prosecutors and public defenders, we have maintained that the path to charting a career toward both professions, despite the divergent outcomes that prosecutors and indigent defenders seek in their pursuit of justice, is very similar. Competition for entry-level positions, even in a flush economy, is downright brutal. But here's a reality that Virginia Law students have enjoyed for decades: 3Ls who remained steadfast in their pursuit of their dream jobs have all secured employment either through competitive 3L hiring programs or soon after they pass the bar exam.  Just so everyone is clear - and I field this question each year: 3Ls and graduating students are not eligible to apply for entry-level positions with federal defender and US Attorney organizations (two exceptions for the latter - USAOs for the Southern and Central Districts of CA - see, e.g.).

So why is student preparation for both careers almost identical?  The ultimate conclusion both prosecutor and public defender offices must reach when making hiring decisions is whether candidate have engaged in sustained efforts to: (1) understand substantive and procedural concepts in criminal, constitutional, and evidentiary law (take as many crim law-related courses offered at Virginia including the two key clinics); (2) hone oral advocacy skills (moot court, oral advocacy classes); (3) understand the day-to-day work of attorneys, detectives, investigators, parole and probation officers in our criminal justice system (summer internships and pro bono work); (4) show commitment to service (see 2-4 above and any volunteer endeavor - for indigent defenders, a desire to work with underserved communities is important); (5) some indicia of geographic connection; and (6) express compelling reasons to pursue either law enforcement or indigent defense work.

On Tuesday, February 8, two speakers - a prosecutor and a public defender -  will expound on these issues while attempting to convince you to join their side.  Joseph Platania is Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney in Charlottesville and Adam Heyman is public defender at the Brooklyn Legal Aid Society, Criminal Practice. Mr. Platania is currently detailed with the United States Attorney's Office, Western District of Virginia, and Mr. Heyman recently returned from Kathmandu, Nepal where he helped represent indigent defendants in Nepal's courts.

The event will take place at 1:00pm in WB154.

Current issues in indigent defense and prison systems

by YARED GETACHEW

This is for those of you interviewing with indigent defense, civil legal services, and law enforcement organizations. Last year, I referred to a television report in NYC discussing how state budget cuts and rising caseloads have affected the work of public defenders.  The Constitution Project's recent interview with Steve Hanlon below picks up on two aspects of our criminal justice system - the dramatic increase in the number of people entering our prisons and the impact of this spike on school systems.  Being conversant on these issues would go a long way toward showing employers your awareness of important issues regarding our criminal justice system and your commitment to public service. Hanlon is a partner at Holland & Knight and chairs the Constitution Project's Board of Directors.

Rebellious Lawyering Conference: February 18-20, 2011

I took a couple of days off last week (Happy New Year everyone) and upon my return to work this morning found an e-mail from our friends at Yale Law School alerting us to the upcoming Rebellious Lawyering Conference (Reblaw) in New Haven. Reblaw is one of the better conferences for public interest-minded law students - the event offers a terrific array of panels, keynote speakers, and opportunities to network.

Last year's conference featured panels and workshops on domestic and international advocacy in juvenile justice, human rights, custody, forensic science, FOIA, advocacy skills, conducting client interviews, domestic violence, and others.  This year's schedule will be posted soon on the conference blog.

Registration (see also here) costs $30.  The Mortimer Caplin Public Service Center will pay the registration fee for students on a FCFS basis.  (Contact me with questions).  The conference offers travel and lodging assistance (free housing but check important sign-up dates).

Please direct questions about the conference to the conference organizers here:

rebellious.law.questions@gmail.com.

Public Defender turned Human Rights Advocate: October 28, 2010

Please join the Virginia Law Human Rights Program and the Mortimer Caplin Public Service Center for a discussion with Brooklyn public defender Adam Heyman '03 regarding careers in indigent defense and how US-trained lawyers (and law students) may assist post-conflict nations in their efforts to strengthen their judiciary.

Adam recently returned from Kathmandu, Nepal where he worked for International Legal Foundation (ILF), a New York-based NGO.  ILF helped establish a public defender office in Kathmandu to provide representation to indigent defendants before the country's courts.  Please read more about Adam's efforts in KTM here and here. I will also briefly discuss my own experience in this area - how my legal training and practice allowed me to represent victims of violations of international humanitarian law.

The event will be held in Caplin Pavilion on October 28, 2010, at 11:45.  Pizza will be provided for the first 30 students. Many thanks to Professor Deena Hurwitz and Human Rights Program Coordinator Jessica Lee for helping organize this event.

Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia: September 22, 2010

By Yared Getachew

UPDATE:  many thanks to James Whitehead '04 for his excellent presentation.  I use this opportunity to thank James and his colleagues at the PDS, especially Jennifer Thomas, Director of Legal Recruiting, for the office's annual visits to the Law School and its efforts to recruit our students, year after year, for summer internship, winter pro bono, and entry-level positions.

________

Please join us for a presentation on how to secure internship and permanent positions with public defender offices on Wednesday September 22, 2010 in WB126 at 12:00pm.  Our guest is James Whitehead '04, staff attorney at the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia (PDS).

Home to some of the grittiest public defenders in the country, the PDS receives hundreds of applications for a handful of available attorney positions each year. To many, PDS has become the national standard-bearer and the benchmark by which other public defender systems measure themselves.

PDS provides one of the most comprehensive criminal defense training programs of its type.  The office has also developed innovative approaches to representation, addressing the problems clients encounter when returning to the community following incarceration. Throughout the years, PDS attorneys have earned the admiration and respect of opponents, colleagues, judges, and clients alike.

James Whitehead is a terrific presenter and I hope students will turn out for his talk.  He just completed a rotation in Appeals and will return to the Trial Division next month where he began his career.

Pizza available for 30 attendees.

Indigent defense in KTM - part 2

By YARED GETACHEW

Following is another dispatch by Brooklyn public defender Adam Heyman '03 from Kathmandu, Nepal.  In April 2010, Adam took a sabbatical from the Brooklyn Legal Aid Society to work in Nepal with the International Legal Foundation (ILF), a New York-based NGO established in 1997 to ensure that reconstruction efforts of post-conflict justice systems includes indigent defense.  In 2009, ILF helped establish a public defender office to provide representation to indigent defendants before all courts in Kathmandu.  Adam summarizes one of his current assignments: the Chitwan Project.  All disclaimers stated in the previous posting apply.

By Adam Heyman

On June 28, 2010, we traveled to Chitwan National Park in central Nepal to assess the status of potential legal violations in poaching cases. Currently, the Warden of Chitwan National Park and the District Forest Officer, the two sole authorities as directed by the Wildlife Act of 1972 to decide poaching cases, are extremely overworked with many other park duties to also administer the adjudication of such cases in an effective and timely fashion. 

2010 Equal Justice Works Conference and Career Fair

By Yared Getachew

The EJW Conference and Career Fair, the largest annual gathering of public interest and government employers in the nation, will be held this year Friday and Saturday, October 22 and 23, in Bethesda, Maryland. More than 150 public service/interest employers will be available to conduct prescheduled interviews for hundreds of internship and permanent positions throughout the country. 

The conference sessions will provide a venue where participants can learn about various careers in the public interest.  Table Talk sessions provide an informal opportunity for law students to introduce themselves to participating employers and possibly to conduct impromptu interviews. For additional information about the conference and career fair, please see the 2009 program book and the list of employers who participated here.

After the jump: (1) information for Virginia Law students on how to participate in the Conference and Career Fair; (2) information on how 1Ls (Class of 2013) may participate in this event.

Get your Third Year Practice Certificate

By Yared Getachew

A Third Year Practice Certificate allows students to appear in court (and before  administrative tribunals) in the Commonwealth of Virginia and in other jurisdictions.  The certificate allows 3Ls to engage in substantial legal work while in law school (clinics and pro bono) - a must if you're considering entry-level opportunities in the

public interest.

To be eligible, in addition to being a 3L (you must have completed at least four semesters in law school and passed Civil Procedure and Criminal Law), you only need to have completed two electives: Evidence and Professional Responsibility.  I'm available to answer questions about the certificate but to apply, contact the Virginia Law Student Records Office.

FYI - the VA Supreme Court Student Practice Rule is available here.

Indigent Defense in Kathmandu

I confess that Adam Heyman '03, public defender at Brooklyn Legal Aid Society (Criminal Practice), is one of my favorite public speakers.  His presentations at the Law School on the work of indigent defenders are highly informative and inspiring.  He has never turned down an invitation from the Public Service Center and in the last few years, has traveled to Charlottesville to speak, recruit, and conduct mock interviews at the Law School.  He has also helped students and graduates find internship, permanent, and winter pro bono opportunities at the Legal Aid Society.  Our Law School would not be the extraordinary institution it is without its amazing alumni such as Adam. 

But this posting is not a paean to my good friend. In April 2010, Adam took a sabbatical from the Brooklyn Legal Aid Society to work in Nepal with the International Legal Foundation (ILF), a New York-based NGO established in 1997 to ensure that reconstruction efforts of post-conflict justice systems includes indigent defense.  In 2009, ILF helped establish a public defender office to provide representation to indigent defendants before all courts in Kathmandu.  A summary of this project is available on ILF's site here.

What it takes to be a Public Defender

by YARED GETACHEW

On April 20, 2010, at 2:00PM, in Caplin Pavilion, a panel of representatives from three public defender offices from the Washington metropolitan area - the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia, the Alexandria Office of the Public Defender, and the Maryland Office of the Public Defender, will describe the offices and hiring practices of each for both internship and entry-level attorney positions. 

The representatives, Melinda Douglas (Public Defender, Alexandria - a small office), Jennifer Thomas (Recruiting Director, DC PDS - medium-sized), and Diana Lach (Recruitment Director, Maryland - large), will offer advice on how to prepare for a career as a public defender, including how to tailor a resume for civil legal service/indigent defender employers, building relevant experience through clinics and  pro bono work, and specific job search tips.  They will also describe a day in the life of interns and beginning attorneys.

This presentation is a must for all students interested in criminal defense (and enforcement) practice. Students who will intern in PD offices this summer will also benefit from this conversation; the representatives will offer advice on how to make the most of a summer internship. 

I am grateful to Melinda Douglas, Jennifer Thomas, and Diana Lach for offering this collective presentation and to Professor Anne Coughlin for moderating it.

Creative commons courtesy of flickr user Rick Waller