Los Angeles County Public Defenders

by Tyler Press

This summer I will be working for the Los Angeles County Public Defenders. I will be splitting the summer between two offices, one of which will be a juvenile office. I will shadow a public defender and assisting with research, and help write pre-trial motions and sentencing memorandums. I will have direct contact with clients, and will sit in on hearings. The public defenders office provides an invaluable service for members of the public who are accused of a crime but cannot afford a private attorney. I have always thought that the public defenders are the people who maintain balance and integrity within the legal system, and this semester taking Criminal Procedure
has only reinforced these feelings.

Since my long term career goals are to stay in the public sector, I wanted to work at the public defenders office because I will get a real ground level experience in all aspects of criminal procedure and litigation. While the work done by public defenders is often some of the most difficult work, I hope that it will be a rewarding experience on which to build a career in the public sector.

This March the LA County courts announced that due to mounting budget pressure, fifteen courts are being closed, with up to 50 courts to be closed by September. Up to 20% of employees will also be cut this year. This is going to put enormous stress on the remaining employees of the system, as well as slow the docket of the courts substantially. While criminal trials will be given priority due to the right to a speedy trial, wait times will be much longer for those with civil, family, juvenile and traffic cases. Now more than ever the work of the public defenders will be essential to maintaining a semblance of justice in the criminal defense system. In the face of a troubling time, this summer I will not only be getting a first hand look into the criminal justice system, but also to the wide-sweeping changes that are occurring during the recession.

Northwest Defenders Association, Seattle, WA

By Samual Eilers

I am a 2L at Georgetown University Law Center. I came to law school specifically to become a criminal defense attorney. This Summer (Summer 2010) I will be interning with the Northwest Defenders Association (NDA) in Seattle, Washington. NDA is a private, non-profit organization committed to equal justice and the defense of individual liberty. Its attorneys and staff represent clients in criminal and civil proceedings and work to improve the justice system. With investigators, paralegals and social workers, the attorneys defend adults and juveniles against criminal charges in King County Superior Court, King County District Court, and Seattle Municipal Court. NDA attorneys also represent parents and children in Dependency proceedings and respondents answering Contempt petitions.

I will have a limited license to practice law under the Washington Admission to Practice Rules (APR 9). Rule 9 Interns are supervised by an experienced NDA attorney. My supervising attorney will be Dave Roberson (L’91, Georgetown), who is the Deputy Director of NDA. At the beginning of my internship, I will undergo an intensive, week-long criminal law and procedure review, along with extensive trial advocacy training. Then, as an APR 9 intern in the District Court Unit, I will be fully responsible for the representation of adult clients charged with misdemeanors, including arraignment, investigation, interviews, motions, bench and petit jury trials, and sentencing. I will also have the opportunity to represent juveniles charged with misdemeanors and to second-chair felony trials. Finally, I will assist Felony Unit and Dependency Unit attorneys with various legal research and writing assignments.

Law Offices of Jon W. Norris

Kathryn Gravely shares her experiences:

After working for the Public Defender Service (PDS) here in Washington, D.C., I am now working for a PDS alumni who went out on his own as a private criminal defense attorney and founded the Law Offices of Jon W. Norris. Mr. Norris is rated by his peers as one of the best criminal defense attorneys in the District of Columbia, as reported in Washingtonian and Super Lawyers Magazine. Mr. Norris’ practice is unique in that he does not advertise his services, but rather receives his client’s through referrals from clients and other attorneys. He also takes a number of pro-bono cases, as favors to D.C. Superior Court judges, and represents indigent individuals who are in need of a defense attorney. I had the opportunity to witness Mr. Norris’ most recent pro-bono case, a Felony 1 sexually abuse case, where the jury hung 11 to 1 not guilty. The government decided to dismiss the case the following week.



My job consists of law clerk and investigative duties. As a law clerk I am responsible for organizing case jackets for trial and making sure that the appropriate motions and discovery letters are filed. I work with two other law clerks in the Law Offices and each of us is assigned particular cases to work on. My investigator duties include serving subpoenas, finding and interviewing both government and defense witnesses, and taking statements from government witnesses.
In the end, I get to second chair any trial involving one of my cases and act as Mr. Norris’ assistant throughout the proceedings. This is an exciting opportunity that provides a lot of experience both inside the courtroom and within the Metropolitan community. It certainly has opened my eyes to a demanding world of anticipation, pressure, and skill as a trial attorney.