Everyday when I walk into work, I put on my pale blue shirt, the one that my coworkers and I constantly complain about, with pride and with a coffee in my hand. I know I have eight long hours ahead of me, and my feet will hurt by the end of the day from the constant walking back and forth, and there is a chance I make some person incredibly upset. Regardless of being cognizant of issues that may arise, I am incredibly content at work, and especially optimistic that I will assist at least someone (even if it is just unfortunately informing them we can only provide resources, rather than assisting). Whenever someone asks what exactly my work is I say, as I was taught, “it is the domestic version of the Peace Corps, and I’m also only in a courthouse.” This does not help many people understand my job requirement, as they just imagine me helping the prosecution, but what I do helps a lot more people than assisting a prosecutor. I understand the extent, or rather the limited extent, that my help goes towards a prosecution. This past summer I was positive that I wanted to be a District Attorney in Los Angeles County, after I attend and finish law school. So this past summer I thought it would be wise to clerk at the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office. I had the experience of seeing a wide variety of cases, as the Deputy District Attorney I shadowed was in the Central Trial Unit. This meant that any case we were handed did not fall under the categories of sex crimes, hardcore
The main goal of this community is to help the attorneys do their part in the criminal justice system. Prosecutors are there to advocate for the victim and defense attorneys are there to advocate for the defendant. But the attorneys don't do this alone, they have the support of their paralegals and other support staff to help them get their cases together. Another goal for this community is to complete their work competently, diligently, and
I took a field trip in college to the local courthouse where we got to pick the brains of the attorneys who worked there. What I found out there was shocking to say the least. I discovered that the work load for public defenders is so high that a lot of cases take months to be presented. They also said most lawyers coming out of law school do not want to be public defenders. The idea to fight for the underdog and to give him or her the best shot they have to get the right decisions in their court case is what being a lawyer is all about. I understand when being a public defender, your cliental isn’t always the cream of the crop, but just because they have had a hard life and made some bad choices doesn’t mean that they should get any less of an attorney. However, someone who has done the most heinous of crimes, but has all the money in the world to pay for a top of the line lawyer usually will be found not guilty. I was told in court cases, the facts speak the truth, no matter what they are, but it takes a great lawyer to deliver those facts home to a jury of our peers. As a result, we see countless times where high prices attorneys get their clients off due to the fact they are just better trained and have more experience finding loopholes in the law. The passion for the truth should always set people free. What we need are more people who are willing to be great lawyers and help those who are less fortunate. I believe that is what I am being called to do. I understand to become a great lawyer you will hit snags and fall down. However, I will keep moving because there will come a day where a man or women will need legal help and it will be my time to step up and get the job
On October 7th I was present at the courthouse from 8: 45 am-10: 45 am. During that initial visit, I was very nervous; since it is a small courthouse I stood out like a sore thumb. I was “over dressed” in comparison to the other actors that were present, even though I was wearing slacks, an FIU Honor’s Polo, and flats. The Assistant State Attorney was Demetrios Efstratiou who was at least professionally dressed. There was Public Defenders present, but I did not catch their names, nor could I locate them on the Internet. Both gentlemen were dressed professionally as well. The only actor during this visit that was dressed unprofessionally was a private defense attorney Jessica Reilly, who is a partner at one of the bigger firms in Key
It’s been commonly known across nUSA that if you’re a public defender in the Department of Justice you’re considered a ‘newb’ to law and barely have any experience. Yes, it is good to hire people with low experience and train them up however, Public Defender of Assistant US Attorney is one of those positions where we cannot let this occur. As we want the court system running smoothly with especially experienced employees representing the Department of
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI, is a law enforcement and national security organization. “The mission of the FBI is to protect and defend the United States against terrorist and foreign intelligence threats, to uphold and enforce the criminal laws of the United States, and to provide leadership and criminal justice services to federal, state, municipal, and international agencies and partners” (“Quick Facts”). There are many different qualifications and requirements to become an FBI Special Agent but the salary and career outlook make them worth it.
Working in a courthouse can be dangerous. Disgruntled litigants pose a risk to judges, attorneys, and courthouse staff. Still, one would not expect that an attorney, and a former justice of the peace no less, to go on a murder spree targeting courthouse workers. But that is the incredible true story told by Kaufman County District Attorney Erleigh N. Wiley in her book, A Target on My Back: A Prosecutor’s Terrifying Tale of Life on a Hit List (Skyhorse Publishing, 2017). Wiley chronicles her experience as a former Kaufman County Court at Law judge who found herself on a kill list fiendishly prepared by Eric Williams, a former Kaufman County justice of the peace.
Cooperating with authorized law enforcement agencies, state or county attorneys prosecute minor misdemeanors and major felonies. DAs are responsible to run and provide information for cases of domestic violence, traffic violations, juvenile proceedings, child advocacy and child support crimes, victim assistance, homicide, drug offenses and organized crime. District attorneys must act ethically to ensure justice for the victims and a fair trial for the
The District Attorney’s Office is comprised of 540 employees, these employees include attorneys, investigators, forensic analysts, paralegals, clerical workers and volunteers. There are relatively 190 prosecutors in the District Attorney’s Office and are assigned to diverse specialized teams. The District Attorney’s Office prosecutes over 40,000 cases yearly, these cases include criminal, fraud, elder abuse, burglary, robbery, sexual assault, domestic violence, gang violence and murder. “The Domestic Violence Unit of the Family Violence Division is overseen by Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office. The Domestic Violence Unit of the Family Violence Division prosecutes crimes with regard to domestic violence.” (Domestic Violence Unit of the Family Violence
This past week, I started shadowing Bill Davis, one of fourteen judges from the eighteenth district court, which encompasses Guilford County. Judge Davis is a former public defender and newly elected district court judge. I first worked with him last year in the public defender’s office and asked a couple of months ago if I could incorporate working for him as part of my legal internship. Fortunately, he agreed. Up until last week, I had not seen Judge Davis in court. The reason for this is that I worked exclusively in the criminal courts, while Judge Davis, until recently, worked exclusively in the civil courts. His preclusion from criminal matters resulted from his previous work as a public defender. This restriction ended last week, and
It is always important to be where you are supposed to be. In the Army, every leader stresses the fact on being on time or being at the right place or being in the right uniform. So if you have to ask yourself is it important to be where you are told to be? I think most Soldiers and Leaders will tell you that is very important. It is my responsibility to be where I am supposed to. It is all about accountability. You have to keep track of your Soldiers. It is your responsibility and your leader's responsibility. They are responsible for your actions as well you. In the articles of military justice a Soldier can be charged with Article 86 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), 10 U.S.C. 886, makes it a crime to fail to go
Horace Mann once said these words, "Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for humanity". Many people spend their lives searching for a purpose where they can make a difference or in Horace Mann's words win some victory for humanity. Some people find this victory by working as a county prosecutor. While being a county prosecutor is a demanding and fascinating career, overcriminalization remains a problem.
I observed the judge making decisions whether or not the child is placed back into their home with biological parents. Some of the biological parents were incarcerated and did not have an attorney. The judge assigned the parents a lawyer. Further, I witness my field supervisor following up on a parent on housekeeping hygiene. My Field Instructor educated the client on a secret of keeping the client’s child bed clean from urine. Afterward, I participated with the Investigation Department in conducting and assessing three interviews with children of domestic violence or abuse. My instructor of the Investigation complimented me for asking a question to the client, that she had forgotten and provided more insight on counseling in the school system in Worth
On Tuesday in court, I started doing my usual routine, I shadowed one of the town clerk, while she was setting up for court. But this time, I became more hands on because I remember the routine for court. I remember feeling let down because always get miss up with who’s the trooper or state police in the traffic ticket. However, overall I still felt pretty good because I try my best. It was a long day that court date because there was a hearing and a public defender. Whenever you see a public defender in the courtroom, you know it’s going to be a long day because the public defender has to sit and talk to offender about their case. Once that is over, the public defender and the prosecutor speak to the judges about the charges that were given
I can’t really remember when I became fascinated in the field of law and order. It was probably immediately after I started watching the show, you guessed it, “Law and Order.” I became so interested with the court, the jury, the judge, but I found the lawyer to be the most interesting position of them all. Whenever my parents found me not telling the truth, or misbehaving, I would play pretend and respond to my parents with something along the lines of: “ I plead guilty, your honor.” I used to look back on it as something humorous and something I didn’t seriously want to do. Although, now I can see clearly that it was one of the most serious of jobs, with huge competition and challenge. The task of the defense lawyer is making sure the prosecution proves guilt beyond reasonable doubt. It seems to be one of the noblest things a human can do. I would also certainly like to find
While that scene was what I always pictured as a child, and a small part of me still hopes the scene will hold true, I have decided to choose the field of criminal law for more practical reasons. When you see a lawyer in a court room, it appears as if there is almost an immediate respect