This website is going to help teach you how to become a public defender.
It is a common misconception that becoming a public defender is a stepping stone job, or that they will hire just about anyone with a pulse and a law degree. It’s just not true. Public defender offices throughout our nation are inundated with applications from eager, committed, and highly intelligent law students who truly believe in the fight for the rights of the poor. I have seen it myself as a member of one of the nation’s top public defender programs.
Not only do we receive hundreds upon hundreds of applications every year, but we also lose applicants to other competing programs in other states. While we receive hundreds of applications, we do not conduct interviews of every applicant that comes across our desk. We certainly do not make hundreds of job offers. The number of positions is limited. Only the best of the best is hired and that means you need to figure out how to stand out and convince those hiring committees that you are part of that group. That is where I come in.
I Know What It Takes To Become A Public Defender
I have been a public defender for over a decade. For six years I have served as a member of a state-wide public defender hiring committee. I travel to law schools and job fairs to conduct screening interviews. I know what works, and I know what doesn’t work. From resumes, cover letters, phone interviews, in person one-on-one interviews, and panel interviews, I will help guide you through each step of the process and teach you how to become a public defender.
I can’t write your resume and cover letters, not to mention the cliché, yet necessary, “thank you” letters. But I can help you understand what should go in them, and what should not. I can’t whisper into your ear the correct answer at every interview, but I can help you prepare for those interviews so that you will be ready to answer every question.
You Need To Start Early
I also will help you prepare and put yourself in a position to get an interview in the first place. Your work does not begin at the point where you are applying for an internship or job.
During your very first year of law school you need to start building your transcript and resume. If you can begin in college, even better. Don’t fret if you are a 2L and have just decided that you want to be a public defender. There’s still time and things to do. But, if your reading this as a college student or rising 1L, and you know that you want to become a public defender, or are even thinking about it, you have just taken an important step in the right direction.
