Plan

-- By CasidheMcClone - 19 Feb 2016

Conversations I’ve had with alumni, both from CLS and my undergrad, have helped me to see that I’d be much happier in a government office than in a large firm. My friends who work for Attorneys General or in District Attorneys’ offices all seem legitimately happy to me. On the other hand, friends of mine or CLS grads I’ve met who are currently in large firms don’t seem to genuinely like their jobs. When I ask them if they like their work, they always answer in the tone of an argument, as if they are trying to convince themselves of what they’re saying. Back when I was picking law schools, a DA told me that he was proud of his work because he considered it inherently moral. “If you think someone is guilty,” he said, “you prosecute. And if you don’t think they’re guilty, you don’t.” That’s obviously a gross simplification, but the concept appealed to me.

Of course, there are many problems with our countries criminal justice system, and many of them are problems specifically with the discretion allowed to DA offices. Prosecutors around the country abuse discretion in a number of ways, many of which are based on racial bias. There are also extreme problems with the disparate impact that the criminal justice system has on the poor. Also, a DA’s office often will have close ties to police departments, so many police crimes go unprosecuted.

Because of these problems, I think that responsible prosecution can do a lot for making the system more just. A prosecutor has to remember that he or she has an obligation to the defendant as well as to the community. I think I could do a good job of keeping that obligation in mind. Part of that is having respect for the defense counsel, and for Public Defenders in particular, whose jobs are much more difficult.

My interview for my summer internship for a CA DA’s office drove this point home for me. The interviewer, a Deputy DA, spent a lot of time talking with me about how her office considered itself a representative of the defendant as well as a representative of the county. She very much believed what she was saying. That meant a lot to me. Anyways, my plan is to go into prosecution, and depending on how that goes, maybe I’ll end up in defense at some point as well. I don’t think I’ve got enough guts to become a Public Defender right out of law school, but I think I’d give it a shot if I can get some experience under my belt. Similarly, I can see myself moving in the direction of private defense, maybe with my own smalltime practice.

I don’t think I’ll ever become Robinson. But who knows? Maybe metamorphism is something you don’t see coming.