Job Responsibilities
Representing inidgent adults charged with felonies. I spend my
time reviewing police reports and charges, conducting
investigation, interviewing clients at the jail, negotiating
cases with district attorneys and judges, conducting legal
research and writing motions, and litigating preliminary
hearings, trials, and motions.
I usually work approximately 60 hours a week.
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Job Requirements
I attended Orange Coast Community College and California State
University at Long Beach, majoring in political science. From
there I went to Pepperdine University School of Law. Pepperdine
offered a lot of electives that gave real-world experience in
the the field of criminal law. I also was a law clerk for the
Orange County Public Defender's office and the Los Angeles
County District Attorney's office.
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Uppers
The best part of my job is being in court everyday. I went to law school to be
a trial attorney, and my job gives me the opportunity do that almost daily. It
also great to work in a large office with so many experienced attorneys who are
willing to help out.
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Downers
The caseloads can often be very high. The people we represent
can also be difficult, but they are always indigent, often poor,
and don't always speak English. They usually have been treated
very poorly by the system by the time I represent them and it
frequently takes a lot of time for them to gain my trust.
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Lifestyle
The work hours are very long. There is a misconception that because it is a
government job, the hours are less than they would be in private practice. That
is simply not true. However, the work can be very rewarding and the other
lawyers in the office are great to work with. The office is very social and very
supportive of everyone.
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Compensation
I have been an attorney with the office for about 6 years and
make approximately $90,000 a year. That is pretty good money,
but when compared with attorneys with similar experience in
private civil firms, it is somewhat low. Student loans also
drain a lot of that money.
However, the benefits are outstanding. Great and cheap health
coverage and life insurance, 3-4 weeks of vacation a year.
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Advice to Jobseekers
I highly recommend this job to anyone. However, make sure this
is what you really want to do as the job requires a tremendous
amount of dedication.
The best thing to do, both to make sure this what you want to do
and to help you get a job, is to be a law clerk in law school.
My office has a couple of paid law clerking postitions but also
accepts a lot of volunteers and people whose law school allows
them to receive credit while clerking for the office. CLerking
really lets you see what the job is and gives you experience and
knowledge for when you are practicing that you just cannot get
in school.
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