3L Public Defender Applications Forum

[Void]

Kind of a dumb question for you guys: I've heard that public defenders "don't care about grades." I understand that the idea is that if you have low grades, that's not necessarily going to hold you back, but is it also true that if you have good grades, they won't be considered a bonus?

Good grades are always a bonus, even in PD/DA offices. What that phrase means is that they aren't weighted as heavily, and someone who comes across (in their resume and in person) as dedicated to that type of work will beat someone even with much better grades who treats it as a fallback.

Dedication is #1...and #2, and #3, but that doesnt mean they dont respect a healthy GPA.

Cool- so unwavering dedication + good grades > unwavering dedication + notgreat grades? Sounds good.

[Anonymous User]

Has anyone know if Brooklyn Defender Services have extended any offers or if they have scheduled 3rd round interviews?

Any word yet from anyone on whether BDS has made offers or scheduled 3rd rounds?

[Anonymous User]

Kind of a dumb question for you guys: I've heard that public defenders "don't care about grades." I understand that the idea is that if you have low grades, that's not necessarily going to hold you back, but is it also true that if you have good grades, they won't be considered a bonus?

Good grades are always a bonus, even in PD/DA offices. What that phrase means is that they aren't weighted as heavily, and someone who comes across (in their resume and in person) as dedicated to that type of work will beat someone even with much better grades who treats it as a fallback.

Dedication is #1...and #2, and #3, but that doesnt mean they dont respect a healthy GPA.

Damn so I'm fucked if someone who is top ten percent and is dedicated like I am interviews for the same job? Looks like I'm screwed . . .

[Rocío]

Kind of a dumb question for you guys: I've heard that public defenders "don't care about grades." I understand that the idea is that if you have low grades, that's not necessarily going to hold you back, but is it also true that if you have good grades, they won't be considered a bonus?

Good grades are always a bonus, even in PD/DA offices. What that phrase means is that they aren't weighted as heavily, and someone who comes across (in their resume and in person) as dedicated to that type of work will beat someone even with much better grades who treats it as a fallback.

Dedication is #1...and #2, and #3, but that doesnt mean they dont respect a healthy GPA.

Damn so I'm fucked if someone who is top ten percent and is dedicated like I am interviews for the same job? Looks like I'm screwed . . .

No, you are not screwed. To the vast majority of PD/prosecutor offices, grades are of almost no importance. If there are two candidates with almost identical experience and dedication, but different grades, it is extremely unlikely that grades will be the tiebreaker. The tiebreaker will almost certainly come down to some other soft - like if one candidate is fluent in a useful foreign language, etc.

[Void]

Kind of a dumb question for you guys: I've heard that public defenders "don't care about grades." I understand that the idea is that if you have low grades, that's not necessarily going to hold you back, but is it also true that if you have good grades, they won't be considered a bonus?

Good grades are always a bonus, even in PD/DA offices. What that phrase means is that they aren't weighted as heavily, and someone who comes across (in their resume and in person) as dedicated to that type of work will beat someone even with much better grades who treats it as a fallback.

Dedication is #1...and #2, and #3, but that doesnt mean they dont respect a healthy GPA.

Damn so I'm fucked if someone who is top ten percent and is dedicated like I am interviews for the same job? Looks like I'm screwed . . .

No, you are not screwed. To the vast majority of PD/prosecutor offices, grades are of almost no importance. If there are two candidates with almost identical experience and dedication, but different grades, it is extremely unlikely that grades will be the tiebreaker. The tiebreaker will almost certainly come down to some other soft - like if one candidate is fluent in a useful foreign language, etc.

I love the phrase "almost certainly".

[Anonymous User]

Anybody have a sense of how many new attorneys Legal Aid is planning to hire this year?

[Anonymous User]

Anybody know the starting salary for CPCS up in Mass?

[Anonymous User]

Anybody have a sense of how many new attorneys Legal Aid is planning to hire this year?

Read the thread. About 70 attorneys.

[Anonymous User]

Please, let's stop the double-posting in this and the Prosecution / PD Gunner thread (http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 3&t=155423).

[Anonymous User]

I rather ppl not double post as well but bro if they need answers I don't mind them posting in both threads. You can simply skip over what they wrote lol not a big deal

[Void]

Anyone who got an offer from NJ, could you please pm me? Thanks.

[Anonymous User]

Has anyone gotten an email from Legal Aid saying they've been deferred until the main hiring period in April/May?

[JOThompson]

Anyone else waiting for a decision from the Colorado State Public Defender? I was expecting a decision two weeks ago, so I finally called the office. There's some type of pending legislation and no new offers are being made until late February or sometime in March.

[84weeks]

Any movement from Philly? I haven't heard anything since the fall e-mail confirming receipt of my application.

[Anonymous User]

Has anyone gotten an email from Legal Aid saying they've been deferred until the main hiring period in April/May?

I haven't received anything yet... Did you?

Any movement from Philly? I haven't heard anything since the fall e-mail confirming receipt of my application.

That's all I got, too, although I am fairly certain that someone said in this thread or another that they had scheduled interviews.

[Anonymous User]

Any movement from Philly? I haven't heard anything since the fall e-mail confirming receipt of my application.

Philly e-mailed me a week or so ago asking for my transcript, so I guess they're still reviewing some apps? Hopefully this means they're not done recruiting.

[Anonymous User]

To those waiting for responses from Legal Aid Society: one of my former classmates, who had her second-round (panel) interview a couple weeks ago received an email today letting her know that she was out of the running. In addition, a second former classmate just received an invitation to her panel interview for next week.

[Sammy841]

Semi-random question for a friend: Say you are working as a federal public defender out in the boonies- say in Kansas and you went to a TTT law school. Could you still possibly transition to a federal defenders office or the DOJ in a bigger market (DC/Chicago) after a few years? Could you be a competitive applicant with a few years of federal employment/lots of trial experience under your belt or do you need to have experience in a larger office or a prestigious school on your resume?

[Anonymous User]

Semi-random question for a friend: Say you are working as a federal public defender out in the boonies- say in Kansas and you went to a TTT law school. Could you still possibly transition to a federal defenders office or the DOJ in a bigger market (DC/Chicago) after a few years? Could you be a competitive applicant with a few years of federal employment/lots of trial experience under your belt or do you need to have experience in a larger office or a prestigious school on your resume?

It's almost impossible to get a federal defender gig right out of LS, with SD being the only exception. You need top-rate credentials to get these jobs... So the hypo doesn't really seem possible. TTT grads with no clerkship will never end up at federal defender offices in the first place.

[Sammy841]

Semi-random question for a friend: Say you are working as a federal public defender out in the boonies- say in Kansas and you went to a TTT law school. Could you still possibly transition to a federal defenders office or the DOJ in a bigger market (DC/Chicago) after a few years? Could you be a competitive applicant with a few years of federal employment/lots of trial experience under your belt or do you need to have experience in a larger office or a prestigious school on your resume?

It's almost impossible to get a federal defender gig right out of LS, with SD being the only exception. You need top-rate credentials to get these jobs... So the hypo doesn't really seem possible. TTT grads with no clerkship will never end up at federal defender offices in the first place.

The person is already there- it's not a hypo. But she didn't go straight from law school, she practiced for a few years first. SHe just wanted to know her exit options and how marketable this would make her in a larger area- either staying in gov't work or in the private sector.

[Anonymous User]

Anyone know if/when Legal Aid is making early offers?

I know of one person who has already received an offer, but I know that most applications are being deferred until May/June. The most recent class size was 70 attorneys, and the Fall 2013 class should also be about that size.

Did the person you know get the offer recently?

Anyone know if/when Legal Aid is making early offers?

I know of one person who has already received an offer, but I know that most applications are being deferred until May/June. The most recent class size was 70 attorneys, and the Fall 2013 class should also be about that size.

Did the person you know get the offer recently?

I just finished my final round with Tina. She said offers aren't coming until April/May and that the early application thing isn't happening this year for those of us who did it because of Sandy. No idea about numbers but probably around 60 or 70 depending on funding. Are you sure someone already got an offer?

How did your interview with Tina go? Any idea on what people should expect? I hear it's mostly conversational but there might be a couple hypos, etc..is that about right?

[Anonymous User]

Semi-random question for a friend: Say you are working as a federal public defender out in the boonies- say in Kansas and you went to a TTT law school. Could you still possibly transition to a federal defenders office or the DOJ in a bigger market (DC/Chicago) after a few years? Could you be a competitive applicant with a few years of federal employment/lots of trial experience under your belt or do you need to have experience in a larger office or a prestigious school on your resume?

It's almost impossible to get a federal defender gig right out of LS, with SD being the only exception. You need top-rate credentials to get these jobs... So the hypo doesn't really seem possible. TTT grads with no clerkship will never end up at federal defender offices in the first place.

The person is already there- it's not a hypo. But she didn't go straight from law school, she practiced for a few years first. SHe just wanted to know her exit options and how marketable this would make her in a larger area- either staying in gov't work or in the private sector.

Then I'd presume she has one or two clerkships under her belt already, no?

Meaning the biggest hurdle now will be networking with other FD offices.

[Anonymous User]

I'm the desperate NJ applicant you responded to. Thanks for this. I wonder why they're still interviewing after OCI- maybe not enough people accepted? Which schools did they visit? Was it Columbia/NYU/Fordham or more like Rutgers/Seton Hall/Brooklyn?

Definitely Cornell and Columbia. I believe they also hit up Rutgers. I'm uncertain whether they visited NYU or Seton Hall. Pretty sure they didn't go to Brooklyn. It was an interesting range of schools, the rationale for which isn't entirely clear to me. (Besides Cornell--the head of the PD's office went to school there.)

Pretty sure they also hit up NYU and Seton Hall. I think they basically hit up the NJ/NY area. My understanding of why there are additional rounds of hiring is that the hiring process is currently in flux. NJ only started pre-bar hiring last year, and they are still working some kinks out of the system. How many people they can hire also depends on how many people retire. So only a few offers were extended in the first round, but the office intends to make more later.

[Anonymous User]

Time to bring this thread back to life! Any 3L PD movement come in the last few weeks? I have an interview coming up for Legal Aid's Juvenile Rights Practice and have no idea what to expect, let alone how many rounds their process is. Everything I see on here is for Criminal Defense Practice. Anyone have any tips/advice?

[Anonymous User]

learned that Legal Aid criminal practice gave out 10 early offers. these people did not receive their actual offers and won't until April but all of them turned down other offers and are committed to LAS.

Anyone have any insight on whether the rest of us can increase our chances by sending additional recommendations? or advice on how to leverage other offers with LAS?