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this person sounds like she's excellent at her job. she explains that she does what is possible given the circumstances. being realistic about what can be accomplished for a defendent can be the difference between getting a slightly-unfavorable plea bargain and losing in trial for a stiff minimum penalty.


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First, it's impossible to tell if she's a good lawyer based on her comments about court conduct, appearance, etc. The things she discusses, such as plea bargains, technicalities, etc, are very common knowledge. This is not a mark of being 'good at her job.' My comments were about her professionalism (which is also part of the job).

Are you saying that telling an innocent defendant they have no chance to beat the charges and convincing them to do a 1-3 year bid in a dangerous NY state prison is better than doing your research and helping the person get off? No. Unfavorable plea bargains are not the exception, they are the norm. Usually they involve little to no legwork for the PD.

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being a public defender is a noble and selfless thing to do. to call it "presumptuous" is ridiculous. PD's aren't presuming to intervene in someone's life, they are ASSIGNED to clients in order to give them the protection that the law provides. think about it.
bk

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I was speaking in general about public service, including social work and also public defense. It is indeed presumptuous. In social work, you presume you can do good things for a person, that you can set a positive example and make a difference in their lives. You'd be surprised how many social workers and child care workers don't take this seriously. Same thing for public defense. You are the last line of defense an indigent, frightened person has. Some people seem to think they deserve a medal just for showing up to a low-paying public service job. Who knows, maybe she just isn't good enough to get into private criminal defense? With her pessimistic attitude and self-important rambling, it wouldn't be a shock.

I know all about 'noble and selfless' work. The people who take it seriously and do it well deserve every bit of credit they get and more. The people who do it poorly are part of the reason we get so little credit in the first place, and there are plenty of people who would rather bitch and moan about their hands being tied, their pay being too low and their situation being unsurmountable than buckle down and do the work. They drag the rest of us down.

What good does posting this on craigslist do? Do you really think most crack dealers and car thieves are perusing the internet looking for a yard sale? No. This is an arrogant, frustrated person drawing attention to herself and trying to be smart and funny. It won't do any good for her clients and it will only contribute to the culture of hopelessness and resignation among rank and file public servants.

NT