Is it worth it to go to Whittier?

[sonofapickle]

I've seen plenty of PD's in my life time to know they are just bottom-feeders of Law. The one PD you see does not constitute the majority of PD's. Keep dreaming you'll be the baddest public defender out there. Also, lol @ wanting to do it for the thrills. At the end of the day when you can hardly keep the mortgage payments to a double-wide up, you'll regret saying, "well, I am doing this for the fun of it." Please, you only do it for fun when the money is sufficient and you can cover variables and possibly fixed assets to maintain a decent living.

so if its so low on your pole then why wouldnt the lower school grads end up in it?

Lower school grads simply don't cut it for law so they don't end up being a PD. They have either two options, Mcdonald's or Ihop. That is it. People who do not have the aptitude to be a lawyer should not be a lawyer.

[john4040]

I've seen plenty of PD's in my life time to know they are just bottom-feeders of Law. The one PD you see does not constitute the majority of PD's.

I'm a federal judicial law clerk, I see public defenders every day.  Although not all of them are as talented as THE Federal Public Defender of my district, they all have impressive resumes.  The attorneys that they draw from (in my district) include an Ex-US Attorney, several Ex-Assistant US Attorneys, and many prominent partners of white collar crime firms.

As for a state public defender, I cannot comment, as I have limited knowledge on that particular area.  However, I can say with confidence that federal public defenders are not "bottom of the barrel" by any stretch of the imagination.

[sonofapickle]

Do you work in a circuit court room? Public Defenders aren't paid as well as private institutional lawyers. Mostly state public defenders are the lack-luster types and I have yet to see a good federal PD.

[john4040]

Do you work in a circuit court room? Public Defenders aren't paid as well as private institutional lawyers. Mostly state public defenders are the lack-luster types and I have yet to see a good federal PD.

I work at a District Court. 

Attorneys working at the DOJ aren't paid as well as private attorneys, yet the DOJ still gets the cream of the crop of law students through its honors program.  This should give you an indication that sometimes students value experience and high-profile cases over the instant gratification that may come from a Biglaw salary.  You can bet your ass that, for every student that chooses to go to the DOJ, there was/is a Biglaw firm willing to hire them.

[cooleylawstudent]

What do you expect, he lives in his mommys house is a teenager and never even took the lsat. 

Secondly, becoming a PD is not an honorable profession, but rather a profession that says, "he obviously didn't cut it." Why do you think when people hear public defender, they roll their eyes? Public defenders are just the bottom of the barrel. If people could afford a lawyer, they would not opt for some public defender. It is rather dishonorable. People who believe it is honorable see themselves as public defenders, or are already public defenders. Public defenders are the welfare checks of law.

ROFLMAO, you couldn't be more wrong.  I can guarantee you that the Federal Public Defender at my Court can open up a serious can of litigation whoop-ass on just about all of the Biglaw attorneys I have seen practice here.  These public defenders are often Ex-US Assistant Attorneys who litigate cases DAILY.  They do it because they love the work and appreciate the challenge.

Your quote reminds me of a layperson's (ignorant) perception of a Federal Judicial Law Clerk or an attorney for the Federal Government:

"Lawclerk... isn't that some kind of person that files documents for the court?"

"Attorney for the US... why would anyone want a government job?  Those guys don't even work and they get the 'bottom of the barrel' over there."

[Haynes7]

Ouch!  That stings!  Obviously I realize that I am "bottom of the barrel".  I realize I won't have much prestige or respect but I have a tough skin.  All I want is a challenging and intellectually engaging job that will allow me to live modestly but independently.  I have never been ambitious.  I prefer to be at the bottom.  I'm comfortable there.  Someone has gotta be at the bottom! 

What is dishonorable about defending those who can't afford a lawyer?  Thank god there are mediocre people like me out there who are available to serve the disadvantaged. 

Listening to the people in this thread will only set your goals so low you would never amount to be a good lawyer.

Firstly, going to a 4th tier school is similar of going to a community college for law school.

Secondly, becoming a PD is not an honorable profession, but rather a profession that says, "he obviously didn't cut it." Why do you think when people hear public defender, they roll their eyes? Public defenders are just the bottom of the barrel. If people could afford a lawyer, they would not opt for some public defender. It is rather dishonorable. People who believe it is honorable see themselves as public defenders, or are already public defenders. Public defenders are the welfare checks of law.

[bigs5068]

Pure bottom feeders are PD's Sonofpickle how are you so confident about everything, when you have not even taken the LSAT etc. You know less than I do about the legal profession as a whole and what I know as a 1L law student with some paralegal experience is fairly minimal. 

You will know what school you are going to once you take the LSAT first off.  Then even if you get into a top school, which by all means I hope you do you still have to find a job etc. Maybe at Harvard they hand out jobs I am obviously nowhere near that level, but I wouldn't count on being handed a job wherever you go and it is really to say those guys are bottom feeders when you have basically no experience in the legal profession at law.  There is a good chance even if you go to Harvard or Yale you might not get a big-law job.  The whole corporate/big law is struggling big-time right now.

Honestly, once you enter law school I think you will realize a little more that at the end of the day everybody is a lawyer and on the first day of class you realize you are not anymore special than the kid sitting next to in class.  I also don't really think any firm, department, etc would consider themselves a "bottom feeder."

[sonofapickle]

Hey there, I said, and have been saying since the day 1 I have a mentor who is a lawyer, my uncle is a lawyer, and I do volunteer work for offices in law. I have as much, if not more experience, than you do. All you have over me is your time in law school and the fact that you took the lsat. That is it. In terms of actual law, you have probably less experience than I have.

As said before, I have seen PD's in action and they are bottom-feeders. They don't give two shits about their clients because they are paid so low. They are miserable and it is a miserable field of law.

What makes a person more special? I did not major in liberal arts and increased my resume by majoring in 3 distinct areas and having a science background I could go into IP law if I decide I don't like corporate law. You need to know that you may not be special due to your own insecurities and lack of contemplating what majors would increase your portfolio and also add to what you love, but that does not make me less special. I took almost a year coming up with a perfect plan to become a successful lawyer by contemplating what I should major in and what I truly love to do aside from law. My majors are a culmination of what will get me a job straight out of law school and your ass will be sitting on the goddamn side lines still posting in this forum giving false hope, that you and I both know, you don't give jackshit if I make it or not.

@Haynes7

As for me, I'd rather not defend some crack whore whose mixed cracked baby is now laying in a garbage can all because the father decided to play a little game of hide and go seek. That is why PD's, or at least, state PD's hate their jobs. They rarely, if ever, get a decent shot at an actual good case. A public defender is like the cop of law enforcement, he defends mediocre people and gets mediocre benefits in return. Whereas, becoming an FBI (private sector lawyer) agent you get more high profile cases, better salary, benefits, and you begin to love your job as it is meaningful.  I just can't believe a person would settle for that title of PD.

You want to know where doctors will be? IN the same position as the public lawyer in a few years due to Obamaniac's health-care plan. It is all fine and dandy now, but years later you will be saying, "this is bull..," it will act more like some damn bureaucracy than an actual hospital. When you are waiting for a nurse to come to your aid as you lie on the ground bleeding from some stab wound a bum decided to give you with his damaged shiv, you will wonder, "how the f^ck did we end up here?" Doctors will be paid less (public defender), and the private sector will be reaping the most benefits. You won't see any public doctor saying, "I love helping people..." That would be a damn blatant lie as helping various crack sluts from their needle infested arms is not something anyone wakes up happy to do like a damn clown. Likewise with a public defender.

I like the optimism though, but sooner than later you will feel the full force of hate for people. Job won't be meaningful and after your xth case of defending the same crack whore, you will say, "complete waste of time..." Sure, 2 years is good to gain experience, but making it a career is impossible.

@obst:

What should they expect? A person who actually knows what he is talking about as I have more experience. I don't need to take the damn lsat or go to law school as I have experience on hand and know professionals who know their damn job as well. What do I expect from you? Mediocre posts from a kid in a mediocre college. I may be chronologically younger, but the difference in intellect is substantial enough to say, I am old enough to be your dad. Here is some advice kid, stay out of grown up discussions as I hate schooling you each and every post.

[cooleylawstudent]

 

Hey there, I said, and have been saying since the day 1 I have a mentor who is a lawyer, my uncle is a lawyer, and I do volunteer work for offices in law. I have as much, if not more experience, than you do. All you have over me is your time in law school and the fact that you took the lsat. That is it. In terms of actual law, you have probably less experience than I have.

As said before, I have seen PD's in action and they are bottom-feeders. They don't give two shits about their clients because they are paid so low. They are miserable and it is a miserable field of law.

What makes a person more special? I did not major in liberal arts and increased my resume by majoring in 3 distinct areas and having a science background I could go into IP law if I decide I don't like corporate law. You need to know that you may not be special due to your own insecurities and lack of contemplating what majors would increase your portfolio and also add to what you love, but that does not make me less special. I took almost a year coming up with a perfect plan to become a successful lawyer by contemplating what I should major in and what I truly love to do aside from law. My majors are a culmination of what will get me a job straight out of law school and your ass will be sitting on the goddamn side lines still posting in this forum giving false hope, that you and I both know, you don't give jackshit if I make it or not.

@Haynes7

As for me, I'd rather not defend some crack whore whose mixed cracked baby is now laying in a garbage can all because the father decided to play a little game of hide and go seek. That is why PD's, or at least, state PD's hate their jobs. They rarely, if ever, get a decent shot at an actual good case. A public defender is like the cop of law enforcement, he defends mediocre people and gets mediocre benefits in return. Whereas, becoming an FBI (private sector lawyer) agent you get more high profile cases, better salary, benefits, and you begin to love your job as it is meaningful.  I just can't believe a person would settle for that title of PD.

You want to know where doctors will be? IN the same position as the public lawyer in a few years due to Obamaniac's health-care plan. It is all fine and dandy now, but years later you will be saying, "this is bull..," it will act more like some damn bureaucracy than an actual hospital. When you are waiting for a nurse to come to your aid as you lie on the ground bleeding from some stab wound a bum decided to give you with his damaged shiv, you will wonder, "how the f^ck did we end up here?" Doctors will be paid less (public defender), and the private sector will be reaping the most benefits. You won't see any public doctor saying, "I love helping people..." That would be a damn blatant lie as helping various crack sluts from their needle infested arms is not something anyone wakes up happy to do like a damn clown. Likewise with a public defender.

I like the optimism though, but sooner than later you will feel the full force of hate for people. Job won't be meaningful and after your xth case of defending the same crack whore, you will say, "complete waste of time..." Sure, 2 years is good to gain experience, but making it a career is impossible.

@obst:

What should they expect? A person who actually knows what he is talking about as I have more experience. I don't need to take the damn lsat or go to law school as I have experience on hand and know professionals who know their damn job as well. What do I expect from you? Mediocre posts from a kid in a mediocre college. I may be chronologically younger, but the difference in intellect is substantial enough to say, I am old enough to be your dad. Here is some advice kid, stay out of grown up discussions as I hate schooling you each and every post.

[sonofapickle]

Your mother felt the same way.