Who Should I Work For?

[BvBPL]

So I've got a happy dilemma and I'm wonder if anyone has any thoughts on the matter.

I'm pursuing internship opportunities for the summer. As most of you probably now, I am an American law student pursuing a law degree. Presently, the most likely opportunities are a role with the criminal public defender and a role with the public advocate for mental health patients.

The public defender's office should be more or less familiar to most people, at least most people in America. Indigent defendants in our criminal justice system are provided with legal defense by the state. The public defender's office is responsible for providing that representation. Working for the public defender would expose me to a fair amount of the criminal justice system and a fair amount of litigation experience.

The mental health advocate's office that I interviewed with represents convicts who have been committed to the commonwealth's state mental health facility who want to be released back into the general prison population after mental health treatment. They also deal with a lot of litigation that is tangentially related to the criminal justice system. And I mean they deal with a LOT of litigation. The cases come fast and fierce in that office and I can probably expect to argue more motions and get more time in front of a judge in this office than the public defender's one. The mental health advocate's office also deals with a lot of expert testimony which isn't exposure I am likely to get with the public defender.


Other mental health advocate offices deal more with civil commitments of non-convicts, but this office is principally concerned with convicts in the state hospital. Down the road opportunities in these other offices may become available.

The public defender's office has already extended me an offer, but I expect that if I contact the mental health advocate and let them know I need to make a decision soon that they will also extend me an offer.

Thoughts? Any ideas on the growth potential for mental health law in the future would be much appreciated. Any additional thoughts on the relative prestige of working for either department as it relates to future employment would be appreciated as well.

Edit: there's other potential offers on the table from the attorney general and a private firm, but the two above seem like the surest thing. Obviously I'd like everyone I've interviewed with to make a decision about whether or not to extend me an offer before I make a decision, but that might not happen. I'll probably follow up with those other people to plant a fire under their posteriors, but I'm not real confident that they would make a determination in a manner that is timely for the other parties listed above.

 

[Gary Childress]

Congratulations on your offers! Sounds like you are a hot commodity!

Just my proverbial 2 cents but I would think that the mental health side of things could get a bit uglier maybe than the public defender's office. Dealing with the mentally ill on a regular basis is probably not quite as easy as dealing with relatively "ordinary" people. Just something to maybe take into consideration.

Once again congratulations!

 

[JollyRoger]

I would recommend the mental health advocate internship just for the faster exposure to the items you mentioned.

 

[Bulldog Bats]

Depends on what you want to do in the future. The public defender will have you in court pretty quickly and on a regular basis. Lots of attorneys go from the PD to private practice for that reason.

I have less experience with the attorney general and mental health advocate office. As to private firm, it depends on what they are doing. Some are real mills, burning out many of the new associates, and some nurture and develop their young attorneys.

Without knowing what the private firm is offering, I would say PD if you like court work.

 

[Birdjaguar]

go for the position that will give you the most experience in what you want to do. If you want to litigate and be in court, then go for the job that will give that experience sooner and in greater quantity.

 

[BvBPL]

I went with the Mental Health Litigation Department. The choice was not an easy one to make, but I believe that position will allow me greater exposure to litigation, albeit in a specialized field.

The whole thing was complicated by the fact that I interviewed with both offices yesterday and by the time I got home I had an offer from the public defender. In fact, the public defender assumed I would take the position. Which necessitated some delicate conversations with both parties in that I needed to get a sure offer from mental health before I could turn down the on the table (and presumptively accepted) offer from the public defender.

Thanks for your input.

 

[Bulldog Bats]

Good luck.

 

[illram]

Public defender is more recognizable on a resume. As a former intern for the San Francisco Public Defender's office I can tell you that was the best internship in law school. Public defenders do trials and you may never get that much exposure to trial work ever again. To give you an example in 5 weeks of my internship I second chaired 7 trials, did motions to suppress, and took direct testimony in front of a jury. In 5 years of civil practice I have done 1 trial. (A bench trial...) Sure I have done a zillion motions and depos but for a litigator jury trial experience is a rare thing, and a public defender or DA job is unmatched as far as jury trial experience. It's a warzone, a great lawyer training ground. And if litigation is your goal then that will be invaluable experience. I give my boss, 10 years my senior, trial tips. Seriously, take the PD position.

edit: d'oh it appears I was too late. Maybe I should read threads in their entirety before replying.... Well, I am sure this will be good for all the reasons you describe. But I will leave this here in case the opportunity arises again!