CJA Panel Attorneys: A Critical Line of Defense

[Music] I can't think of anything more important than life and Liberty issues and that compelled me to do the kind of work that I do we don't have a constitution or a country that provides rights to people without the work that we do if you're seeking something as a a defense attorney and you want it at the highest level doing it in federal court is that having a chance to make a difference in people's lives I think ultimately makes the world a better place when you just think about the foundational principles of this country the right to counsel the right to be represented by someone who is going to give their best fight for you panel attorneys are a key pillar of our justice system protecting all our rights under the Sixth Amendment criminal justice act panels in districts across the country need great lawyers to join this fight I joined the cja panel because I wanted to be a part of making a difference making a difference in the lives of people who often times have been under represented I grew up in the city myself and I saw the product of bad lawyers I saw people who did time in prison and they didn't have proper representation if you have that skill set being empathetic being a person of integrity following up on the things that you say you'll do with the ability to want to learn I think anybody could be successful in a federal practice a common misperception is that you need to have a lot of experience in federal court before joining a cja panel that's not the case and it often is a big hurdle for people who have only done State work the formality of federal practice is different the demands of federal judges can often be more stressful and demanding but there's a lot more writing that's involved and part of that was what attracted me to become uh a member of the panel or work in federal practice you can always train for skill later and law is very similar if you've been practicing in any field in law you have the ability to get to speed on things quickly when you join a cja panel you become a member of a supportive Community many districts have mentorship or training programs that may allow you to act as a second share on a case or receive advice and guidance from a more experienced attorney as you work your way to more complicated cases local Federal Defender organizations offer training programs that are taught by experienced Federal practitioners and attended by the whole cja community at a national level The Defender Services office offers training resources advice and support this community is organized around helping the next generation of cja panel attorneys Thrive attorneys are sometimes a little fearful of coming into the federal system um but it is a system I think that works really well and there should be no fear because there are a lot of resources there but also the public defender's office itself acts as a resource so you always have someone you can call for some guidance uh some help I have to say that the criminal Justice act the CJ panel attorneys are so refreshing because they come from the private sector and they bring to the federal courts I think a different perspective the judges today have a a greater sense of appreciation and respect for cja attorneys they realize that if they have a bum lawyer in front of them that's only going to affect their work product if you're creative and you can use the law and your client's story to creat something compelling whether that's either at trial or sentencing that's going to be a powerful resource that that hopefully no one else will have but you will have I have so much respect for a panel attorney that has the um commitment to do this kind of work and to solve those kinds of problems that I think oftentimes we as judges don't even think about another common question does it pay panel attorneys who are appointed to Federal cases are compensated at the statutory maximum rates these appointments are not pro bono but this kind of work isn't just about the money not at all it's a mission you can't compare money to Liberty and it's an opportunity to really see the light in someone shed the light on someone and make a difference in people's lives I do my work as best I can and the people who I try to bring behind me I know that they have the same Focus that I do when I deal with a client I treat that client like he or she is the CEO because it is their future their Liberty that hangs in a balance I inform them of everything at every process to make sure that they know that they are always the most important person in the room when I'm sitting with them but you're always at the Pinnacle and and and the spare of of the fight so if that's in your bloodstream uh this is a good job for [Music] you

Channel: United States Courts

Views: 1,307

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Id: c-2_QHu7qqw

Length: 5min 40sec (340 seconds)

Published: Thu Nov 30 2023