a public defender

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You just can’t please everyone. Especially when everyone you have to please are clients in this profession. Donzell relates:

At Calendar Call, the State offered to dismissed the Aggravated Assault charge, to recommend that my client get ten years on probation with all those special conditions, including intensive probation supervision for six months, and have him treated as a first offender (to keep the felony off his record). I explained the offer to my client and answered his questions. My client took the offer, but now, he is complaining that it is too onerous, I sold him out, and that I did not do anything for him.

Sorry to those true believers out there, but what the fuck? Where does this sorry bastard get off to complain? I saved his sorry ass from prison, and got a majority of what he wanted from the State. I sold him out? I did nothing for him? Yeah, right.

Donzell is right in feeling angry here. But that righteousness comes from having put in his best effort the first time around. There are some clients who will always be greedy, or will never be satisfied with what you’ve done, even if you get them dismissals on all counts. There’s nothing you can do about it, but shrug (and maybe rant on your blog) and move on.

Sometimes, though, the clients are justified in complaining. I also wonder if some of this isn’t due to the reputation of public defenders.  You know, the myth about lawyers forcing their clients to plead on the first day or because they can’t afford to pay them for trial, come from somewhere. Just like our clients who say the cops are out to get them. The cops probably aren’t out to get all 100 of you, but maybe one or two of you are targets.

It is really important that the advice you give your client about whether to plead guilty is a result of your best effort.  If it isn’t, you can’t complain.