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I've heard certain schools sort of "feed" public defenders offices (that DC takes a lot of people from Georgetown for example.) I also know that people who want to become public defenders should look for strong trial advocacy and clinical programs. Are there certain schools that are really good for people who want to be public defenders? Especially east coast/midwest, but I am interested in hearing about any region. And my LSAT is pretty high, so I'm especially interested in Top 50 schools that are strong in this area. But again, any advice on this would be really helpful!

T14

I know some people are made for this position, but I have served on the grand jury the past two months and I would encourage anyone thinking of going down this career path to get some experience. It is far from glamorous. I hope you enjoy working lots of open and shut drug cases. That and agg assault charges.

Seriously though, PD positions are incredibly competitive nowadays, so the TLS mantra of "Go to a truly national school or go to the strongest school in the region you want to practice (with money)" still holds true.

School with good defense clinical programs in a state that doesn't have major structural budget problems.

ScaredWorkedBored wrote:School with good defense clinical programs in a state that doesn't have major structural budget problems.

So... not in the United States?

If you're really sure you want to be doing public defense work, you need to keep your debt load as low as humanly possible. Apply to a few schools where your numbers are significantly above the medians and hope for a full ride.

my dad was a public defender for about 10 years in dallas. he got the job over hundreds of young applicants from T14 schools, because he had a connection. he went to a tier 2 school. i knew most of the lawyers he worked with and most of them did not attend T14's. also, most of them were older and more experienced. it seemed that the office didn't really value school prestige....

isn't baylor supposed to be good at something like this

Yep. Def. not necessary to go to the best school. At least in Los Angeles. Most of the PDs and DAs are Southwestern/Loyola grads (not UCLA/USC). Of course, it's necessary to extern there at least once during your law school career. Keep debt low and hope for the best.

There is not really a "best school" - go to the school that is the best fit for you, take lots of crim law electives, and participate in a criminal justice clinic. PD offices care more about your dedication to defending the indigent than the name of your school. I have practiced criminal law, I know this for fact.