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What are the "exit options" after working as a PD?
Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2011 8:09 pm
by adt231
Hi all. I'm just curious as to what the exit options are after working for as a PD for awhile.
The consensus seems to be: you're not really suited to do civil work afterwards and there aren't many other options for criminal defense other than DUI-type criminal defense or perhaps a few criminal defense boutiques (do these even exist?). Is this consensus true or blatantly false? Or, is there something that this consensus is leaving out? It seems to be false if one were with Legal Aid since they also have a civil division - allowing you to gain both civil and criminal experience because you might not be a PD for your entire time there. But, what if one works exclusively as a PD for, say, 5-10 years?
Re: What are the "exit options" after working as a PD?
Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2011 8:35 pm
by Grizz
adt231 wrote:Hi all. I'm just curious as to what the exit options are after working for as a PD for awhile.
The consensus seems to be: you're not really suited to do civil work afterwards and there aren't many other options for criminal defense other than DUI-type criminal defense or perhaps a few criminal defense boutiques (do these even exist?). Is this consensus true or blatantly false? Or, is there something that this consensus is leaving out? It seems to be false if one were with Legal Aid since they also have a civil division - allowing you to gain both civil and criminal experience because you might not be a PD for your entire time there. But, what if one works exclusively as a PD for, say, 5-10 years?
Criminal defense boutiques exist. You can go solo. You can try for Federal Defender. You can try to parlay your trial experience into a firm that does civil stuff.
Re: What are the "exit options" after working as a PD?
Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2011 9:05 pm
by goodolgil
Know a lot of former PDs work in civil rights litigation.
Re: What are the "exit options" after working as a PD?
Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2011 9:42 pm
by adt231
goodolgil wrote:Know a lot of former PDs work in civil rights litigation.
Interesting. Do you know what kind of civil rights litigation they do? Is it with an NGO?
Re: What are the "exit options" after working as a PD?
Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2011 9:46 pm
by adt231
Grizz wrote:Criminal defense boutiques exist. You can go solo. You can try for Federal Defender. You can try to parlay your trial experience into a firm that does civil stuff.
What sort of stuff do the boutiques do? White collar stuff or is that left to biglaw?
And by parlaying trial experience into private civil work-- you think this is common?
Thanks for the input!
Re: What are the "exit options" after working as a PD?
Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2011 9:49 pm
by Anonymous User
adt231 wrote:goodolgil wrote:Know a lot of former PDs work in civil rights litigation.
Interesting. Do you know what kind of civil rights litigation they do? Is it with an NGO?
My experience is with section 1983 stuff, especially police departments. It makes sense really--suing over fuck-ups in criminal procedure.
Re: What are the "exit options" after working as a PD?
Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2011 8:50 pm
by dontknowwhereimgoin
How much does qualified immunity/immunity, proving requisite intent, and valuating violations of rights curtail successful 1983 suits?
Re: What are the "exit options" after working as a PD?
Posted: Sat Nov 05, 2011 1:23 am
by leobowski
dontknowwhereimgoin wrote:How much does qualified immunity/immunity, proving requisite intent, and valuating violations of rights curtail successful 1983 suits?
Lol. There's no easy answer to this question. Take a civil rights class and you will get the big picture of this stuff.