3L Public Defender Applications Forum

[Tanicius]

i have a question about loan repayment. i thought about putting it in the loan thread, but i figured everyone in this thread is pretty much in the same boat

whats the best repayment program for us to do? i have about 186k in debt and ill be working at a public defenders office making < 50k/yr. don't know if ill stay for the full 10 years but its possible. anyways Im filling out the exit counseling thing and i have no clue what to put. i prob have to do some research but i figured it'd be worth asking in here. what payment plan are you doing?

any 3L who's going to be a PD or anyone who already is a PD could answer this

If you have an LRAP that will be helping you make the payments, it doesn't hurt to do IBR, which has higher monthly payments and helps putting just a teensy bit more of a dent in the interest you accrue every year. Otherwise, do PAYE.

[Anonymous User]

if I am doing a 2L BigLaw summer associateship, am I doomed if I want to apply to be a Public Defender next fall?

Would appreciate any responses, even highly negative ones.

No. I did big law 2L and got a great PD job. I just said I needed the 30k over the summer for tuition when asked in an interview.

[raekaya]

i have a question about loan repayment. i thought about putting it in the loan thread, but i figured everyone in this thread is pretty much in the same boat

whats the best repayment program for us to do? i have about 186k in debt and ill be working at a public defenders office making < 50k/yr. don't know if ill stay for the full 10 years but its possible. anyways Im filling out the exit counseling thing and i have no clue what to put. i prob have to do some research but i figured it'd be worth asking in here. what payment plan are you doing?

any 3L who's going to be a PD or anyone who already is a PD could answer this

If you have an LRAP that will be helping you make the payments, it doesn't hurt to do IBR, which has higher monthly payments and helps putting just a teensy bit more of a dent in the interest you accrue every year. Otherwise, do PAYE.

Not the original asker of this question, but I'll second it!
You make a good point about IBR, but for those of us hoping to get the gov. employment 120 payment loan forgiveness, wouldn't the goal be to pay as little per payment as possible? And thus use PAYE?

[FlanAl]

depends on who's paying. if your school has a lrap and is picking up the tab, then it makes sense to have your school make the largest payment possible. What you sign up for is really dependent on your school's repayment plan.

[Tanicius]

Yeah, if you're not personally paying for it, why not try to pay down more of the interest that keeps adding up every year? If you lose your job and have to go private, you'll be that much less fucked (though you'll still be pretty much fucked).

[Anonymous User]

....

[Anonymous User]

A relative who was a very strong candidate just got rejection from LAS, after being told 4 weeks ago when she got another offer that she was still very much in the running. Anyone know if they were keeping a wait list this year as in the past?Any sense of acceptance numbers?

Sorry to hear that. If you know, was the rejection by email?

[mom2law]

[quote="Anonymous User"][quote="Anonymous User"]A relative who was a very strong candidate just got rejection from LAS, after being told 4 weeks ago when she got another offer that she was still very much in the running. Anyone know if they were keeping a wait list this year as in the past?Any sense of acceptance numbers?

[Anonymous User]

A relative who was a very strong candidate just got rejection from LAS, after being told 4 weeks ago when she got another offer that she was still very much in the running. Anyone know if they were keeping a wait list this year as in the past?Any sense of acceptance numbers?

Sorry to hear that. If you know, was the rejection by email?

A friend was dinged via email yesterday

[raekaya]

Yeah, if you're not personally paying for it, why not try to pay down more of the interest that keeps adding up every year? If you lose your job and have to go private, you'll be that much less fucked (though you'll still be pretty much fucked).

Ahh thank you and FlanAl for explaining! I never would have considered that. Unfortunately, my school's LRAP requires full-time as well as "long-term" employment, so since I'm just being hired on for the time-being as a post-bar clerk, not a staff attorney, they won't count it . But once I qualify for LRAP (we can only hope I'll eventually get a permanent gig somewhere), I'll definitely re-crunch the numbers and see if I should switch over.

[Anonymous User]

Just received an email placing me on the LAS waitlist. Not really sure what to do with that, to be honest.

[Anonymous User]

Is the CPCS trial attorney from pages 74-76 still around? Does he/she, or anyone else, have any information on the Appeals Unit of the Public Defender Division of CPCS?

[Anonymous User]

Anything from BDS?

[Anonymous User]

Anyone have or hear any updates from Maryland OPD?

Applied back in December, re-applied in the spring, and radio silence since then.

thanks in advance.

[Anonymous User]

Is the CPCS trial attorney from pages 74-76 still around? Does he/she, or anyone else, have any information on the Appeals Unit of the Public Defender Division of CPCS?

I spoke with an alum from my school that works at CPCS. She said the appeals jobs, while publicly posted, are almost entirely filled from within. She said trial is the best way to get your foot in the door.

[Anonymous User]

Is the CPCS trial attorney from pages 74-76 still around? Does he/she, or anyone else, have any information on the Appeals Unit of the Public Defender Division of CPCS?

I spoke with an alum from my school that works at CPCS. She said the appeals jobs, while publicly posted, are almost entirely filled from within. She said trial is the best way to get your foot in the door.

Thanks for the response. Notwithstanding the difficulty of getting the job, do you have any information on what it's actually like to work in the Appeals Unit? I'd be interested in any direct or reputation-based info. Thanks again.

[PjRosabo]

Anyone have or hear any updates from Maryland OPD?

Applied back in December, re-applied in the spring, and radio silence since then.

thanks in advance.

Applied for fall class. Haven't heard anything yet.

[Anonymous User]

DC, Brooklyn and Miami PDs are doing screening interviews at my school at the end of the month for 3L hiring. New Orleans is doing a resume collect for 3Ls.

For rising 3Ls or c/o 2016 graduates?

[Anonymous User]

Is the CPCS trial attorney from pages 74-76 still around? Does he/she, or anyone else, have any information on the Appeals Unit of the Public Defender Division of CPCS?

I spoke with an alum from my school that works at CPCS. She said the appeals jobs, while publicly posted, are almost entirely filled from within. She said trial is the best way to get your foot in the door.

Thanks for the response. Notwithstanding the difficulty of getting the job, do you have any information on what it's actually like to work in the Appeals Unit? I'd be interested in any direct or reputation-based info. Thanks again.

Unfortunately she did not know very much about the appeals unit. She works in a rural office in western Mass. (by upstate NY) and I think appeals are in Boston.

[Anonymous User]

Any other out of state 3L's working for WI PD? I'm jealous of the diploma privilege right about now.

[Anonymous User]

Anyone have or hear any updates from Maryland OPD?

Applied back in December, re-applied in the spring, and radio silence since then.

thanks in advance.

Applied for fall class. Haven't heard anything yet.

The closing date on their website for the Fall 2016 class was yesterday.

[Anonymous User]

Anyone have or hear any updates from Maryland OPD?

Applied back in December, re-applied in the spring, and radio silence since then.

thanks in advance.

Applied for fall class. Haven't heard anything yet.

The closing date on their website for the Fall 2016 class was yesterday.

I think they're going to send out screening interview invites soon. Has anyone heard back since a few days ago?

[Anonymous User]

in regards to Maryland, i just set up a screening interview with them. seems like they're scheduling all of the screening interviews to be finished by the second week of may.

so it ALSO seems like they are going through the same entire interview process, even for folks who did it the first go round (i did both a screening and panel interview back when they initially opened up their hiring cycle)

are others experiencing the same?

[Anonymous User]

2015 grad. Just found out I got a Maryland PD screener interview for Fall 2016. I did a bit of digging into previous threads, but I apologize if this has been answered.

Can someone who's been through the process tell me what to expect from the interview process? How many rounds, what kinds of questions, etc. Should I expect hypos at the screener?

[PjRosabo]

Does anyone know how many spots are in a typical class for maryland? Also interested in what the interview process is like. I haven't landed an interview but fingers crossed they call me this week since it looks like people are getting that call.