A Day in the Life of an Alternate Public Defender at Los Angeles County
A day for Rachel, an Alternate Public Defender, begins early, juggling family responsibilities before "talking to the families" and organizing a busy schedule. The work involves managing multiple cases simultaneously in different courtrooms, handling both expected and unexpected cases, aiming to complete "everything by noon" in a high-pressure environment described as "triage".
Legal Profession, Juvenile Justice, Family Law, Time Management, Client Communication
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Rachel Cala
Alternate Public Defender
Los Angeles County
University at Buffalo
Pepperdine Law -- Juris Doctorate
English
Government & Public Sector, Law
Legal
Scholarship Recipient, Took Out Loans, Worked 20+ Hours in School, Student Athlete
Video Highlights
1. Public defenders often manage multiple cases and courtrooms simultaneously.
2. A significant part of the job involves coordinating with families and ensuring the transportation of clients.
3. The work requires flexibility and quick thinking, as new cases and situations arise frequently.
Transcript
What does a day in the life of a public defender look like?
My day starts at 7:30, and my kids usually start calling me around then. I don't make it to court until 8:30 or 9:00, because that's when things begin to happen.
My kids will be transported if they are, as they call it, "detained." This simply means in custody. My kids are detained at a county facility or in some other program. They usually make it to court between 9:00 and 10:00, or 9:15 and 10:15.
While I'm waiting for my kids to be transported, I start talking to the families of the kids who are there. I also talk to my kids who are currently out of custody or not detained. I begin organizing my calendar.
Usually, I'm in a couple of courtrooms at a time at the Englewood juvenile court. It's basically like triage. Sometimes you get new cases in the morning that you didn't know about. Sometimes you have kids coming in on warrants.
But most of the time, you have a set calendar that you knew about at least the day before. You just start tackling those cases and try to get everything done by noon, which is when the lunch hour starts.
Advizer Personal Links
No