Defender Project

There have been questions, so here are some answers about the most exciting part of my summer, which has been my first Real Lawyering Experience - the Paul E. Wilson Project for Innocence and Post-Conviction Remedies!

Naturally I can't get too detailed, because as with any Real Lawyer work, the specifics of the cases I'm working on are Strictly Confidential. (Apparently I'm in a random capitalization kind of mood.)

However, I can go through the general way the Project works. Like all in-house clinics at KU, the Project is partially staffed by law student interns supervised by Real Lawyers. I may be biased, but I think the Project has the best Real Lawyers. There are four total, one who works with us on our direct appeals, which are basically long papers arguing why a client's sentence deserves to be overturned, or their case remanded back to the trial court for another go.

The other three Real Lawyers are individually assigned to supervise us in our other cases. "Other cases" are the ones where we aren't arguing that the law was misapplied in the lower court, but that our clients have "new" causes of action that haven't been brought up yet, or they need help with issues that have come up since they went to prison.

If you didn't get it from the clinic's title, all of our clients have been convicted and as far as I know they are all incarcerated. Which means I've been to the Topeka Correctional Facility and Leavenworth, worn a visitor badge, and listened to the automated doors lock behind me as I pass through security. There's a very specific kind of claustrophobia that goes on inside a prison, but those visits were interesting, too.

My classroom experience of criminal law is still fresh in my mind. I loved studying criminal law and I hoped I would love applying criminal law to specific cases. The challenge is an interesting one. When I read cases in class, I didn't have to take sides; I could sit back, cross my arms, and let the advocates try to convince me. Let's be serious, I probably won't ever have that luxury in my career. Most lawyers aren't lucky and accomplished enough to be judges. As someone's representative, you have to do your best not to take their side necessarily, but to look at the law and see how it can help them. You have to believe that no matter what they did, everyone has a right to have the law applied to them fairly, even if you're not sure they deserve it. A system that works fairly and objectively is the best protection for everyone, and believing in that system is what criminal defense lawyers must do.

Bye bye BA

With Business Associations I behind me, I feel a little less suffocated by my schedule. I haven't been as focused as I should be the past week; I kind of let myself off the hook last Monday-Friday so that I could totally focus on preparing for my exam, which wouldn't have been necessary if I had my priorities in order earlier in the summer.

Pictures coming of my beautiful truck, which has been as problematic as it is pretty. More detail on that later; it deserves its own post.

Diddy is a wonderful source of stress relief for me, and I've even been messing with Tucker about every other visit. He is so much fun to ride even when he's in terrible shape. I can wear him out in around 15 minutes, but they both look pretty good, sunburned noses notwithstanding.

I am in the process of consolidating my lessons into Tuesday night groups, which I think will be fun for the kids and a much more efficient use of my time. The barn has grown so much in terms of students and boarders since I arrived on the scene a year ago. When I started as the instructor in addition to Abby, it was a struggle to accumulate more than a few students. Now, the barn is hiring a third instructor because Abby and I are both at maximum lesson-giving capacity! It is fun to be around so many kids and different kinds of horses. Every time I go to the barn I leave a little more cheerful than I showed up. Seeing people enjoying their animals always has that effect on me.

My blogging homework for the next few days is one truck post and one Defender project post, so hold me to it, fans!

Busy busy busy

Some people may thrive on chaos. I am not one of them. I thrive when my schedule affords me at least one evening in three I can spend on the couch with my dog, watching movies.

There have been no such evenings since my summer kicked into full gear.

These are the reasons why I'm too busy:

1. My students are wonderful riders and want to show off their skills at shows almost every weekend.

I can't really complain. I like watching them show, too, and coaching ain't free, so bills are getting paid.

2. My favorite professor asked me to be her research assistant.

Again, I can't complain, but 10-30 hours per week? Really, Rachel? You made that commitment?

3. Diddy is really fun to ride.

Even though I don't make it out there much, I am constantly lured by the availability of adorable Diddy who is such a pleasure to be around.

4. I miss my sister.

Because I am in serious Amanda withdrawal, I have to budget a couple hours per day for our 2-3 daily phone calls/voice message exchange.

5. The Defender Project. Enough said.

Luckily class is winding up this week, but the clinic portion of the Project goes all summer.