Denise Howell’s Blog of the Day (via evhead.com) is Public Defender Dude. The first post , on August 6th, describes what public defenders do and sums up:
bq. The best thing about our job is that we get to tilt against windmills. We fight the power. Everyone is against us: DAs, Cops, and DAs with robes (ie – many of the Judges). Even bailiffs, court clerks, court reporters and other court staff don’t like us frequently, but few show greater disdain for us than many of our clients. They save some of their best invective for us: public offenders, public pretenders, dump trucks, wanna be DAs, etc…. The fact is, most people don’t appreciate something that is given to them for free. Legal services are no exception. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve represented someone on a serious case and they bring in some worthless lawyer to take over the case just because that lawyer is a “paid” lawyer (as if we do this for free). In the end, most of my clients end up regretting their decision.