Life Update

I got a job offer yesterday from the Orlando Public Defender.

On the one hand, I'm thrilled. However my other interviews turn out, I know I won't be jobless come graduation time. Orlando is an affordable city (more than I can say for D.C.) in sunny Florida. I've got family nearby in Jacksonville and Tampa. The Orlando PD pays pretty good for a Public Defender.

So why am I not leaping for joy? I don't know. Part of it has to do with the ridiculous case load. 200 cases at a time for misdemeanor cases (where I would be starting out). Other public defender's I've talked to have averaged 80-100 cases at a time, which is still ridiculous. I'm used to handling 2 to 5 cases at a time. The people in Orlando frankly told me they don't have time to prepare for a trial most of the time. (Although, perhaps because of sympathetic juries, the guy I talked to had won all his trials!)

Perhaps I'm worried about my finances. Even with the better-than-average pay for a PD, the salary might not be enough to handle all my loan payments, especially as the Duke Loan Forgiveness program gets worse and worse.

I am still awaiting the results of several other interviews over break. I guess I'll have to wait and see. And pray. Lots of prayer goin' down in the Stark household.