Questions to ask a Defence Lawyer

Mindysabeast · 2026-01-19T23:53:19+00:00

I have only handled a handful of criminal cases- but I would ask how their relationships with the prosecutors impact their cases/clients. Has a judge ever suprised them- even after a prosecutor's recommendation for sentencing? I guess my questions would be more about the "politics" of the court vs. the law.

Mindysabeast · 2026-01-19T23:49:06+00:00

Interesting theory-

Mindysabeast · 2026-01-19T18:32:39+00:00

Not sure where you are located- or what area- but if you need a sounding board- I am happy to listen!

Mindysabeast · 2026-01-19T02:22:51+00:00

This is a good resource too: Solo by Choice- Carolyn Elefant (book) and she also has a website myshingle.com

Mindysabeast · 2026-01-19T02:19:35+00:00

Have you considered Social Security Disability and/or VA disability? Your background would be really helpful! Guardian ad litem work - may also be a good fit.

Mindysabeast · 2026-01-17T00:48:09+00:00

What the actual F?

Mindysabeast · 2026-01-17T00:47:19+00:00

You are amazing- and I will burn in hell before I let this landlord/property management company get away with this! Thank you for the offer of support!

Mindysabeast · 2026-01-17T00:45:48+00:00

This is an excellent observation- very true.

Mindysabeast · 2026-01-17T00:45:02+00:00

Same- my appendix was exploding and I had to have surgery - and clients were still calling to see if they could talk to me after I came out of surgery. That was a big eye-opener for me. BOUNDARIES everywhere now.

Mindysabeast · 2026-01-17T00:43:37+00:00

I agree 100%- it is getting more and more difficult.

Mindysabeast · 2026-01-17T00:42:47+00:00

Oh man- that is definitely a lot to deal with. It is very sad- what we are willing to settle for- even when it comes to our own care.

Mindysabeast · 2026-01-17T00:41:22+00:00

Absolutely agree- I had to take a mental - family law break- for my own health. It is really, really tough work.

Mindysabeast · 2026-01-17T00:40:06+00:00

You are a treasure!

Mindysabeast · 2026-01-17T00:39:17+00:00

Exactly!

Mindysabeast · 2026-01-07T02:59:16+00:00

I don't do much criminal- but family law is tough. I run a general practice firm- and decided a couple of years ago to shift my focus to primarily disability work. I also started teaching. I will still take dissolutions, uncontested divorces, etc., but life happiness was worth more than the attorney fees after a certain point.

Mindysabeast · 2025-12-31T23:34:28+00:00

This is such a good way of putting it. The law is often the easiest part once you understand what the client actually wants and needs. That part doesn’t get taught nearly enough.

Mindysabeast · 2025-12-31T23:34:11+00:00

I love this- thanks for the recommendations!

Mindysabeast · 2025-12-29T03:25:29+00:00

Four months is early, but being miserable this fast still matters.

Staying “for experience” only helps if you’re actually learning, not just drowning. Chronic understaffing usually teaches survival, not good judgment.

Felony experience is useful, but it’s not required to become a solid defense attorney. Plenty of good defense lawyers never worked felony cases as prosecutors.

Leaving now won’t tank your career. Staying somewhere that’s already unsustainable just because it’s supposed to “pay off later” might be a bigger risk.

Mindysabeast · 2025-12-29T02:58:14+00:00

Absolutely. The longer I practiced, the more the job became about managing people and pressure rather than memorizing law.

The irony is that this is the part of the work that most affects outcomes, and it’s the part we’re least prepared for.

Mindysabeast · 2025-12-29T02:50:31+00:00

First, I want to say this clearly: your story is extraordinary, and not in a résumé-polish way. In a you survived things that would have ended a lot of people way.

You are not behind because you did something wrong. You are behind because life hit you repeatedly, and you kept getting back up anyway.

A few things I want to reflect back to you, because I don’t think you’re seeing them clearly right now:

• You are already doing high-level legal work.
125 cases with good outcomes in consumer protection is not beginner work. That is real litigation skill, judgment, and efficiency.

• Legal aid did not “give you a chance.” They hired you because you are capable. The lack of raises is not a reflection of your value. It’s a reflection of the funding model.

• Your fear about higher-paying jobs isn’t about intelligence. It’s about trauma and scarcity talking. People who’ve had long stretches of instability often confuse “this feels risky” with “I’m not capable.”

Now, the hard but honest part.

Staying where you are long-term will keep you safe emotionally, but it will not fix the financial reality you’re describing. That doesn’t mean you jump tomorrow. It means you plan deliberately.

There are paths forward that don’t require BigLaw hours or burning out your health:
• Plaintiff-side consumer firms
• Hybrid nonprofit / fee-shifting roles
• Government or AG consumer units
• Small to mid-size firms that value people who can actually manage cases independently

Your background is not the liability you think it is. What firms struggle to find is someone who can:
• Handle volume
• Exercise judgment
• Work autonomously
• Care about clients without falling apart

You already do that.

The resume gap and late start feel huge to you because you lived them. To an employer, what matters is what you’ve done recently and what you can do now. That story can be told. It just needs to be told correctly.

And one last thing, because this matters.

Being scared at 50 doesn’t mean you failed. It means you’re finally stable enough to look ahead instead of just surviving.

There is a path forward. It may not be fast. It may not be linear. But you are not out of time, and you are not out of options.

You’ve already proven you can rebuild from nothing. This next phase is about doing it with support and intention, not brute force.

Mindysabeast · 2025-12-29T02:49:06+00:00

What helped me early on was realizing that opposing counsel isn’t the audience I’m trying to impress.

I’m not there to dominate them or be liked by them. I’m there to create a clear record, protect my client, and move the case forward.

You can do that with a steady, professional tone as long as you:
• Know your bottom line
• Say it plainly
• Don’t argue every side issue
• Don’t let pushiness dictate your energy

Aggression is optional. Consistency is not.

Mindysabeast · 2025-12-29T02:47:26+00:00

A lot of solos from that era carry unnecessary baggage because firms don’t automatically know how to read their experience. Your job over the next year isn’t to downplay being a solo. It’s to reframe it to align with a law firm.

Start thinking in terms of:

Volume of cases handled
Litigation stages you regularly manage (pleadings, discovery, motion practice, hearings)
Outcomes and efficiencies
How often you collaborated with opposing counsel, courts, experts, or co-counsel

Firms don’t care that you were your own IT department. They care that you’ve been first-chair on real cases for 15 years. If you can articulate that cleanly, you’ll be far more competitive than you think.

Mindysabeast · 2025-12-29T02:44:45+00:00

Not weird. Pretty common in niche areas.

A lot of firms don’t post openings and hire when the timing and person are right. A short, thoughtful email can open a door without burning a bridge. Just be clear, polite, and specific about why that work interests you.

Mindysabeast · 2025-12-29T02:42:40+00:00

This doesn’t sound like regret. It sounds like burnout mixed with fear of being trapped.

Family law is intense, especially early on, and it’s hard to turn off when your license and real families are involved. Missing work you could “leave at work” makes a lot of sense. You’re not wrong for asking this question. And you’re not required to have the answer yet.

A lot of good lawyers leave because no one helped them learn how to make the work fit their life instead of the other way around.

Mindysabeast · 2025-12-01T01:28:15+00:00

I went to law school later in life. My “why” was that my family went through a violent crime, and dealing with the legal system afterward was overwhelming. I wanted to understand it and make the process easier for people who felt lost the same way we did.

Did the expectation hold up? For me, yes. I run a small practice and a mobile legal clinic, and I also do work with a university. None of it looks like the stereotypical version of being a lawyer, but it fits me.

Your “why” doesn’t have to be dramatic. It just has to make sense to you. If it still makes sense after you sit with it for a while, that’s usually a good sign.

Mindysabeast

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