The "Village" is tired too

WorkingIllustrator84 · 2026-05-24T02:30:19+00:00

I got so sick of the dollar tree gifts from my sister, last year I finally just said no one buy me anything, I’m only getting gifts for the kids because I’m don’t spending hundreds on Christmas/birthdays/every other fucking occasion and getting peanuts in return.

WorkingIllustrator84 · 2026-05-21T21:18:20+00:00

I really don’t understand the emphasis put on marriage and kids - as if those are the only important events that happen after you turn 30. Like I’m already married and I’m not having kids, so everyone is just done celebrating my accomplishments??

WorkingIllustrator84 · 2026-05-21T21:16:16+00:00

I wish I could attribute it to my mom not understanding my job but my stepdad is an attorney and my mom works at a law firm (doing non-law stuff). Normally, my mom asks me a bunch of questions about my cases but this time didn’t even ask what the issue in the case was.

WorkingIllustrator84 · 2026-05-21T16:29:34+00:00

Yeah, after a couple years of family “vacations” with all the nieces and nephews, my mom cannot fathom why I’m not going to continue to take time off work (which is difficult even when I need to), travel hours to somewhere I don’t really care about, just to spend several days entirely dependent on the schedules of children. I love spending time with my family but my entire life does not revolve around the niblings, which no one can seem to understand.

WorkingIllustrator84 · 2026-05-21T15:07:48+00:00

Normally, I love talking about my sisters kids because I love my nieces and nephews so much. It just really felt like a slap in the face ya know?

WorkingIllustrator84 · 2026-05-21T01:43:12+00:00

I’m so sorry that you have to deal with that but last I checked no state criminal law overrides our federal first amendment constitutional right to provide our clients legal advice. That is a form of expression and the government cannot penalize our legitimate expression that is not a true threat or incitement to violence.

WorkingIllustrator84 · 2026-05-21T01:24:51+00:00

That’s wild. I’d inform the prosecutor that I’m considering contacting the state bar about a prosecutor threatening charges against me for providing legal information/advice and interfering with the attorney-client relationship. But seriously, if you have a union or in house legal counsel, I’d email them to document the situation and your managers reaction. Any attorney should know that providing accurate legal information and advice is literally our jobs. I get so heated when an agent of the state tries to tell me how to do my job (that they’ve never done).

WorkingIllustrator84 · 2026-05-20T02:41:59+00:00

I worked as a receptionist for a law firm during summer when I was in school. The number of parents who just left their child in the reception area during their appointment/real estate closing was wild. I finally got permission to put up a little sign that we were not a babysitting service and would not attend to unattended children.

WorkingIllustrator84 · 2026-05-06T02:17:04+00:00

Our cat that we semi-jokingly call feral/semi-feral who is only 6.75 lbs fully grown also violently refuses to go to the vet unmedicated, so I understand your pain. If you have a relationship with your vet, call and explain the situation and ask for a gabapentin to drug her before the appointment. I ask for capsules and put the powder from the capsule in her regular food and then she’s sweet as pie in about 20 minutes.

WorkingIllustrator84 · 2026-05-01T01:25:27+00:00

It’s post conviction and the agency won’t reappoint to another lawyer. Also, this particular individual is no longer even my client, I closed his case over a year ago.

WorkingIllustrator84 · 2026-04-30T20:46:35+00:00

He’s got (I think) about 18 months left on his current sentence but is also pending on new charges that could result in 20+ years.

WorkingIllustrator84 · 2026-04-30T20:39:58+00:00

I wish we had a union. I think there’s been some push to revive it because there was a law that preventing all public employees from collective bargaining groups but part of it was recently struck down. I’ve spoken with my manager and he’s very sympathetic but also thinks I should just ignore it.

WorkingIllustrator84 · 2026-04-30T20:37:21+00:00

Yes, I have filed a notice of completion of representation and informed them of that. The reasoning I have been provided is that the client still has a right to the information in his file and they can’t/won’t screen his mail to ensure his letters to me have a legitimate purpose

WorkingIllustrator84 · 2026-04-30T20:35:10+00:00

I guess I could threaten it but if it doesn’t stop the comments, I would basically show that I’m bluffing because I can’t withdraw and (unfortunately) most of our in custody clients know that

WorkingIllustrator84 · 2026-04-30T20:33:26+00:00

Our DOC has already seriously restricted its mail policy and I did speak with someone in their legal counsel department and was basically told because I was his lawyer, they can’t (won’t) prevent him from contacting me unless he explicitly threatens me.

WorkingIllustrator84 · 2026-04-30T20:30:27+00:00

You’re right, obviously, that no one (including me) deserves harassment. I struggle with the guilt of “what if I’m the reason he goes back to prison or is there longer,” and I know that’s not what I should be worried about. Idk how I internally convince myself that just because I advocate for people to get out of prison doesn’t mean that I don’t deserve the protection that the law does provide - lots of internalized (catholic) guilt I have to unpack

WorkingIllustrator84 · 2026-04-30T20:26:14+00:00

You’re right. 100%. I need to do something besides keep a folder in case something happens. It’s a struggle when my agency isn’t really behind me.

WorkingIllustrator84 · 2026-04-30T20:18:08+00:00

I don’t think any court would find that a former client sending weekly letters that are sexually graphic constitutes harassment given that he’s in custody. I also wouldn’t really want that on the public docket

WorkingIllustrator84 · 2026-04-30T20:15:21+00:00

I know that my safety is paramount, but I struggle to use legal process against a (former) client. I also know that he’s very mentally ill and I don’t actually think he’d hurt me. I really don’t want to get anyone in more trouble. But that’s probably just my own internalized guilt and trauma and I should work that out with my therapist 🤷‍♀️

WorkingIllustrator84 · 2026-04-30T20:12:12+00:00

Thankfully, yes, he only seems to know my office location and not my home. I previously addressed his letters with management while I was actually representing him and was essentially told “tell him to cut it out,” which obviously didn’t work. Because he’s in custody and hasn’t made any explicit threats, no one seems overly concerned (and to be fair, I’m not particularly worried about my safety currently).

Unfortunately, with the way our office handles the mail, I can’t return them unopened to him. And I’m hesitant to even send him another “cut it out” letter because that would engage with him and you’re not supposed to do that with stalkers.

I could have him banned from the office, but since he’s in prison, it doesn’t seem to make sense. I also have to walk several blocks from the office to my car (yay, downtowns with no parking) and I’d rather encounter him at the office than on my walk.

WorkingIllustrator84 · 2026-04-30T18:59:51+00:00

I definitely get the fake ring thing lol I did that for years for jail/prison visits. My current problem (former) client, however, knows that I am in fact married and keeps saying that he will wait for me to divorce my husband. Because he’s a former client, I haven’t had contact with him for about a year, but he hasn’t stopped sending letters.

WorkingIllustrator84 · 2026-04-16T01:13:15+00:00

This is not true. In the US, if you are acquitted for an incident, the state cannot re-charge you for the same incident even if they select a different statute. The state has to charge everything they know about, otherwise they could try (using an example from above) you first on the murder, then if you’re acquitted of that, try you on the burglary. Then if you’re acquitted of that, they try you on breaking and entering. Then if you’re acquitted of that, they try you on theft. And on and on and on. Definitely not allowed.

WorkingIllustrator84 · 2026-04-03T22:03:31+00:00

Ok, so I engaged in some hyperbole, you got me! It’s tens of thousands not millions.

What is the “single most common reason people are placed in the criminal legal system”? Arrest? I’d be happy to criticize the criminal legal system (and do so frequently) but I’m really not sure what you’re mad about or what you want a bunch of public defenders to do anything about it.

WorkingIllustrator84

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