The Orleans Public Defenders (OPD) was created in 2007 to provide criminal defense to people who could not afford attorneys in the New Orleans Parish. OPD offers eligible clients free criminal legal representation, and it is the only provider that does so. The Mississippi Project has been sending delegates to the Public Defenders’ office since it opened. This year, Dalourny Nemorin and I (Maria Fernanda DeCastro) were the Mississippi Project’s representatives at OPD.
We really didn’t know what to expect going down to New Orleans to assist the OPD in its mission to provide representation to indigent clients; we knew that the interns last year had helped individual attorneys in the office with their case work. We had hoped that through the work we would get to meet people in the New Orleans community who are dealing with criminal justice issues and working towards solving some of the social inequalities that people in New Orleans are dealing with.
Once we arrived at the office, it became very clear that the organization’s attorneys rely on volunteers like ourselves to help with their massive workload. Dalourny and I worked jointly on several assignments, and also worked separately on two research projects. Dalourny researched issues related to the disclosure of Brady material by prosecutors around the country, and I worked on researching issues related to the criminal justice system’s provision of indigent client representation. I also had the opportunity to prepare a guide manual for attorneys to use while on intake duty.
I really enjoyed working at the Public Defenders’ Office, and I think our placement really did benefit the attorneys working there. It helped me to see the how my legal education can actually be used in practice to make a difference!
We really didn’t know what to expect going down to New Orleans to assist the OPD in its mission to provide representation to indigent clients; we knew that the interns last year had helped individual attorneys in the office with their case work. We had hoped that through the work we would get to meet people in the New Orleans community who are dealing with criminal justice issues and working towards solving some of the social inequalities that people in New Orleans are dealing with.
Once we arrived at the office, it became very clear that the organization’s attorneys rely on volunteers like ourselves to help with their massive workload. Dalourny and I worked jointly on several assignments, and also worked separately on two research projects. Dalourny researched issues related to the disclosure of Brady material by prosecutors around the country, and I worked on researching issues related to the criminal justice system’s provision of indigent client representation. I also had the opportunity to prepare a guide manual for attorneys to use while on intake duty.
I really enjoyed working at the Public Defenders’ Office, and I think our placement really did benefit the attorneys working there. It helped me to see the how my legal education can actually be used in practice to make a difference!
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