PILP allowed me to do what I love without worrying about being paid for it. This summer I clerked with Deschutes Defenders (DD) in Bend, Oregon. DD is a nonprofit public defense firm that represents indigent defendants in Deschutes County. DD is one of three firms in the County that handles public defense cases.
Deschutes County, just like the whole State of Oregon, is suffering from the public defender shortage. When I arrived in Bend there were around 90 unrepresented defendants. Every week I watched that number grow. I saw first-hand how unrepresented defendants are hauled into court and arraigned without the advice of counsel to guide them through the first critical stage of their cases. Everyone was frustrated, from the defendant to the judge to the public defenders who had to stand by and watch the ball roll faster down the hill.
DD had to put a hold on accepting new cases because the attorneys were already overloaded. It is important to the lawyer and the client that the workload is manageable, otherwise the attorney cannot give the best representation possible. I worked with attorneys who had over 100 open cases at a time.
I was lucky enough to write 3 motions that were submitted to the court. I first had to organize the discovery files. This process involved watching hours of body-worn-camera footage from arresting officers. After I was done with the facts, I Two of those motions resulted in the DA moving to dismiss the charges. My work was not confined to the office, however. One of the dependency attorneys took me with her to a homeless encampment to find a client. We sat on the ground and went over documents. It was real and gritty.
I could not have done the work I did without the help of the PILP stipend. DD, just like almost every public defender office in the state, is underfunded. They were unable to pay me for my time working with them. That was ok, thanks to PILP.
Bend is a very expensive town, and the $5,500 I got from PILP allowed me to be comfortable. I stayed with my fiancee’s father and paid him a little rent. I was able to buy groceries for myself and also do fun stuff like kayak the Deschutes River!
I cannot recommend PILP enough. They are a great organization that does great work for students like me.
