Working for MSPD

Why should you come work for MSPD? Watch this and find out:

Video Transcript

What do you think has prepared you for a job at this firm?

I made Moot Court in law school. I think that really prepared me to do research and document review for the next five years.

My first week at the public defender’s office, I was mentored by senior attorneys. But the next Monday when I came in, I had my own clients, and my own stack of cases, and my own people to represent.

When you start as an attorney, we’ll always have somebody there with you, who will show you how to try a case and how to try it well.

There was training within our own office, observing senior attorneys, even junior attorneys, following them, shadowing them in court the first couple of weeks. But then there was also more advanced in-depth training through the MSPD system on a state level.

It is the largest legal organization in the state. Its award-winning training division trains not only its 330 public defenders, but more than 200 private attorneys a year on everything from motion practice to advanced trial advocacy.

So why take your law license to Missouri? Even in the country with the highest incarceration rates in the world, Missouri is the eighth highest in the US and the highest for incarcerating women. You should come here to make the biggest difference.

The criminal justice system isn’t just. That’s the most important thing we need to know. It treats poor people poorly, and it incarcerates them at unbelievably high levels. It’s necessary for us to have trained, skilled public defenders to stop that from happening.

So, every day you know that the work you’re doing means all the difference in the world for somebody who really needs it.

I protect liberty. I defend the Constitution. I give poor people a fighting chance. We get paid by the government to fight the government.

Each local MSPD office has the advantage of a statewide system of resources and funding. We dedicate ourselves to an environment of teamwork, camaraderie, and zealous defense of clients. We work diligently in our common mission but realize the importance of a work/life balance for employees.

For Melissa Bradley, an MSPD public defender in Lebanon, public service and community connect her to public defense work. Read more about her story by clicking on the image below:

Here’s what some of our attorneys say about working with MSPD:

“I became a public defender because I believe that the quality of justice one receives in America should not depend upon the quantity of money one has to spend.”

“Working as an attorney for the Public Defender System is engaging and rewarding. I was previously a prosecuting attorney, but found the switch to public defender work to be more challenging and educational. I never get bored here or feel like I am stuck in a rut!”

“Perhaps the real satisfaction is when you’ve lost the case, which was hopeless from the beginning, your client’s been hammered and is going away for a long time, and that client looks you in the eye and says, ‘Don’t worry, I know you were out there fighting for me and you did everything you could.”

“There is always something new and it’s always interesting. I love the brainstorming and working with other attorneys.”

“Collegiality is terrific. I can always get help and support from the other attorneys in our office.”

“Management really promotes the use of your vacation time and encourages work/life balance. It’s easy to get time off if your kids are sick.”

“As a public defender I can practice law and manage my own caseload without the stresses of chasing after clients to get paid. We have resources for depositions and investigations, and really have the ability to mount a zealous defense. I don’t have to worry about the business side of practicing law at MSPD. And it is NEVER boring!”

Benefits of working in an underserved community:

“There is the ability to get involved—you can really make a difference in the community.”

“We’re close to the great state parks of Missouri; there’s hunting, fishing, hiking, and camping. If you love gardening or homesteading that’s possible here too.”