ugh!!!
my interview withe the Public Defender was going wonderfully...until...
after flattering him with my knowledge of his accomplishments and reiterating the importance of the balance the PD's office brings to our adversarial justice system, i was asked "the hypothetical!"
Hypo: it's the last friday of your summer stint at the PD's office and you're rewarding yourself with a trip to Hawaii. your bags are packed, it's 3pm and you're taking off right after going to county to have one of your clients sign off on some paperwork. oh, you've been working with a death penalty atty all summer.
so you're at county, you see your client, and he decides to tell you the REAL story behind the death of Mr. Jones (lots of detail here). basically, it was an accident, but the weapon he used to kill her is hidden at at day care center. what do you do?
- your boss is unavailable until monday
- keep in mind things like: you're covered by the atty-client privelege (some exceptions), you can place an anonymous call to the police about the gun at the daycare center (but that will ruin the case)
take a stab at it. i did and i think i failed miserably. my multiple answers to come.
posted by Mango Chili Pop @ 10:09 AM
8 Comments:
What's the problem? Coronas on the beach at midnight!
The correct answer is:
1. Call the airlines put off the flight for 24 hours.
2. Write a detailed memo to file
3. Get ahold of the office manager / managing attorney and explain all the details.
4. Give all contact information for where you will be.
5. Get your ass on a plane.
The goal of this hypo is simple, First it measures your basic knowledge of the RPCs (don't squeal on your client).
The second - and more important purpose - is how to measure how much you will trade off work vs. pleasure. The hypo is designed to test whether you would give up the trip or not. There is no right answer. In my office if you gave up the vacation in its entirety we wouldn't hire you figuring you are way too type A. In other offices it would be just the opposite.
Finally, what the F*#! is an intern talking to client without having the ability to immediately go to someone with supervisory authority in a capital case?
What supervising attorney is allowing an intern to see a capital client ALONE?
Dude, it's a hypo, chill out.
And, obviously, there's no correct answer; the interviewer just wants to see the thought process.
Oh, B, I'm sorry that you totally f'ed up the interview!!
Just kidding... hypo's are just opinions mixed with the facts you kinda know. Besides if the Boss is out until Monday they should be reachable for a capital client... if not, thats a major faux paus downtown.
Any interviewer doing hypos and psychological testing is being a jerk. I can't stand that stuff!
In sales, there is the constant magical thinking that keeping a 'positive attitude' what ever the f*** that is makes you sell more stuff. I think that is sick too. That sort of thinking in general is what is wrong with the culture.
Further in getting trained for these jobs, it might be nice to have some pointers in the classes you take.
And yeah, what are they doing leaveing an intern with a death penalty client!??
wait, the only people that read my blog are Taysha and Wade. who are you guys? sweet.
k, so you're all kind of right, but anonymous #2 (w/the numbered list like he/she was an outlining freak in law school)wins the prize! my tutor answered mostly like anonymous #2. i was shocked when he told me he'd right a memo and then take off to Hava-ee, thinking, what if a little kid finds the gun and shoots his friend because he wouldn't share his lunch with her? and then she shoots herself because she feels fat for eating his lunch? scary!
so i think i'll get the job, but i don't think i'll take it. i'd rather do preliminary hearings at the DA's office.
the da experience is a drag!
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