Oct 24th

How has your perception of the internship/organization changed since you started the internship?

 I have come to understand more about how private public attorneys think.  At first, I assumed that the attorneys I would be working for were stern, scary people.  However, over the course of my internship thus far, I learned that the attorneys I work for are very nice people who wish to help people through tough times.

What is surprising you about this internship?

How interesting it is and what I'm allowed to do.  I had at first believed that I would be a "coffee boy."  But this is not the case.  I run all over Georgia going to different courthouses to deliver pleadings, I research laws and previous cases that could be used in a current client's case, and I file and do other day-to-day activities that are not as fun.  

What have you learned from the routine or boring parts of the internship?

I have learned that while going to court and speaking with clients and doing the more interesting stuff is a big part of being an attorney, another big portion is a great deal of paper work and other somewhat tedious tasks.  

Reflection: Oct 17

Reflection

How does the book or article fit into your potential research?  What does it add to your paper or ideas?

The article I chose, which was over the lack of public defenders for the state to use, fits into my research over if I really do want to be an attorney.  It adds the possible control the state and condition of the city has over an attorney's employment and freedoms over his own work.  While this isn't a magnanimous issue because it only effects areas that are impoverished, I have seen, in my own internship, how even private public defenders help the state.  So, the article adds to the deciding factors of not going into law.

Was the source helpful to you? Does the source relate to your potential topic?

Yes, the source shed light on a subject I had never thought of, previously.  Yes, while the article is not preciously about going into law and more-so about the condition of a few counties in Louisiana, it still provides plenty of information for my topic. 

How and where can you use this source in your potential research project?

I can use this source as a factor in my against section.  My research question, is going to be something similar to: Should I become an attorney?  The article I found will be used to give a negative perspective on public defenders, therefore it will say why I should not become an attorney.  To be precise, the article says that public defenders are underfunded in the judicial system, which leads to an unjust judge and an unjust trial system.  The people in this unjust system are either stuck in judgement purgatory never to be given a trial or rushed through their own trial and not given a fair chance to prove their own innocence.  Also, because of the unjust system, private attorneys are being used to work on public cases.  

Graphic Organizer Oct 10

Name: Kyle Butler                “In Louisiana, the Poor Lack Legal Defense”

Source #____ Bibliography (MLA or APA) 10 pts	Robertson, C. (2016). In Louisiana, the Poor Lack Legal Defense. Retrieved October 16, 2016, from http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/20/us/in-louisiana-the-poor-lack-legal-defense.html?_r=0
Annotation: (Describe ALL info. that might be important for your paper. Explain to the reader and/or summarize what might be found in this source) 35 pts	Poor cities are losing funding for public defenders, so the cities end up with an extreme lack of attorneys.  Because people do not have an attorney, they’re court dates are postponed indefinitely.  In the town of Abbeville, LA, the list of people who are waiting for their public defender is over 2,300 people.  Judges are ordering private lawyers to represent people for free.  Courts are reviving less money.  Judges are rushing to finish cases, one case lasted 1-2 minutes and ended with a 52,000-dollar bond.
Potential Quotes: (Are there any significant quotes you can use or paraphrase from this source?) 15 pts	“I’m the public defender in Vermilion Parish, right now the only public defender,” “because he had no lawyer, had no court date scheduled for the foreseeable future” “The number of tickets filed in Louisiana courts dropped by more than a quarter between 2009 and 2014” “Without a lawyer, he cannot make the case for a bail reduction. Without getting out of jail, he cannot go back to work. And so he waits.”
Assessment: (Analyze and explain why this source is credible) 15 pts	This source is credible because of the news company, The New York Times, the statistics used and quotations of individuals in the community.  The article gives information by using a quote from a man who has gone through the system with no attorney, it gives the statistics on how many districts in LA have attorney waiting lists, 7 of 42, and how many people are on those lists, 2300. The article also uses well known and respected people, for example the Orleans Parish chief public defender is quoted in the article.
Reflection: (How will you potentially use it?) 25 pts	I will use this article to say why you should or shouldn’t go in law and what the possible future is for any lawyer.  This article points out how even private attorneys are at risk of being affected by the state’s lack of funding, which being the area I want to go into, is a big issue.  The article also shows how unfair the justice system can be and how people go with an unfair trial that is biased against them, solely for the purpose of saving time and money.