Downside, upside

One of the great things about public defender blogs is that, if you're feeling like you're the only p.d. out there who's facing a particular ethical dilemna, you can click on a colleague's blog and find out you're not alone.

It's uncanny: just this month I've had to deal with the "would it be better for him if I testify that he knew or if I say he didn't know?" question.

(I've also heard, "I've been talking to some guys in here, and you always should reject the first plea bargain," which, when you draw a prosecutor who only makes one fixed take-it-or-leave-it offer, may be just about the exact opposite of good advice.)

Check out the comments to Blondie's post, too; an interesting back-and-forth going on there.

But after that, head over to Gideon's Guardians for a upbeat reminder of why we keep doing the job.