This past week, I had two more interviews, which means I have had five interviews total. The two people I interviewed both worked at Collin County Courthouse. Since they were newer attorneys, they worked in misdemeanor departments. I thought it was really interesting to hear from attorneys who are relatively early in their careers, as their perspectives greatly differ from the research I do or when I talked to more experienced professionals. One of the ADA’s explained he worked in the domestic abuse misdemeanor department, and I was intrigued to hear more about it because I didn't know that some cases of domestic abuse could be misdemeanors. He explained how these cases consist of issues like shoving, hair pulling, and slapping, and they were important to address in court because by punishing these smaller offenses, larger and more extreme measures could be stopped. He explained that convincing the jury on these could often be difficult because they liked to put themselves in the criminals' shoes, and they wouldn’t want to be charged or convicted for pushing someone. To overcome this obstacle, he explained how he would establish the relationship the defendant had with the victim, and explain how or why this action was dangerous and needed to be stopped before the situation would have time to escalate. Overall, I found his interview very interesting, as it gave me exposure to the fact that even as a younger attorney working in misdemeanor trial courts, I can fight for issues I strongly support.
- Akanksha Kumar
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