Student Testimonial


Peter Whitney
Class of 2009

I enrolled in the Public Defender Clinic because I wanted to practice indigent defense, and I knew that the training and experience would help in the extremely selective hiring process at the Maricopa County Public Defender’s office. The clinic is the best way to learn to practice - with a talented veteran attorney watching your back.  

The Clinic taught me to critically read police reports by imagining myself at the scene in order to understand what was not in the report. I met with clients in custody and on release, and learned to establish rapport and interview them about the circumstances of the alleged offenses. I learned how to quickly spot issues in a criminal case, and how to counsel a client regarding a plea offer. I learned to listen to clients about mitigating circumstances, and to use that information in requesting better pleas, and in sentencing. I also became a much more effective advocate - both through the classroom training exercises and actual practice - than I was after taking Lawyering Theory & Practice, Trial Advocacy, and Criminal Practice and Procedure, and competing in Mock Trial.
 
 I will never forget one of the cases I worked on. My client was innocent. I conducted an evidentiary hearing on a motion to suppress, a hearing on a motion to dismiss, and I first-chaired his trial. That trial was the most rewarding and exhilarating educational experience I have ever had. Another student and I were able to convince six of eight jurors of our client’s innocence.  The jury hung, and we got a mistrial. A few weeks later, I convinced the prosecutor that the same thing would happen in another trial, and the case was dismissed. The clinic validated my career choice, and proved to me that I would not be satisfied in any other field.