Sean K. Kennedy shares experiences, offers advice
Story by Kalyn Norwood
Photos by Maria Iacobo
Working as a public defender can be difficult when you’re responsible for supporting clients who are likely guilty of the crimes they’re charged with.
Federal Public Defender for the Central District of California, Sean K. Kennedy, spoke with Gould students about his career as a public defender at a lunchtime event sponsored by the Government Law Organization.
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| Kennedy speaks to students. |
Public Defenders are appointed by the court to defend individuals who are indigent and charged with crimes. There is no cost to the client and cases can cover anything from small misdemeanors to felonies.
For Kennedy, being a public defender is a career choice he has never regretted. He went to law school with the intention of becoming a public defender and has been working in the field since 1992.
Kennedy began his career handling bank robbery and federal capital trial work. Later, he transferred to the appellate unit covering direct appeals and then headed the death penalty habeas unit. Kennedy now manages the public defender’s office, which includes nearly 100 lawyers.
He offered students advice on leading this type of team.
“When you head a government agency, get the resources your people need to do the job well and get out of their way,” Kennedy said, adding that this gives his staff the room to grow professionally.
Another piece of advice he felt all lawyers should recognize is the importance of the “human component of lawyering” when in trial.
“You can be the biggest smarty in the world and have the best education and come from the most wonderful background, but if you can’t talk to the jury like a real person hardly any of that will matter,” Kennedy said.
Kennedy opened the floor for students to ask questions; many were focused on the career path one should take to get to become a public defender.
“There’s no model or one way to get to the public defender’s office,” Kennedy said.
“When you’re a Public Defender, you have to really know who you are and why you are here.”
In his office, he said, staff includes an editor of the Harvard Law Review to former judicial clerks. But, the one common thing the hiring committee is not interested in are people who are there by default; people who simply want government litigation experience; they look for lawyers with a demonstrated commitment to social justice or defense for the indigent.
When looking at resumes, what stands out to Kennedy are people who did any work that has to do with the advancement of individual civil liberties and social justice, such as pro bono representation, social justice at legal aid or worked in clinics in law school.
“Don’t just talk the talk, but walk the walk,” Kennedy said.
Today, Kennedy says, he has many law school classmates who are unhappy in their job at this point in their careers. But being a public defender gives him the ability to be paid for doing something he loves.
“There’s no greater honor than to defend a person in court for their life,” Kennedy said.
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