Author: JP Andrews

At risk of stating the obvious, being a public defender and parent during a pandemic can cause a little anxiety. I thought I had a good collection of tools for managing anxiety. This pandemic is challenging my tools. It has so many layers to add to the normal anxious mental chatter and existential angst. The… Continue reading Anxiety and Parenting as a Public Defender During COVID-19

Pandemic has brought us a fast transition in my public defense office to working remotely all or part of the time. While this gives flexibility to work in sweats, or to work during the hours in which we are personally most productive, it also expands the workday as people send updates and communications earlier into… Continue reading Take a Breath, Take a Break

Jeff Sherr recently posted on vimeo a terrific video on the importance of having a third thing. Most of us in public defense spend time on our work, and we spend time with family and friends. Some of us try to develop or sustain spending time on a third thing-- a recharging, recreational third thing.… Continue reading Let Me See Your Third Thing

It’s the time of year when the lists are unavoidable. Best of. Worst of. Top 10. Bottom 10. The only things drowning out the lists are the gym and diet promotions. In the spirit of self-assessment, I like many of these lists. I’m a believer in setting intentions, so here goes. A list of 10… Continue reading Roaring into these ‘20s, more or less.

We're fortunate this week to have this post from Renate Lunn, the Training Supervisor at New York County Defenders Services in Manhattan. Previously, she was a staff attorney with The Legal Aid Society in New York City. In this post, Renate offers wonderful insights and wisdom about the importance of broadening self-care to include caring for… Continue reading What does expanding self-care beyond the self look like? by Renate Lunn