Author: JP Andrews

I have come to believe that showing up strong and energized is one of the most important things we can do for the people we represent. I didn’t always see it this way. In the first few years, when I showed up every Friday with a pile of misdemeanor cases on for trial, and tried… Continue reading Well Being as Part of Competence in Public Defense

I’ve decided to accept a challenge and to try to rebuild a new habit. The challenge is to stop complaining. The truth is I’ve been struggling a bit lately, feeling sad and angry more than I would like. I feel vulnerable to fire and hardship in Sonoma County (where we still have friends and community… Continue reading You can always make a new groove. (My new groove is: no complaining.)

A while ago, my work gave me a mobile phone, and said, as if it were great news, “now we can reach you anytime.” No. Nope. Thank you, noooooo. I am working hard at minimizing that expectation of myself and others. The increasing connectivity of phones and computers has upsides for public defense, like increasing… Continue reading Don’t Text Me On The Weekend. The Importance of Reducing 24/7 Availability Expectations in Public Defense

I have called my experience of leaving public defense work after the first seven years burnout for many years. My experience followed the three classic symptoms of burnout: Physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion. I went from energized by the work to barely dragging myself through each day. Some weekends I would sleep 14 hours straight… Continue reading Should We Stop Saying Burnout and Start Saying Moral Injury?

It’s Sunday. So Monday is closing in on us. When I first heard a public defender use the term Sunday Scaries, I didn’t need any further explanation. That feeling of bracing yourself for the next work week. That feeling of prep and motions I’d hoped to have finished already, but have not. That feeling of… Continue reading The Sunday Scaries. Secondary Traumatic Stress in Public Defense.