My organization is an interesting one. The atmosphere is very lax. As a matter of fact, the other day, we had to run to court to watch the closing arguments on a murder trial. (Apparently, the closing arguments are a must-see in this part of town.) However, I hadn't come dressed for court nor did I have a suit left at work. Everyone at the office, however, said to grab any suit from the closet. After considerable thought, I decided to do just that. Speaking of clothes, you can wear just about anything yo uwant here. Then today, there were a whole bunch of kids in this one empty office. Throughout intervals in the day, one child screamed "What is wrong with you people?" Another child screamed as she ran away from some imaginary monsters. They lock each other out of the office and run away from pretend imposing lawyers. Some legal interns, my supervisor and I fell into conversation about homosexuality and the media and R.Kelly.
Yet, they still get work done. What I like about the Bronx Defenders is that people are generally happy to be there. The work is stressful and sometimes very disconcerting, and the culture of the organization does its best and succeeds at alleviating any stress factors associated with a job public defense. The people here, however, are young. My supervisor mentioned that they do have a high rate of turnover precisely because it's public defense.
Everyone at the office are treated like equals. There is no obvious head person in charge. In fact, the office is set up in teams, with a supervising attorney. In regards to the informal network, the two people I have observed who keep things running smoothly are Lourdes and Lorraine, who works at the front desk. They both know everything and everyone in the office. I have a feeling that were one of them not available for a long period of time, things may fall apart.
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