🎙Episode #008: Khalida Sims (Public Defender)

Greetings from snow-covered Washington, D.C.

It has officially been one month since I started the How I Lawyer podcast! Thanks for coming along for the ride. I have learned a lot about law (and podcasting) and am looking forward to the upcoming episodes.

As always, let me know if you have suggestions or ideas! I am specifically looking for ideas of how to reach more law students (and future law students) as the newsletter, Twitter, and LinkedIn skew a bit more toward current practitioners. If you have a suggestion on how to reach more law school students (besides my own) please reply to this e-mail. I’d really appreciate it.

In today’s episode (click here) I speak with Khalida Sims, an Assistant Federal Defender in the Northern District of Ohio in Cleveland. Before her current position she worked as a public defender in Cuyahoga County, Ohio for seven years. 

In our conversation, we discuss her path to becoming a public defender, the roles she plays both inside and outside the courtroom, the importance of building rapport with clients (especially those who are currently incarcerated), the centrality of representing the person and not the conduct, and how a trip to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina changed her professional life.

I am grateful to my friend Kate Kaput for connecting me with Khalida who is fascinating, friendly, and a fierce advocate for justice.

See you in the next episode,

Jonah