Spring Break Experience in Fresno Public Defender’s Office Strengthens 1L Nat Williford’s Legal Skills and Commitment to Advocacy 

Headshot of Nat Williford with short sandy blonde hair and wearing business attire

1L Nat Williford says working with public defenders in Fresno brought classroom theory to life and deepened their resolve to pursue a career in public defense.

Reflecting on a week with the Fresno Public Defender’s Office, 1L student Nat Williford shares how working alongside felony attorneys affirmed their passion for public defense.

  • Strengthened legal analysis skills by working with a felony attorney on active cases, including identifying a charging error that reduced a client’s sentence. 
  • Gained insight into how criminal charges intersect with immigration law and juvenile justice. 
  • Reaffirmed interest in public defense work after seeing the vital role public defenders play as legal advocates and community resources. 

1L Nat Williford: 

I spent Alternative Spring Break with six other students at the Fresno County Office of the Public Defender. There, I was exposed to lawyering that is high stakes, deeply personal, and imperative to fighting for a more equitable justice system.  

Throughout the week, each of us was paired with a felony attorney to shadow in court. I observed arraignments, plea negotiations, preliminary hearings, and diversion program requests. I got to review case files, analyze whether charges aligned with police reports, and even helped identify a serious charging error that resulted in a sentence reduction from three years of probation to three months. 

I also observed the immigration consequences of criminal charges and witnessed how public defenders must alter case strategies to avoid triggering a deportable offense.    

Prior to this week, my only real knowledge of our criminal legal system was theoretical. In Criminal Law, I learned about the vast discretion trial court judges are allotted. In Fresno, I saw that discretion in action.  I sat in on a plea-bargaining conference in chambers with a judge who was a former public defender. There, I observed the delicate and strategic approach the defense attorney took in negotiating on behalf of her client.

We also spent time in juvenile court—an area of public defense I am particularly interested in. As a former educator in Oakland, I was struck by how many seemingly minor school fights in Fresno resulted in arrests.

In Oakland, and in more and more districts across the country, police are no longer present on school campuses. This means conflicts that can be handled by the school avoid entering the criminal system entirely. In Fresno, due to this difference, I learned that the Fresno Public Defender is closely connected with the school system, acting as an embedded advocate for Fresno students. 

Finally, we had the chance to participate in the Clean Slate Clinic, where I worked with a client on drafting his personal narrative for expungement. The next day, we saw a Clean Slate client appear in court and have her record officially expunged.  

Throughout the week, I was deeply impressed by the public defenders I worked with. The attorney I shadowed had more than 150 active cases, yet remembered each client’s name and story. I noticed that when she was with a client, she was really listening—with her eyes, facial expressions, and the way she spoke to them. In each moment, she was both a comfort to her clients and the fighter they needed in their corner.  

What I saw in Fresno is that a strong public defender’s office not only fights to ensure everyone receives the representation they deserve, but it also acts as a place that the community knows it can rely on.    

I went into this trip feeling strongly about wanting to become a public defender, and my time in Fresno only further affirmed this.