By: Megan “MJ” Wellman
IU Robert H. McKinney School of Law, Class of 2024
On November 3, the Indianapolis Bar Association Student Division hosted Breakfast with the Bar, focusing on Criminal Law. We heard from attorneys from the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office, Marion County Public Defender’s Office, and private practice. These attorneys discussed the vast courtroom experience that young attorneys gain at the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office and the Marion County Public Defender’s Agency. For students looking to gain valuable court experience now, they recommended taking the Trial Practice class during the spring of your 2L year.
The courtroom is not a competition; it’s a collaboration. The attorneys emphasized the benefits of building relationships with judges and opposing counsel in order to achieve the best outcome. For instance, a public defender is not a prosecutor’s “adversary,” and vice versa. This is a fellow attorney to work with to achieve the best outcome possible in a criminal case.
Finally, mental health and wellness was highly emphasized in the criminal law field. The demands of the job and clientele, while exciting and rewarding, can be overwhelming. To hold yourself to the highest standard attorney for your clients, you need to take care of yourself first. Some attorneys talked about taking time off to travel and focus on family. Others talked about finding hobbies and working out. Whatever it is, mental health and wellness is highly important as an attorney, and you should be mindful of how to put yourself in the best mindset. Resources can be found at JLAP and other sources.
These are some key notes from the individual attorneys:
Jessica Cicchini, with the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office, is the section chair of the Indianapolis Bar Association Criminal Justice Section. Jessica worked in the Public Defender’s Office before transitioning into the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office. She has a unique role within the office working in wrongful convictions.
John Gallo, with the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office, used to work as a public defender. Now, he enjoys his work in major felonies and has some recent campaign experience. John has been assisting Ryan Mears’ campaign for the Marion County Prosecutor race.
Joel Hand started in the criminal justice system when he was in law school. He worked with an attorney in the Prosecutor’s Office litigating a case from start to trial. He said this experience helped him transition into private practice now. He enjoys the autonomy of private practice and being able to create his own schedule.
Mitchell Swedarsky, with the Marion County Public Defender Agency, emphasized the importance of taking breaks during your profession to do things you love. Mitchell took a break in his years as a Public Defender to travel to the Peace Corps. This experience helped him find passion for working again by allowing his mind to reset.
Andrew Fogle has been an attorney in the Indianapolis community for many years. He said watching how much the prosecution has changed overtime has been very interesting to him, observing that courts have transitioned from a focus on punishment to a focus on rehabilitation.
Joe Cermak emphasized the importance of mental health in the criminal law field. Typically, the criminal law field has a large workload so it is important to make sure you take care of yourselves. He also encouraged students to take advantage of any networking or experience opportunities.
Daniel Cicchini is a supervisor within the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office and is heavily involved in jury trials.
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