Federal Government

Deepan Patel, a 2013 graduate of FSU College of Law, explains his role at the IRS. While the IRS has many types of lawyers, he focuses on business taxpayer guidance, which ensures certainty for businesses making major decisions. He describes how he got into tax, where his career might go, and trade-offs between government and private practice.

Because all parties must have legal representation in criminal cases, underfunded public defender offices raise serious constitutional questions. In this episode, Candace Hom, an alum of Georgetown University Law Center, discusses working at the federal public defender office, how she builds trust with clients, and the challenges of dealing with prosecutors.

The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) seeks to create inclusive communities that accomodate citizen's rights to affordable housing. Kevin Krainz is an alum of the University of Pennsylvania Law School who talks about being a HUD attorney and how it differs from other affordable housing related public interest work.

In the U.S. federal courts, there are too many cases and too few judges. To this end, attorneys can serve as law clerks for the court. Vail Gardner, an alum of the University of Florida Levin College of Law, served North Carolina for six years as a law clerk. In this episode, she describes the types of federal law clerks, including each position's pros and cons.

Each of the U.S. military branches has a large legal staff which is run by the Judge Advocate General's Corp (JAG). Captain Megan Mallone is a JAG officer who joined the Air Force right after graduating from the University of Toledo College of Law. While she’s not involved in combat, she does provide legal counsel to warfighters.

In this episode, Assistant U.S. Attorney and Cleveland-Marshall College of Law alumnus Mike Hunter details his role in the criminal justice system. From 4th Amendment advice for federal agents making a bust to deciding which cases to take, when to seek indictments, and who to make plea agreements with, Mike tells us how he makes choices in pursuit of justice.