Ep. 86 - Assistant Public Defender - Ohio Public Defender's Office - Nathan Maynard

Welcome back to the Joust About Careers podcast! This episode features 2015 Van Buren graduate Nathan Maynard, an assistant public defender in the youth defense department of the Ohio Public Defender’s Office. In this episode, Nathan shares how a typical day looks in his position, how an event while in college working toward a supply chain management degree piqued his interest in a law career, what students can be doing now to set themselves up for a career in law, and much more. Whether you are interested in a career as a lawyer or public defender or are still exploring your options, I hope that what Nathan shares today will help all of you make better career decisions and have fulfilling career journeys. Enjoy the show! 1:14 - How a typical day looks for Nathan as an assistant public defender in the youth defense department. 3:22 - There is only one other person like Nathan in the entire state. 3:59 - The situations in addition to youth defense that a public defender can work. 5:02 - The public defenders during and after a trial are different. 5:28 - Attorney work usually isn’t what is seen on television. 6:25 - Nathan did not plan to go into youth defense. 6:55 - A clerkship with the state helped lead Nathan to the public service field. 9:12 - Supply chain management was Nathan’s original career focus. 9:42 - A moot court trial in a college class piqued Nathan’s interest in law. 11:10 - You don’t need to go pre-law/political science to go to law school. 12:12 - Law school is a reset. 13:19 - There are many good law schools in Ohio. 14:12 - The application process for law school can start long before actually starting law school. 15:00 - Grades and experiences are important when it comes to acceptance to law school. 16:15 - The path to a law degree is a long haul. 17:48 - Get involved with the community: vote, be a poll worker, etc. 19:06 - Seek opportunities and try new things. Questions? Connect with Brian on LinkedIn (linkedin.com/in/brian-bratt/) or e-mail ([email protected]). Connect with Nathan on LinkedIn (linkedin.com/in/nathan-maynard-b77991149/) or by e-mail ([email protected]).