May 2014 grad Najda Aslanyan has secured a position at the Ventura County Public Defenders Office as a post bar law clerk. The Post Bar clerkship affords students the opportunity to experience the demanding practice of a public defender. The program is nationally recognized and is designed to give students not just an understanding of the criminal justice system, but also hands on experience with trial advocacy. Aslanyan applied for the post-bar position along with hundreds of applicants and was selected as 1 of the 5 post bar clerks. The program will begin on August 18th after the July 2014 California State Bar Examination.
Although Aslanyan has worked only one semester at the San Diego County of Alternate Public Defender her 3L year, she was found well-qualified for the post-bar position. There, she worked with attorneys who provide legal assistance to indigent individuals charged with crimes in the state court. Aslanyan was able to speak on the record, write various motions, do jail visits, prepare for preliminary hearings, and most importantly, have client interaction.
Aslanyan is very excited and grateful for the opportunity presented to her. “I feel very fortunate in securing this position. I know it’s a very competitive market out there. I will be getting hands on training and experience that no other Public Defender’s office offers. I will first begin working in the misdemeanor department doing arraignments and later on serve as a Second Chair during trials.”
Aslanyan is thankful for all of the help she received from Thomas Jefferson School of Law. “TJSL offers its students a lot of opportunities, you just need to work for it to earn it,” said Aslanyan. “I was lucky enough to have an Armenian professor like Professor Christopher Guzelian at this school who directed me in the right path in terms of how to further pursue my law related goals.” Aslanyan stated that “this accomplishment could not have been achieved without the support of family and friends.”