... have radically different views of criminal law practice. While many excellent defense attorneys are ex-prosecutors, they generally prosecuted for just long enough to learn the ropes, then went into private defense practice. It is extremely rare for an ex-defense attorney to become a prosecutor.

The best of both are the "true believers" -- those who are committed philosophically to whichever side they practice on.

I spent almost ten years as a deputy district attorney in Orange County, then went into private practice when I moved to Marin County (only because a state-wide hiring freeze prevented me from being hired in the San Francisco office of the state attorney general's office).

I was a true believer as a prosecutor and felt good about what I did every day. Although I did my best for every criminal defense client, I was never committed to defense practice and gradually gave it up (first stopped doing criminal trial work to concentrate on appeals, then gave them up, too), shifting my practice to civil cases.

For our system of justice to work, we need good lawyers on both sides. While I was never able to do so myself, I respect criminal defense attorneys who commit themselves whole-heartedly to their practices (for which they are frequently and unfairly vilified). ----- jim o\-S