Sacramento Criminal Justice Lawyer Looks For The Good In People
Christopher Parkhurst is a Sacramento lawyer specializing in criminal justice, and is ranked among the best criminal litigation lawyers in the Sacramento area on Avvo.com.
What does your current job entail?
"I work as a private criminal defense attorney. I represent individuals charged with crimes ranging from misdemeanors to serious felonies. This requires me to listen to my clients, assess evidence and outcomes, and formulate defenses to pending and potential charges. I advise clients of their options, and represent them in court. Sometimes it is simply putting the best foot forward, and sometimes it is mounting aggressive defense to false or overstated charges. I work daily with local prosecutors, defense attorneys, judges, and investigators, and negotiate outcomes and fight for the ever-elusive thing we call justice."
What is your favorite part of your daily duties?
"Feeling like I make a difference in the lives of my clients and looking for the good in people every day are my favorite parts of my job. Most people come to me at a low point in their lives, where things have gotten out of control or they have been snapped awake by a negative interaction with law enforcement. Sometimes, clients are lost souls and sometimes they are extremely high functioning individuals. Shifting gears between the interesting facts offered by the many cases that touch my clients' lives is extremely rewarding. One day I might be in DUI court trying to save a trucker's license, and the next I may be meeting with a federal prosecutor trying to resolve a case before it is filed. It is an honor to be chosen by a client to help formulate a solution to their legal problems."
Do you feel your education prepared you for your current role?
"I'd say so. I attended law school at UC Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco, and undergraduate school at UC Davis. That formal education helped, but I feel that life experience has best prepared me for this job. In my case, that includes five years of intense and difficult work in direct counseling in a local nonprofit , a stint as a special education teacher and a lengthy stint as a county government administrator and analyst. Those experiences taught me to pay attention, to read people, to navigate bureaucracies, and to develop the ability to give effective, personalized, solution-oriented advice."
Do you have any advice for people wanting to pursue a similar career?
"Yes. Go to your local courthouses and look, listen and think about what is going on there. Check out the criminal courts and family law courts first hand. Then, you'll know whether that path is the right one for you. I think that a philosophy of loving what you do and throwing yourself into it is a good way to make a difference, and to have a meaningful professional career."
Christopher Millard is a freelance writer and cultural critic whose music reviews can be found on Examiner.com. He also works as a publicist for Valence Communications Group and is a contributor to the health and wellness magazine, Hybrid. Chris currently resides in Sacramento, California.
