MDefenders Alum
Name
Anna Yaldo, ’19.
Where are you from originally?
Detroit, Michigan.
Where did you attend college for your undergraduate degree?
Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan.
Where are you working now and what is your position there?
I’m a senior trial attorney at Brooklyn Defender Services in Brooklyn, New York.
What other defender offices have you worked at?
I was a trial attorney at the El Paso County Public Defender Office in El Paso, Texas.
How did MDefenders play a role in your law school experience?
Most of my friends and a lot of the people I cherished most during law school were in MDefenders. It was a place where we got to learn trial skills like how to pick a jury and what to ask on cross examination, we discussed big issues facing public defenders, and we discussed what was going on in our lives—both the good and the bad. We survived the 2016 election together, which was heartbreaking and very powerful for us. We also got lots of information about jobs and internships from upperclassmen who had already interned at certain offices.
It was, for lack of a better term, the safest, kindest, and funniest space in the law school for me. A lot of my friends to this day are former MDefenders.
How has MDefenders made a difference in your career development?
MDefenders is what led me to public defense. For better or for worse I had no real clue what public defense was before law school. In fall 2016 I went to the first event of the academic year, which was the annual screening of Gideon’s Army, and I was hooked. I applied to work at Orleans Public Defenders and the Federal Defenders of the Eastern District of Michigan during 1L summer, the State Appellate Defender Office in Detroit during law school, and the Bronx Defenders during 2L summer.
I suppose you could say that I went to that first meeting and the rest was history.
Why did you enroll in the Public Defender Training Institute?
I thought it was really cool that Professor Primus was going to teach a trial skills and lawyering class specifically geared toward public defense. It might sound silly but it’s so different than regular trial skills because of the uphill battle we have with the judge, juries, prosecutors, and a lot of times our clients. I took the first ever class in the fall of 2019. I only got to take the first semester because I graduated, but I know the second semester was just as great as the first. Taking the class was more out of curiosity and really getting to see what all it could be. Kind of like the early days of any org that starts off small and becomes something big and wonderful over time. I still remember our tiny class, our little retreat that we did over fall break, and all of the crying, laughing, and yelling we did those first few days. All of it was awesome.
How has the Public Defender Training Institute helped you in your career?
I remember the MDefenders alumni who came to visit who came to visit from PDS, NDS Detroit, and the Bronx Defenders—to name a few. One guest put on an entire show with how active she gets in trial, and it was so entertaining and inspiring. It really showed me how powerful certain sounds and movements can be in a trial, and there is truly no reason to just stay up at the podium all day (unless your court rules require it).
Is there anything else you’d like to share about your time here at Michigan Law or in the MDefenders program?
Law school was tough, and it is for most people. There were probably more ups and downs than any other time in my life up until then. I pushed myself harder than I probably ever have, because I wanted to try to experience everything at least once. I don’t regret any of it and I would do it all again. And, I would do it all again at Michigan. I truly can’t think of a better place to get a legal education. I loved my professors, my classmates, and I loved the experiences I was able to have. Go blue!