Anonymous said...i was at the ct house today and lawyers were telling me that morale at the office is not good!
Anonymous said...I know many PDs and they tell me they are not unhappy with Carlos.
Why did Rumpy have such a hate of Bennett and now such an issue with Carlos? Maybe Rumpy was fired by the PD????
Listen, most PDs think the office is just fine and the morale there is clearly a hell of a lot better than the morale at the SAO.
Please stop bashing Carlos Martinez. If you know him, and I do, he is a really hard working and caring guy.
The PDs office is still a fine place to work. Maybe it's a tighter ship now, but it's still a very good office with decent morale.
For example - I was at a happy hour for a B-level PD leaving the office for private practice. None other than Carlos Martinez himself was there, drinking a beer and chatting with young PDs. They were joking with him and calling him "Carlos." I was amazed. In all my time at the SAO, I saw KFR twice, and one of those times was when she interviewed me.
Anonymous said...
As a current PDO employee I can do nothing else but laugh at this article and some of the comments which have followed. Rump, your complete back off of your previous militant stance on these issues is telling in that, you realize that most of what you've been spouting have been unsubstantiated lies and the grumblings of some whinny babies. Lets discuss...
The large raise for one employee: He actually deserved it. Go ahead, publish the name.
Dress Code for Jail: There is no dress code for jail. The dress code "change" was the office merely asking that you not wear jeans in the OFFICE. There was never a mention on what you can and can't wear to jail, in fact if you want to wear jeans to jail, then do so, just not in the office. Remember fellow PD employees, we do work in a professional law firm. How many other law firms allow their attorneys to walk around the office on a regular basis in jeans?
Nepotism?: Every attorney in this office has earned their right to be hired. The hiring process in our office was made to weed out the pretenders, and then send them over to the SAO. There is no one in this office who is employed in a position which he or she is not qualified for.
Supervising attorneys looking over the work of their attorneys who they are responsible for? What's wrong with that? They are doing their job. And with good reason. Word is the office just fired someone because he wasn't doing his. Note to all PDO's: "You work for your client's, not for yourselves."
[there was one portion of this comment we edited out- the only way we can do this is to copy the comment from the comments section and then post it here. We did that because it makes reference to a very serious charge we did not publish and will not unless we have evidence, which we do not have. We have allegations made by current employees, but no verification. Under the circumstances, we cannot publicize it.]
All in all, this article, and for the most part, this blog, is a bunch of hot air. It fans the flames of the so called "turmoil" when in fact, there is no turmoil.
[Rumpole asks one simple question: if the blog is so bad, why read it? Or did you mistakenly log on to the site while trying to find www-self-righteous dot com?]
And to any of my fellow employees who are in "turmoil", remember this...
You are a lawyer. You are a professional. Bound by a higher calling, a higer code of ethics, and in a profession which demands a higher work ethic. Start acting like it!
This job is not supposed to be easy. It's supposed to be hard. Being hard is what makes it great. Your boss is supposed to be tough. You are supposed to be sharp. You are supposed to put in long hours. People's freedom and rights hang in the balance. If you don't like it, then head over to ABP in the courthouse and make me a breakfast sandwich in the morning.
Perhaps that job will better suit your work ethic.
keeping it real
Rumpole responds: The nepotism thing is tricky. It is apparently a "step parent" relationship, and does that qualify for nepotism? Additionally, it has been said the individual did not pass the Bar background check. But is that true? And even if it is true, perhaps the individual is otherwise a quality person and will be a great lawyer if given a chance. All we are reporting is that assistant public defenders have been complaining to us.
Remember that none other than Huey Hugh Rodham had to take the bar several times and hung out with the PD's investigators division until such time as he passed the bar.
ReplyDeleteAnd that was way before anyone had every heard of Hillary or Bill
WHAT? There's a flip side to this? Oh my! I say all the unhally PD's and happy PD's meet in the courthouse for a nice long handshake
ReplyDeletei was at the ct house today and lawyers were telling me that morale at the office is not good!
ReplyDeleteI know many PDs and they tell me they are not unhappy with Carlos.
ReplyDeleteWhy did Rumpy have such a hate of Bennett and now such an issue with Carlos? Maybe Rumpy was fired by the PD????
Listen, most PDs think the office is just fine and the morale there is clearly a hell of a lot better than the morale at the SAO.
Please stop bashing Carlos Martinez. If you know him, and I do, he is a really hard working and caring guy.
Saying that morale at the PDs office is higher than morale at the SAO is like saying that [insert just about anyone's name here] is shorter than Alonzo Mourning.
ReplyDeleteThe Nepotism charge is way off base. It is true that some people think that Rory's stepson should not work there because of the simple fact he is related to Rory. Well, I, and many others, think that is horse shit.
ReplyDeleteThe fact is that the particular APD in question is one of the most gifted and hard working people in our office. His clients love him and most of his coworkers have the utmost respect for his capabilities and work ethic. He deserved his job and has earned the right to remain there even though he did not get through character and fitness the first time around.
And he is not being treated differently either. Many other APDs had trouble with the background check (APDs tend to have previous run ins with the law)and were offered the same opportunity afforded to Rory's stepson without being half as good as him.
Carlos is a man with a vision for this office and he truly cares for his employees. Is some of what he is implementing a pain in the ass? Yes. But other than the jeans thing (which I personally enjoyed as a perk to being a APD), I have no issues with Carlos.
I was at the courthouse todya and saw many attorneys following thru with the fist pumps and the arm pumps.
ReplyDeleteThe problem isn't Carlos, it is the douchebag mafia around him.
ReplyDeleteTechnically, nepotism in State of Florida offices such as Public Defender is defined by Florida Statutes, and step parent is not listed.
ReplyDeleteI'm a PD, and the morale is just fine. And anyone who complains of nepotism clearly doesn't know the individual in question. He's a good person and an even better advocate. He would have been hired no matter what.
ReplyDelete'Can't we all just get along?
ReplyDeleteRump- this holiday weekend promotion for "Tedmastosforjudgethemoviedotcom" will be everywhere and anywhere drumming up support for the only candidate that can stop the Milt Hirsch runaway train. Look for us.
ReplyDeleteFOUL!!!Rump! Take it down. No f'ing way I'd do a post with that jackass.
ReplyDeleteDees PDeeeess....
ReplyDeletefighting?
Dis is Bulsheeeeeeeeeet!
5:59 see, F.S. 112.3135 step parents and step children are within the statute. If Stein was involved in the kid getting hired, bar hearing, movement or promotion, he can say goodbye to his job and his pention.
ReplyDeleteMr. Rump,
ReplyDeleteBack off on Carlos.He is a good guy.
The PD has good morale and one would expect some unhappy people in an organization with about 500 employees.
I have personally worked with this person you claim is taking advantage of nepotism. And I have gone to trial with him. I have gone on, and watched, more than 20 trials in the last couple years, and I can say that he is without a doubt one of the best litigators I have ever seen, and best that I have gone to trial with. His ability to try a case, to communicate with the jury, makes me envious. He is the nicest person to people in the office, and he is a hard worker who is the first to the office and last to leave. And countless individuals have failed to pass the bar more than once, and many, many times they were kept on by the office in a staff position of some kind because the office is loyal and devoted to it's employees. Regarding this bar issue, I can say with knowledge that it is shocking and deplorable that the Florida Bar is doing this to him, and a gross decision by them to not admit him at this time. His character and fitness is impeccable, in fact better than mine and yet I got through, and we all should be ashamed for what the Bar is doing. So, I just want to say "lay off." I know how it may look like from the outside, but from the inside, there is no wrongdoing.
ReplyDelete7:27 I sincerely hope you are not a lawyer. Did you READ what I wrote? I haven't charged anyone with doing anything wrong. I have even wondered whether the relationship was sufficient to justify a charge of nepotism. What I wrote was that OTHER PDS have been writing me emails upset over this, and if you have the brains to read the comments you will see what I mean.
ReplyDeleteRumpole, this is 7:27. And perhaps you should ask yourself if you are a lawyer. I didn't make any accusation to you. None of that comment was directed towards you or anyone in particular. It is generally directed at those individuals who believe there is something wrong going on, as evidenced your statement that other people have written complaining. Its a comment board, and I'm here to address the subject. Try not to have a guilty conscious.
ReplyDeleteSkill is NOT the issue. Chris Rundle was a very fine trial lawyer for about 1o years under Reno.
ReplyDeleteWhen KFR was appointed, he had to quit. Rules are rules.
what is a "pention?"
ReplyDelete7:27 this is what YOU wrote on MY blog:
ReplyDelete"I have personally worked with this person you claim is taking advantage of nepotism."
The pronoun "you" is proper when directed at an individual, such as I.
And it's guilty "conscience" an ailment or affliction of which I do not suffer.
Joel Denaro was hired by the Public Defender's Office and his step mother was head of appeals.
ReplyDeleteRory and I don't see eye to eye any more but he is a good lawyer. No reason to think living with that gruff prick would not make his step son a good litigator worthy of being hired at the pdo.
However, if he has been held up passed one year and he is no longer a cle, in these economic times, he needs to be let go until the bar lets him thru. Then he can have his job back.
Fair enough, Rumpole, I stand corrected, and want to make sure that it is known that my comment at 7:27 is directed at those making that allegation. Whoever they may be. And thank you for the spelling correction.
ReplyDeleteRump
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, Most of the GOSSIP is Much ado about nothing. More concern is C attorneys with 100 plus case loads and their trial partners with a full A or B load and twenty (20 ) to forty (40) C cases also.
To be honest the only thing I am truely unhappy about, is not that I have NOT had a raise or salary adjustment in four ( 4) years, But that I have not got a COLA in FIVE ( 5 ) years and will not see one this year. None of that is really Carlos' fault. The Budget is set by Tallahassee and the economic realities of todays politics.
D. Sisselman
Are some people pissed at the 5th floor for some of the micromanaging they have been doing lately? YES!
ReplyDeleteDo those of us who actually interview our clients, take depositions, file motions, negotiate better pleas, investigate our cases and go to trial have anything worry about? NO!
The fact is Carlos is the new sheriff and when there is a change in leadership, culture inevitably changes as well. This is life and ALL PDs better get use to the changing winds or risk getting blown away.
As long as the PDs enjoy doing what they do and get great experience while doing it, they are just that much better off when they are ready to go somewhere else. Basically, stop complaining and take the opportunity for what it's worth.
Just a guess, but I think that those people saying morale is not that bad as PD Office, are either making more than the base of $42k, or are still green and are in one of the other buildings, like county, juvenile, or dv.
ReplyDelete6:24:00 PM: yes, FS 112 speaks to step parents but it relates to the Public Official, not just two employees.
ReplyDeleteCarlos is a joke - he was a joke back when he was attached to BHB butt and he's still a joke - moral in the pdo is as low as it can get - anyone who says other wise must be afraid of their own shadow! By the way has anyone seen BHB lately - or is he still in his Rocky Mountain Retreat injoying his "paid retirement?"
ReplyDelete