Meet Brittany Hines (Law ‘16) earned her Political Science major from California State University, Stanislaus. Her journey to law school started at a young age watching legal shows and movies and helped her evolve into the tenacious defense lawyer she is today. Find out how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected her work, why she believes building lifelong relationships in law school is important and how she translates her passion for justice to fighting for her clients as an attorney at Mark A. Broughton, PC,
Tell us about yourself and your journey to law school.
I was raised in Fresno and I attended California State University, Stanislaus to get my BA in Political Science. Because I’m from the Central Valley, I wanted to stay local and I’d always heard great things about San Joaquin College of Law just from growing up here. Going to law school was always the plan for me because I wanted to be an advocate and fight for justice. From a young age, I would watch legal movies and see lawyers on television and I loved seeing how educated and intelligent they were, so I wanted to do the same. I remember being seven or eight years old and saying I wanted to be a lawyer, but I had no idea what that really entailed. As I got older and learned more about the profession, I grew even more passionate about it.
How was your experience as a student at San Joaquin College of Law?
It was a very good experience and one thing about SJCL is that it’s the only law school in a 100-mile radius of the valley, so with that comes great networking opportunities. It was always easy for me to get an internship or a law job because so many lawyers in the area will reach out to the school for interns, clerks or new attorneys. That was such a great benefit and also the camaraderie because everyone was always so helpful with outlines or study groups. It was really easy to get to know my classmates and even students who graduated before us would come and help out. Other attorneys I know that attended other law schools didn’t get to have those positive experiences because it was more of a competitive environment and their classmates weren’t as willing to help them out. I graduated in 2016 and some of the people I met in law school are still my closest friends today and I think it’s important to build those types of relationships and friendships because you need that support. No one understands the stress of law school and what you’re going through like a lawyer or fellow law student does.
When did you realize you wanted to become a defense attorney?
I realized it when I started interning for the Public Defender’s Office during my third year of law school. It kind of fell into my lap and I was assigned to the juvenile division for about a year and I really fell in love with helping people. I got to meet some great people and I would learn about their stories and their backgrounds, so I really became passionate about being an advocate for them and fighting for justice for people who are falsely accused and wrongfully convicted.
With recent media attention in documentaries like The Innocence Files, how does that impact your passion for the job?
I find those documentaries to be intriguing. My boss has actually worked on two Innocence Project cases and he got two people released. I love it and I love hearing stories about that because there’s so many people who are wrongfully convicted. With today’s DNA technology and science, we don’t see new cases like that as much but we see cases, especially with minorities, where they do commit a crime and the prosecutor severely overcharges the crime. I haven’t worked on any Innocence Project cases personally, but I love knowing that I’m there for my clients in more ways than just defending them in court. There’s another aspect to it because you really get to care for these people and develop a bond with them. I’m there to support them not just in court but if they have a problem at home, they know they can call and express things to me that they can’t to anyone else. I had a client call me about a week ago and she told me “I’m so happy I got to talk to you and I want to let you know that no matter what happens with my case, I really appreciate you and everything you’ve done. I don’t know how I would’ve made it this past year without you and regardless of the outcome, thank you for just being here for me.” When I hear things like that, it truly makes my heart feel full because I know I’m helping people in more ways than just the legal aspect.
When you were in law school, how did you keep a healthy work/life/school balance?
Everything is about time management and sacrifice. You have to know early on that you’re not going to be able to have the same social life you had before law school. But if you stick to your schedule and manage your time, you’ll be able to still have some sort of a social life. If you know you have a birthday party or wedding that you want to attend or an out of town trip coming up, you might have to add another hour or two of studying every day that week prior. As long as you have a plan and manage your time well, you’ll be able to do it.
What was something you learned in law school that no one told you about before?
Most law students in undergrad, probably had really good grades or a high GPA or you were used to getting straight A’s. We go into law school with this mind frame that we are going to be academic rock stars. The first year of law school is really an eye-opening experience because you realize you’ve never done anything like this and it’s really a stressful, hard process. You don’t really understand how tough it is until you go through it. Everyone that goes to law school is smart and people usually think they’re going to go and rock it out but when you get there, you understand how trying of a process it actually is.
If you had to do law school all over again, what would you do differently?
I honestly had a good law school experience - I was involved in extracurriculars and I was focused, so I don’t know that there’s too much I would actually change. Maybe I would’ve demanded more work at my clerkships or tried to get more hands-on experience because once you’re an attorney, you can’t make the same mistakes you can when you’re a law clerk.
How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted your workload and cases?
Business-wise, we’re not seeing as many new clients right now because people are staying home, so that’s one aspect of it. Another is with Zoom hearings because a lot of things are being conducted via video conferencing calls and that’s changed a lot of things. We definitely try to focus and ensure that every client’s constitutional rights are being protected, especially when it comes to our in-custody clients because they’re more at risk of having those rights violated. With their cases being continued or us trying to meet with them, we’re really trying to ensure that they’re protected. For example, if their court cases are continued then they’re getting their liberties and freedom taken away because it’s extending the time they’re in custody, so that’s our biggest focus right now with the court closures.
What are you looking forward to the most once this coronavirus pandemic starts to wind down?
Interaction with my clients. I have in-custody clients that I communicate with via video conferencing now, but I can’t discuss their case with them when there’s correctional officers walking around. Even with my out-of-custody clients, I’ll call them and try to review discovery but not seeing them face to face takes a lot of the personalization away from me representing them. Being back in the courtroom where I can fight for them or having them back in my office where I can explain things more in depth is what I’m looking forward to the most.
How do you manage the mental stress of your job with the stress of the current pandemic?
I think it’s been a really trying issue right now because this is a very stressful profession and I used to have different road trips or activities that I would look forward to on the weekends to relax and unwind. Now that everything’s closed, those things aren’t there to look forward to. So I just try to stay positive and tell myself that this is temporary. I only go to the grocery store as needed since I’m still in the office with other co-workers and I don’t want to get anyone sick. Having a positive outlook is important and I’m grateful that I’m still working when 30 million people have had to file for unemployment.
What advice do you have for people who are interested in going to law school but hesitant because of the uncertainty in today’s world?
The good thing about SJCL is that they have prospective student orientations like the Law School 101 Forum for people that are interested in attending law school. I actually went to two of those before I decided to go to SJCL and that was very helpful for me. I would definitely tell students who are interested in law school to attend one of those since it’s a big time and financial commitment. If you’re not sure, now is a great time to reach out to someone from the law school and get your questions answered because it’s a big leap to take.
Want to learn more about San Joaquin College of Law, attend a virtual student forum or set up an appointment to discuss your law school future? Contact our Admissions Counselor, Francisco "Javier" Rosas today!