The Burning Question

As Gideon sums up here, there's been quite a bit of discussion going around the blawgosphere about whether to blog from and about work. I thought about this a lot myself before I started my blog. I think I understand the pros and cons and I've tried to balance them here. On one hand, I don't think my blog would be what I want it to be if I don't post some personal experiences. My feelings about the criminal justice system are shaped by a lot of things, and one of the major ones is obviously my own personal experiences as a public defender. I like to think that my personal stories inform whoever might be reading this blog about just who is spouting off her opinion. I also have read quite a few posts on other blawgs from defense attorneys and public defenders that helped me get through a bad hour, bad day, or bad week because I knew that other people across this country were doing what I was doing, and were facing the same struggles I was. As I type this, I realize that it's sort of like a quasi-support group, I guess. On the other hand, I don't want to ever come close to revealing any privileged or confidential information. I certainly don't want to destroy any good professional relationships I have. And, obviously, I don't want to get fired. But, in the end, for me, I decided that for my blog, it just wasn't worth it for me to blog if I didn't throw some of my own personal experiences in the mix.

I do have some general rules to keep myself in check. I don't use any client names--not even first names. I never reveal client conversations beyond a general, "Client says he didn't do it" type reference. I also don't use any names of co-workers, prosecutors, or judges. I never, ever, ever blog about or even mention my boss or the particulars of my office. And I remain somewhat anonymous. I say "somewhat," because I'm sure if someone really wanted to figure out who I am, they could. But, I'm not going to advertise it either.

I recognize that it's possible, I might get burned for some of this. But, for now, I'm just doing the best that I can, hoping that some people get something out of this place.

What do you think?