With dual degrees in law and social work, Prescott Loveland ’15 is ready to serve in the nation’s capital this fall.
In October, Prescott Loveland ’15 will begin serving as a trial attorney at the public defense organization of his dreams: the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia. Widely regarded as one of the best public defender offices in the country, PDS handles the most complex, resource-intensive, and time-consuming criminal and juvenile delinquency cases. As a model office that provides zealous and comprehensive representation to indigent clients, PDS is the perfect fit for Loveland, a model student whose Fordham Law experience has been inspired by the difficult realities of poor and underrepresented individuals who are mired in the justice system.
Loveland’s decision to attend Fordham Law was guided by the same values that led him to the University as an undergraduate. “Fordham appealed to me for graduate school for many of the same reasons it appealed to me as a teenager years ago: because of a commitment to service.”
His own commitment to service was spurred at a young age, after he saw how the criminal justice system treated those close to him. “I grew frustrated with society’s unwillingness to treat all people, regardless of their struggles or mistakes, with dignity.”
“My goal was to be a public interest lawyer, and it was apparent to me early on that I wanted to be a public defender. I want to represent adults and juveniles who are indigent and accused of crimes. My Fordham experience has ultimately become about making myself best equipped to minimize and mitigate the impact of the criminal justice system on people’s lives.”
During his time at Fordham Law, Loveland has taken every opportunity to develop the skills he needs to be a client-centered legal advocate. As a student in the Criminal Defense Clinic, he represented New Yorkers facing misdemeanor charges in Manhattan Criminal Court. Under Fordham Features Story by Effy Donovan, photograph by Robert Essel Double Duty With dual degrees in law and social work, Prescott Loveland ’15 is ready to serve in the nation’s capital this fall. the guidance of his professors, Loveland interviewed and counseled clients, investigated his own cases, and negotiated with prosecutors.
As a member of the Brendan Moore Trial Advocates (and its Editor-in-Chief in 2013–2014), Loveland developed his trial skills under coaches who were also practicing trial attorneys. As he prepared with his fellow Moore Advocates for trial competitions against other law schools, he learned how to carefully strategize a case, argue evidence, and deliver effective opening statements, cross-examinations, and summations. Loveland explains that this practical training was critical during his four-month job search.
“I was asked to demonstrate all these skills during my public defender interviews, and no doubt my years as a Moore Advocate helped me deliver.”
As a Stein Scholar, Loveland was surrounded by a supportive community of public service–minded peers. Summer funding from the program allowed him to pursue unpaid internships that gave him valuable work experience in public defense at Brooklyn Defender Services, Legal Aid Society, and Red Hook Community Justice Center. Last fall, the Stein Center awarded Loveland the Bellet Scholarship, a $10,000 annual award based on merit, need, and leadership potential.
As Loveland’s future employer PDS strives to provide comprehensive services for its clients, so too is Loveland aiming for as well-rounded a postgraduate education as possible. In addition to a J.D., he is simultaneously pursuing a master’s degree in social work at Fordham. Loveland knows that, as a public defender, he will be advocating for adults and children whose struggles will not be limited to the law; they will often be confronting issues related to substance abuse, mental health, homelessness, lack of education, and the effects of trauma.
“These important issues are scarcely discussed in law school, so I wove the social work curriculum into my studies,” Loveland says.
As a social work intern with the Criminal Practice of the Legal Aid Society of New York, Loveland has gained valuable experience that integrates social work and public defense. For instance, he has worked with clients to incorporate their particular social circumstances into written requests for better plea offers in felony cases.
In his current social work field placement, Loveland cofacilitates a life skills training and empowerment program for shelter-based New Yorkers, giving him valuable experience working for, and with, people who are struggling with poverty, mental health, and substance abuse. For his shared commitment to legal and social work, Loveland received $12,500 from the Evelyn and Jack Weinstein Fund for Law and Social Work.
“Studying social work will make me a more effective advocate for people who have these experiences in the legal system. I’ll be able to better understand and better articulate an individual’s reality, and this will be at a very important time when they’re facing a loss of liberty and facing criminal charges that have collateral consequences on their lives.”
In addition to what Loveland has learned from his work in public defender offices, he has witnessed the struggles that his own family, especially his father, has had with the criminal justice system. As a result, Loveland understands better than most the real repercussions of a legal system that frequently is characterized by unyielding and imprecise enforcement.
“Studying social work will make me a more effective advocate for people who have these experiences in the legal system. I’ll be able to better understand and better articulate an individual’s reality, and this will be at a very important time when they’re facing a loss of liberty and facing criminal charges that have collateral consequences on their lives.”
“Indigent people accused of any offense face serious consequences affecting their housing, employment, education, and immigration status,” he says. “Clients accused of the most serious allegations are subject to the justice system in its most aggressive form, when the emotions and prejudgments of police, prosecutors, and courts are most dangerous.”
Prescott Loveland’s ambitions lie in his simple belief that “all clients deserve lawyers who will painstakingly protect their liberty and their dignity.” This fall, he will travel to Washington, D.C., to be that lawyer.
Story by Effy Donovan, photograph by Robert Essel
