Working as a housing case manager for homeless veterans during the heart of a global pandemic is a job that Cassidy Rea was incredibly proud to do for two years.
Upon graduating from Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California, with degrees in history and political science, Cassidy worked as a social worker for two years for the Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF). One of her main roles was to attend Santa Barbara County's Veterans Treatment Court, where she provided updates on her clients and advised the court on how criminal charges might impact their housing status.
Cassidy largely credits this experience in court, along with the wonderful public defenders she met who were doing great work for their clients, for inspiring her to become a public defender herself. When one of her clients was facing a serious charge, Cassidy recommended that her client be given treatment instead of punishment, as his offense was only a result of his homelessness, and if convicted, he would become homeless once again.
“I stood up, and I was begging the court to give him a chance. The court agreed with my recommendation, so he got to keep his housing. For me that was like the best thing that I ever did. I was so proud of that, and I loved being able to have that power to speak up and explain the actual consequences of what this charge would do to him. That’s when I decided that I wanted to be a public defender.”
Despite hailing from southern California, Cassidy was not a complete stranger to the Midwest, as she has family in North Liberty that she visited frequently over the years. Looking for an escape from the pretentiousness of other law schools that she toured, Cassidy visited Iowa Law, where the strong sense of community and genuine kindness that a tour guide showed her left Cassidy convinced that Iowa Law was the place for her.
“The woman who gave me a tour had a part time job at a non-profit and was in law school at the same time. We were talking a lot about social work, and she was so friendly, and she explained that even though she was busy, she felt that it was important to take the time to give tours and to let people know that you don't have to want to be a corporate lawyer to come to law school. She explained to me how important it was to have public interest spaces, and it made the school feel like a much better fit for me than ‘Finance Bro Land’ on the West Coast. And it really has been a great fit.”
Cassidy has achieved significant success at Iowa Law and has been deeply engaged with the Federal Defense Clinic for the past three semesters. In the clinic, Cassidy works around 30 hours each week for real clients on real cases, with the bulk of her work concerning sentence corrections and clemencies. Two of Cassidy’s clients were recently granted clemency by President Biden, which was an incredibly rewarding outcome for the hard work that she has put into the clinic.
“It's super meaningful and I even have a District Court case, so someone who is being charged with a crime, I got to work on their case and defend them. We basically get to be the lawyers which is crazy, and such a cool experience.”
Cassidy’s clinic experience has provided her with a more realistic understanding of what it is like to be a lawyer, particularly the essential skills needed to work effectively with clients. It has also allowed her to reconnect with the values that prompted her to become a lawyer in the first place.
“I think being in the classroom all the time can cause you to become kind of disembodied from your values, because you're just thinking about things hypothetically. Clinic is a wonderful way to put your values to work. And being able to do that has been really fulfilling and really motivating. Clinic is constantly motivating because I have real relationships with these clients and I really care about them, so I'm going to do my best work for them.”
Throughout her time at Iowa Law, Cassidy has considered Professor Alison Guernsey, the instructor of the Federal Defense Clinic, a key mentor. When speaking about Cassidy, Professor Guernsey shared a deeply insightful reflection on her student's abilities: "Public defense work is not for the faint of heart. It demands hard work, creativity, confidence, the capacity to navigate immense grief, and a strong sense of humor. Cassidy possesses these qualities in abundance. The defense bar—and the legal system—will be better for having her in its ranks."
Cassidy’s summer internships with federal public defender offices in Cedar Rapids and San Diego provided her with valuable and distinct perspectives on public defense. Both experiences reaffirmed Cassidy’s aspiration of becoming a public defender, especially the San Diego experience, where she was able to work with and defend clients facing alleged illegal border reentries.
After graduation, Cassidy will return to California to practice as a public defender in San Diego County, and with the experience gained at Iowa Law, she will return to court empowered to defend those in her community who need it most.
“There's a really strong sense of community here, and an attitude of ‘let's all work together to do the best we can.’ You can really take your own path to get where you want to go, and you will always be supported along the way, which I really love.”