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White’s classroom time gives him courtroom advantage

By: Erika Strebel, [email protected]//February 16, 2017//

White’s classroom time gives him courtroom advantage

By: Erika Strebel, [email protected]//February 16, 2017//

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Mario White - Assistant State Public Defender
Mario White –
Assistant State Public Defender

In the beginning, Mario White thought he would end up working as a government lawyer of some kind. Criminal law was the furthest thing from his mind.

But then he joined the University of Wisconsin Law School’s mock trial program, which was coached by Dane County Circuit Court Judges Ellen Berz, who at the time was working for the State Public Defender, and Rhonda Lanford.

“The descriptions of what was happening with her client and what he was charged with and facing really got me interested in doing criminal defense work,” White said.

He also credits the program with helping him master the rules of evidence.

“It’s one thing to know the rules theoretically,” White said. “But when you’re actually sitting at the counsel table and recognize that and deal with it, it takes a lot of practice.”

The knowledge and experience White gained in his former work as a high school teacher has made the idea of talking in front of a judge and jury less daunting. For Berz, who has watched White work not only from the perspective of someone who was serving as a coach but also from behind the bench, that’s a modest description of what White’s background in education does for his trial work.

“You’re adding that teaching element with exceptional communication skills and intellect and creativity,” said Berz. “And that is why he clearly is one of the most successful criminal defense attorneys, or quite frankly trial attorneys, in Dane County.”

Nevertheless, White strives to improve his trial abilities, watching as many proceedings as he can. He credits his colleagues at the office for influencing his approach to work.

“Working here is great because there are so many attorneys with so many different styles,” White said. “I try to look at how they do things.”

In the end, the most rewarding part of the job for White is getting good resolutions for people.

“He’s being a voice for the voiceless,” Berz said. “He could be making a lot of money in private practice. Instead he has chosen to be a public defender and that goes straight to his character and core value system.”

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