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Moore does more than just represent her clients

By: Erika Strebel, [email protected]//June 21, 2018//

Moore does more than just represent her clients

By: Erika Strebel, [email protected]//June 21, 2018//

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Adrienne Moore - State Public Defender’s Office (Staff photo by Kevin Harnack)
Adrienne Moore – State Public Defender’s Office (Staff photo by Kevin Harnack)

When Adrienne Moore gets ready for trial she listens to the blues song “I’m a Woman” by Koko Taylor.

“It’s a very female-empowering song,” Moore said. “When I listen to that song, I’m ready to go.”

Moore manages the Racine and Kenosha offices of the State Public Defender. In her more than 20-year career with the SPD, she has represented hundreds of indigent criminal defendants.

“I enjoy my clients,” she said. “I enjoy talking with them, getting to know them, getting to know where they’re coming from and trying to persuade the court in a way that’s beneficial to them and so the court understands where they’re coming from.”

Criminal law was a natural fit for the Racine native, who watched lawyer shows with her mother as a little girl.

“I wanted to make a difference in people’s lives,” Moore said. “I wasn’t a numbers person. I was a person who liked to hear people’s stories. That’s what motivated me: People’s stories and a need to help them.”

The part she likes least about her role is its managerial side. Nevertheless, Moore finds that being able to weigh in on hiring decisions is very rewarding.

“I want people in the office that feel very passionate about the work we do,” she said. “The new, young lawyers are really what keep me going. These young people just have fight in them. They are still young and have hope that they are truly going to make a difference in someone’s life.”

The biggest influence on Moore’s career has been Trial Division Director Jennifer Bias, who was Moore’s boss when she started with the SPD in 1996, fresh out of law school.

“She believed so much in her clients and believed so much in serving the public and being involved in the community,” said Moore. “I was just moved to do this work based on the stories she would tell and the dedication she had for this job.”

The biggest influence on Moore’s life was her mother, who was a huge blues fan. Moore grew up listening to Taylor because of her.

“No matter what life has thrown her way, she is always there to support me,” Moore said. “I always wanted to be half the woman she was.”

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