Great, Im sure she was very effective in representing poor defendants.

http://www.loudountimes.com/index.php/news/article/loudoun_public_defender_arrested_for_allegedly_stealing_red_bull213/

Wow! I knew someone who had Lorie O'Donnell as a public defender and she was so incompetent, crooked, & mouthi, don't-give-a-fuck-to-your-face, that the judge questioned her in court, in a preliminary hearing, and reassigned them to another public defender. She is renowned as a bad & corrupt lawyer. Different departments and people openly complained about her. Lorie O’Donnell has been listed on the web as one of the ten worst lawyers in all of Virginia. And one of the three worst lawyers in Northern Virginia. Incredible that she A LAWYER has had her license supspended and was driving on it WHILE shopliftlifting Red Bull. She should hire a real lawyer instead of defending herself.

The public defenders are a sinecure for shotty lawyers who are protected and kept on hand for the poor, of which she is not just an over-achieving shotty lawyer but a nice piece of ass that probably slept her way into the job, as notably bad as she is. And the women workers of court know it, they were her biggest complainers, men on the other hand shockingly spoke glowingly of her in the face of facts. *LMAO* I mean it was that noticable.

Also, she must've had her charge somehow exponged or sealed ALREADY because in the online VA Court Case info there is NO record of it. AND She doesn't even pay her court fees. She got another speeding ticket in the past year and didn't go to court in was tried in absentia or pay the fine! Some example she's setting not paying her tickets or court fines that help pay her salary! Getting out of her own trouble but misguiding all the public defenders she oversees who should be helping the poor community that need their help even more! She should be empathetic but she won't even return calls or e-mails! A public defender under her did not visit her client prior to a court hearing that PD expected to be back on probation time served ended up being sentenced to 2 years in jail! When I said I would go to her supervisor because she was not returning my calls or e-mails she very cockily told me to go right ahead. Now I know why. Her supervisor, Lorie, doesn't give a crap so she could never get in trouble or held to the proper standard. I am not saying a person should have their entire life ruined for stealing a red bull. I agree to amend the charge to trespassing in an objective, non-biased light. People deserve second chances. But, her level of integrity as an attorney needs to be higher even in her personal life. Her status as SUPERVISOR should have been either a demotion or at the very least a suspension without pay. This is an unfortunate example of the Virginia judicial system at work. It's all an "ol' boys club" and all about who you know and doing favors rather than doing what's right and what's fair. A cop asks another cop who whispers to the magistrate to not give a bond so the magistrate gives no bond. They then speak to the prosecution and it's all a big corrupt mess. The judges generally have no standards and do the wrong thing. There is nothing to keep them in line and the initial selection process is biased and secretive. No other state behaves in this manner. It needs to be corrected. It is a big trap it is a pay to stay state. It is set up to screw you unless you can afford to pay your way out of it. In VA you're paying for a private attorney because they know the right people not because they are extraordinary in negotiating or are amazing if a case goes to trial. They make a few phone calls, show up in court for a few minutes once or twice at the most, and boom. $10,000 and up in their pockets. It matters to most judges if you have an attorney and if you paid for one yourself. You are treated differently right off the bat. If you choose to represent yourself there are certain judges who are most certainly angry with you for not investing that money into the system, even though it is a simple suspended license case you can handle on your own since last time you paid for an attorney the outcome was the same. Fix your sh*t Virginia, just fix your sh*t.