Page 43 - ACTL Journal Fall24

Both have landed where they wanted to be. Where they should be. Neither would want to do anything else. Emma says it best: “I just want to help people who need it the most, and that’s what I get to do every day.”
It is obvious that job satisfaction is very much part of the Sisti DNA. Mark says that one of his most satisfying cases arose from a murder that occurred back when he started law school -- a fifteen-year-old boy in Manchester, New Hamp- shire, who had shot and killed a Manchester law enforce- ment officer after a drinking party. Mark said the shooting was totally unintentional, but the boy was certified as an adult and was sent to prison for forty-five years to life. Mark never forgot this young man, and thirty years later, the young man contacted Mark for post-conviction assistance.
Mark said he worked on the case for eight years, and it went to the parole board twice. The second time, the cli- ent was in his fifties. Mark was concerned when the Chief of Police of Manchester came to the parole hearing, but to Mark’s surprise, the Chief stood and said: “Enough’s enough. It’s time to give him a chance.” The client was re- leased, and he has been successful in his community. You wouldn’t know him from the guy next door. He is married, has children and grandchildren, and whether he knows it or not, he is helping other young people who have been incarcerated for terrible things, giving them hope that someday they’ll be released. It’s important, and it shows that people can be redeemed.
Emma says it’s not so much the cases but the clients that stand out. She keeps a thank you note from one client post- ed on the wall next to her desk. The client had been arrested in New Hampshire for credit card fraud just as Covid hit.
The client, who had never been in trouble before, and was a building inspector in New York City, had been swept up in a New York City scheme to steal from banks.
After Emma met the woman, she realized that her cli- ent had been caught up in something that was far bigger than she was; she was not the problem and did not be- long in jail. Emma contacted the detective on the case and explained her story. With the detective supportive of the client’s release, the prosecutor ultimately agreed and the client was released on bail and was able to return to New York City. The client’s case ended up going federal, but Emma maintained contact with her even after her state charges were dropped and during the client’s tough bout with Covid. The client ultimately was able to re- solve her charges with supervised release.
“It’s helping people like her where . . . she’s as much a victim as anybody else. She was not prone to crime, just caught in a bad situation . . . But she was so grateful for even the small amount of work I did.” She sent Emma a thank you note and a mug that says: “Best Public Defend- er Ever,” which Emma uses at home, to remind her that her work is important.
The Sisti’s also have fallen into the same self- therapy for stress release. They both work out at local gyms (separate- ly) at least three times each week, and pursue long-distance runs whenever they can. Emma has completed four mara- thons, and Mark completed twenty before his knees start- ed to deteriorate. Both find that exercise is a way to center themselves, to start their days. They say that running is al- most like meditating, a way to relax and think about things not related to work.
Mark was able to attend Emma’s induction into the College at the 2024 Spring Meeting in Phoenix, and the respect and pride each feels for the other is evident. Both continue to give to the world, to the profession, and to the College, and we are fortunate for their contributions.
Carey Matovich Billings, Montana
FALL 2024 JOURNAL 42