By: Olivia Browne

We spent the afternoon following Supervising Parole Attorney Nhi Truong, as she manages the parole revocation defense program and provides critical legal representation to clients facing the possibility of returning to prison across Central New York.

6:00 A.M.

The alarm goes off before the sun has fully committed to rising. 

Nini is already moving. Before anything else, the dogs get taken care of — Toad and Goose, her two companions who have little interest in her court schedule and every interest in their morning walk. 

By 7:45, she’s out the door.

8:15 A.M. — Coffee First, Always

Nini arrives at the Hiscock Legal Aid Society offices on South Warren Street between 8:15 and 8:30 — coffee in hand. 

The brand may vary, but the coffee never does.

She settles into her office, a space that tells you something about who she is. 

Animal Crossing figurines line her desk alongside a lego plant on the windowsill and a possum cowboy sketched on her whiteboard, sharing space with upcoming contested hearings and appeals. Scattered around are things left behind by old coworkers — a photo here, a coffee mug there. She’s always been a collector.

Today is Tuesday. That means court.

9:00 A.M. — Into the Courtroom

Nini gathers her files — active cases stacked near the door, closed ones and those awaiting decisions on the other side — and heads to the public safety building around 9.

She came in prepared. But, court has a way of humbling preparation. Clients change their minds. Unexpected pleas get taken. Sometimes there are outbursts.

Today is relatively calm. 

One case resolves in a way she didn’t anticipate: an 11-month plea for someone coming out of custody who wanted no more jail time. She’s already mentally scheduling the follow-up steps. 

By 11:30, court wraps up.

Late Morning — The Walk Next Door

The courthouse and the jail share a building. 

When court ends, she can exit one and walk directly into the other. She prefers late morning for jail visits — less commotion, more focus. 

When there are no visits, she’s back at her desk returning calls and emailing other defense attorneys.

1:00 P.M. — Lunch Is Not Optional

Nini is deliberate about this: lunch happens. 

Between 1 and 2, she and her colleagues gather in the small lunchroom — conversation ranging freely over cases, strange courtroom moments, whatever’s on everyone’s mind. 

She’s particularly close with the parole crew, a tight-knit group whose clients overlap with hers more than people might expect.

2:30 P.M. — Back at the Desk

The afternoon is for work that doesn’t happen in front of a judge. Parole cases move quickly by nature, but the preparation behind them is substantial — reviewing files, researching case law, chasing down clients who haven’t responded.

Today she’s also working on appeals, which demand a different kind of sustained attention.

At 2:45, a colleague leans in with a Hiscock Legal Aid document that needs a notary stamp. She handles that, too.

3:00 P.M. — The Quiet Hours

From 3 to 4:30, the writing begins. 

Appeals drafts, case summaries, administrative tasks.

She puts on a podcast to wind down the mental noise and works through the pile. She aims to leave at 4:30. She usually makes it.

4:30 P.M. — Home, Madison County

The drive back takes about 30 minutes. It feels shorter.

Tonight: a healthy dinner with her partner, a game of Magic: The Gathering, and a walk with Toad and Goose. 

She tries not to bring work home — the occasional quick email, a phone call if something urgent surfaces, but nothing more. 

The boundary matters.

Nini has been practicing law for four years, joining Hiscock Legal Aid in August 2022. She went to Syracuse University College of Law, building her experience through internships at the Wayne County Public Defender’s Office and a remote externship with a capital habeas unit in Florida. She always knew where she was headed.

She was, she’ll tell you, always the kid reading in class. Becoming a lawyer felt like a natural extension of that — a way to keep learning about the world while actually doing something with it. The work is niche. The clients are often forgotten. That’s exactly why she’s here.

“Be nice,” she says. She means it.