By: Laya Sumithra

We spent the day following Kayla Hardesty, Managing Attorney for HLA’s new Misdemeanor  Defense Program, as she trains the next generation of attorneys serving the Syracuse community.

8:30 A.M.—The Day Begins:

The morning air is crisp as Kayla Hardesty pulls into the parking lot near Hiscock Legal Aid Society’s offices on South Warren Street in downtown Syracuse. She steps into the office at 8:30, coffee in hand, and settles in. The quiet of the early morning gives her time to prepare training materials, laying the groundwork for what will be a full and purposeful day.

It’s the kind of morning routine that requires precision and patience—two qualities that have defined Kayla’s career since her days as an undergraduate at the University at Buffalo, where she earned B.A. degrees in Psychology and Communications. It was here that a pre-law class in family law led her to taking the LSAT. She went on to earn her J.D. from St. John’s University, where a growing passion for advocacy pointed her toward public defense.

9:00 A.M.—Preparing for the Mock Arraignment:

Back at her desk, Kayla turns her attention to the day’s highlight: a mock arraignment for HLA’s newest cohort of criminal defense attorneys.

The Criminal Defense Program is brand new—and Kayla is building it from the ground up. Most of the attorneys are fresh, and training them is her primary mission right now. She’s been deep in interviews and hiring over the past several weeks, and the team is almost fully staffed.

She reviews two fact patterns she’s prepared for today’s session—one more straightforward, one more complex—and checks in with the mock clients, colleagues who have agreed to play the role of defendants to give the new attorneys a realistic experience.

It’s methodical, careful work. 

Kayla is used to that. 

She spent years as an assistant public defender in Cortland, navigating this landscape every day in court. Now, she’s channeling that experience into the people she’s training.

1:00 P.M.—The Mock Arraignment:

From 1:00 to 3:00 P.M., the conference room transforms into a courtroom.

The new attorneys rotate through, practicing arraignments in front of their peers and mock clients. Kayla watches carefully, stepping in with questions during the exercise and opening the floor for discussion afterward. The debrief is just as important as the practice itself—she wants her attorneys to understand not just what to do, but why.

Earlier in the morning, the cohort had gathered for a training presentation. Guest lecturers have been coming in over the past few weeks to cover topics like motions, bail, and discovery. The attorneys also spend mornings observing real arraignments in court, then return to HLA to put what they’ve seen into practice.

It’s an immersive, hands-on curriculum — and it’s working. Kayla can already see her attorneys growing more confident, more prepared.

3:00 P.M.—Looking Ahead:

With the mock arraignment wrapped up, Kayla shifts gears. She spends the final hours of her workday organizing the next presentation and prepping for the coming week.

The program is set to begin taking real clients in May. Some attorneys are starting on a rolling basis, so the training cycle will repeat, ensuring everyone is ready before stepping into a courtroom on behalf of a client.

She came to this role after six years as a staff attorney doing criminal defense work at the Cortland Public Defender’s Office. When the opportunity to lead something new arose, she didn’t hesitate. The chance to shape a program, to mentor attorneys, to expand access to justice in Syracuse—it felt like exactly the right next step.

“I was ready for a leadership opportunity,” she reflects. “And I thought building something new was really exciting.”

5:30 P.M.—Home, Sweet Home:

Kayla gets home just before 5:30. Her husband is there, and soon her daughter is in her arms—the best part of the day.Their golden retriever, a COVID-era puppy with boundless energy, greets her as she returns home.

As she sits down to dinner with her family, the day’s work settles quietly in the background — new attorneys a little sharper, a new program a little closer to ready, and a little more justice on its way to the Syracuse community.