Friday afternoon poll time. <BR><BR>When traveling out of the country I suspect most Texans identify themselves as Texans first, and Americans second. That's what I do. Similarly, when others ask what I do for a living, I always say I am a prosecutor or assistant district attorney. I don't say I am an attorney.<BR><BR>When asked, "What do you do?" How do you respond?I'm a prosecutor (or district/county attorney).I'm an attorney.I work for the government.You know the TV show "Law & Order?" I'm the lawyer part of that show, who stands up in the courtroom and says, "Find him guilty!"

9-0 for Answer #1 so far.

Isn't that interesting?

Of course, there are occasions when the real answer is best not given. For instance, in less convivial company, I have said that I interview, research, write, and argue. Most hearing that response seem to think I'm some sort of teacher.

JAS

Actually, I usually respond with, "You know that guy on Law and Order? Yeah, I'm not him. I'm the guy back at the office who bangs his head against the wall when people tell me what dumb-ass thing Jack McCoy just did. Then, I try to figure out a way to keep the bad guy in jail."

Or, I say, "If Top Gun were about lawyers, I'd be Goose."

[This message was edited by David Newell on 10-17-08 at .]

Goose was very cool.

JAS

Yes, but he died. In Top Gun AND in ER. Poor Anthony Edwards. Forever sterotyped into the role of "the guy who dies."

It depends on the circumstances. If I don't feel like getting a bunch of legal questions or having people think I'm a rich lawyer (ha ha ha ha ha!!!), I just say I work for the government or the county. It's much easier in some surroundings. But otherwise, it's always prosecutor.

I was in Austin last week with some of my fellow prosecutors, and this topic came up. All of us ID ourselves and consider ourselves prosecutors, not attorneys.

I'm a college professor - that dodges a lot of free legal advice questions (except from my students). But I still have a prosecutor's heart, and I am never ashamed to say it got me where I am now.

When I was a prosecutor, it was always "prosecutor" or "assistant DA," never "lawyer" or "attorney" unless someone said those words to me first.

Many years ago, one of my children was asked if they were gonna be an attorney like dad. My child replied: "My dad's not a lawyer, he's a prosecutor. There is a big difference between a lawyer and a prosecutor. Prosecutors have to tell the truth. Lawyers often don't"

I'll note at the time that this occurred that we had discussions about the differences between lawyers and prosecutors around my house. But my child came up with that statement on their own. I was proud!

I only say lawyer or attorney when dealing with a problematic contractor or insurance agent at home. (Yes, I have used the word recently in relation to Ike and a missing fence.)

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Originally posted by Dan Bradley:
I only say lawyer or attorney when dealing with a problematic contractor or insurance agent at home. (Yes, I have used the word recently in relation to Ike and a missing fence.)

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Good call.

I usually start with prosecutor, but sometimes have to resort to the last choice for those from the shallower end of the gene pool.

It depends on who I'm talking to. If it's someone who I don't plan on having any sort of in-depth conversation with, I might just say "lawyer." Or, like Dan, if I'm dealing with a difficult contractor or an insurance company, then I'll use the "lawyer" reference. If I'm actually having a real conversation with someone, then I'll say "prosecutor."

I hate to say it, but I sometimes hate to tell people that I am a prosecutor - they shy away, or they want legal advice, or start talking to you about how horrible you are, etc.....

Sometimes, I just tell them the truth:

"I work in Waste Management"

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Originally posted by MDK:
I hate to say it, but I sometimes hate to tell people that I am a prosecutor - they shy away, or they want legal advice, or start talking to you about how horrible you are, etc.....

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I usually find I avoid more requests for legal advice by saying I'm a prosecutor instead of an attorney. If you just say attorney, then everyone has a contract dispute, a problem with a landlord, or a sister's hairdresser's second cousin who just got sued. By saying prosecutor, that at least limits the requests to criminal law ones, and it cuts out the "my brother just got arrested" ones because they already know what side I'm on.

Oddly, the only person who talks about how horrible I am for my job is my grandpa, who always asks me if I feel bad putting all those poor people in jail. I think he's kidding...

I unfortunately seem to have great problems extricating myself from any situation where I've been forced to reveal that I'm a prosecutor, and I really do think there are a lot of folks out there who, Law and Order or no Law and Order, don't get AT ALL what prosecutors do. I had some guy ask me last week, "So does that mean you protect the people who're in jail, or are you the one who puts them there?" And then there's my potential roofer, who wanted to know what sentence his serial "DUI" buddy was gonna get this time. And my neighbor, who somehow thought I was ideal person to help him with his PI/insurance issues arising out of an accident with a drunk driver in another county. I like the "Waste Management" response much better--I'm thinking that could work for me.

It helps to be in appellate -- I can just say "you don't want me to work on your case, I only get them after you've been convicted!"

Just to get someone's goat I say geologist (I used to be one). Then they start in on oil companies and greed and I just smile and nod.

I sometime use God's minister for vengeance and cite Romans 13: 1-4.