I'm a 3rd year law student that will be graduating in May. I would love to land a job at the D.A.'s office. Here's my story:

1. I clerked for a criminal defense attorney over the last 3 summers. Does this help or hurt my chances at trying to get a job as a prosecutor?

2. Last fall I was an academic intern at the Harris County D.A.'s office

3. I attend STCL and have taken mock trial and criminal trial advocacy but have never been a member of one of the mock trial teams.

Ideally, I would like to work at the Harris County D.A.'s office but that is a long shot. It is extremely competitive. My other top choices would be Fort Bend County or Galveston County.
How should I go about fulfilling these goals?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Keep an eye on the "job bank" link above. Be willing to move around. Don't rule out rural prosecutor's offices. Contrary to popular belief, we don't try only cattle thieves and assaults involving drunk rednecks. My assistants have been able to try murders and even capital murder cases in much shorter time frames than they would have in larger cities. Of course, every DA is different but if you really want to prosecute, keep your search broad.

I was in a 30 lawyer office. We rotated courts every six months, I got to do misdemeanor, felony, appeals, and felony intake. Lots of experience over 3 and a half years.

Now I am in a three lawyer office. I have been here about six months. Felonies, intake, and appeals. Also, bond forfeitures, seizures and researched civil issues.

Don't overlook the smaller offices. The possibility of a much steeper and more varied learning experience.

I agree, the job board above is priceless. And, don't be sold on only big offices, having been at DA's offices of all sizes I got the widest range of experience in the shortest period of time in a small office (Bastrop).

Another thing I would add is if you get turned down don't just give up with that office, you never know who your competition was.

Whether clerking for a defense firm will help you are hurt you depends on lots of factors, mainly if you stepped on toes while you were there and how the DA whose county your interviewing in feels about it. I've seen some that think its great experience and others that think that if you have a prosecutors heart you wouldn't have done it 3 summers running.

Another point about small offices--the cost of living tends to be a lot lower than in the big cities and populous rural areas of those cities. So while sometimes the salary is less, when correlated to the cost of living, it's not bad at all.

Janette Ansolabehere

I'd think hard about Fort Bend, I've heard people say that the First Assistant is mean. But the appellate guys rock!

He's not so mean, unless you don't know anything about 60's music! But watch out for that one appellate guy in Fort Bend that listens to punk and rap.

He's not mean, he just screams at you because he's deaf from all that 60's music !

did most of you have your job at the D.A.'s office lined up before graduation, after graduation, or upon passing the bar?

thanks in advance.

I did not have a job lined up at all until after I passed the bar. I was then able to fool an allegedly mean and partially deaf First Assistant that I couldn't screw up too bad. Being partially deaf, he could not hear the punk rock or rap music.

Please use all capital letters as I am having trouble hearing you.

DEATH! DEATH!

p.s.-he's really a nice guy, and i don't just say that because it's true, i say that because he reads these posts.

WE LOVE YOU FREDDY !!!

Sorry paterno you have become mired in a Ft. Bend reunion.

I worked with the oil and gas company that I had interned with for a year after I graduated from law school until a spot came open in the DA's office I had applied too.

I got my job after passing the bar. Most smaller DA's offices don't hire those awaiting bar results, only the larger offices can. Get as many applications out to places you can stand to live, go to work somewhere for a couple of years to get some experience and then move on if you need to. Many of us got our first experience at a small to medium sized office.

Of course, some like Stacey are just born trial lawyers!

Always in your shadow Greg !

Not hardly, Stacey!

thank you for all the informative responses. i'm just looking to be pointed in the right direction.

If you're looking for more answers and less inside jokes ( ) I'd be more than happy to talk to you about my experience. Email me at philipdray@gmail.com and I'll see if I can't answer some of your questions.

The suggestions above are good. I found my first two jobs in prosecution offices out of the job bank at the top of this page.

I'd also include noodling, banjo player, and Sherry technician on my resume. Always helps.

quote:

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Originally posted by Philip D Ray:

I'd also include noodling, banjo player, and Sherry technician on my resume. Always helps.

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I believe the correct term is "Sherry Disbursement technician", Philip.

I can't vouch for the kind of job that playing banjo will get you, with my own personal history of blase (insert accent mark) and mediocrity accompanied by low but regular pay. But I do find it quite interesting that you, joe paterno, one of my favorite coaches, by the way, asked if you should line a job up "...before passing the bar...". Now, be advised not to pass the bar too quickly or you might miss a prospective employer tossing back a couple of relaxers after a hard day in the trenches. And, there might be a string-playing musician on the plywood stage in that same bar who could write you a reference letter.

So, my humble but accurate advice is to line up a job whenever you can, and if you pass the bar, pass it on the other side of the street where employee-seeking folks might not notice your snubbing the watering hole.