District Attorney Offices 2017 Forum

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anonlaw24

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Re: District Attorney Offices 2017

Post by anonlaw24 » Tue Jan 31, 2017 11:29 am

mhd08 wrote:Hey all, former Queens ADA/current NJ AP here. Happy to answer any questions!
Any tips for a 2nd round this late in the game? Is it your typical Brady/Giglio type hypos?

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Re: District Attorney Offices 2017

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Jan 31, 2017 11:53 am

I think someone once ranked the NYC DA offices in order of prestige here once (IIRC: NYCDA, KCDA, QCDA, BCDA, RCDA, Long Island offices, etc.). Is this about right?

And in terms of gaining valuable experience/mobility, how do these rank? E.g., realistically, how easy is it to become a bureau chief in each of the offices, which offices give you the most complex cases the earliest, etc.? From what I read earlier it's actually sounding like Bronx DA may be a good place to go to pick up skills fast, for example, but are other offices equally good or better at giving you those opportunities earlier in your career?

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Re: District Attorney Offices 2017

Post by mhd08 » Thu Feb 02, 2017 4:48 pm

anonlaw24 wrote:
mhd08 wrote:Hey all, former Queens ADA/current NJ AP here. Happy to answer any questions!
Any tips for a 2nd round this late in the game? Is it your typical Brady/Giglio type hypos?
There will probably be a Brady/Giglio issue, but I would also be prepared for a search and seizure issue. My hypo had to do with a gun recovered unlawfully from a house. They will continue to change the facts on you and make you think absolutely everything you're saying is wrong. My hypo was 45 mins and just built on my responses. I walked out of that interview feeling like I completely screwed up, and it ended up being fine. As long as you can give thoughtful responses and explain why you're making the decisions you're making, you should be good. For final interviews you may also get a question about sentencing.
Last edited by mhd08 on Thu Feb 02, 2017 5:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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mhd08

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Re: District Attorney Offices 2017

Post by mhd08 » Thu Feb 02, 2017 5:22 pm

Anonymous User wrote:I think someone once ranked the NYC DA offices in order of prestige here once (IIRC: NYCDA, KCDA, QCDA, BCDA, RCDA, Long Island offices, etc.). Is this about right?

And in terms of gaining valuable experience/mobility, how do these rank? E.g., realistically, how easy is it to become a bureau chief in each of the offices, which offices give you the most complex cases the earliest, etc.? From what I read earlier it's actually sounding like Bronx DA may be a good place to go to pick up skills fast, for example, but are other offices equally good or better at giving you those opportunities earlier in your career?
I suppose if you plan on either becoming an AUSA or moving outside of the NY metro area at some point then you might want to go for Manhattan or Brooklyn for the name recognition. But otherwise I don't really see the point of picking one of these offices based on "prestige." They're all pretty well recognized and people will generally respect the kind of work you've done and appreciate the insane workload you will have dealt with. They're all huge offices (except for SI) with tons of work to be done, so you will be thrown into court early on and you'll be picking up skills right away.

I would say that each office is what you make of it. There were people in my entering class who really pushed their cases and were able to get a few jury trials under their belt within their first two years, and there were other people who were not as ambitious. Some people also had no desire to do trials and wanted to do appeals. I can't speak to the other boroughs, but in Queens you're going to be handling misdemeanors and violations for the first year and a half to two years, and then you move on to either appeals, investigation, or felony trials. I don't really know what you consider to be a complex case, but you have to do a few years in felony trials handling everything from guns to robberies, burglaries, assaults, and felony DUI's before you can go to a bureau like Special Victims or Homicide. There are of course always exceptions to that rule, but that's the general route. You're not going to become a bureau chief early on in your career - you have to put in the time, which makes sense.

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Re: District Attorney Offices 2017

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Feb 07, 2017 9:23 am

mhd08 wrote:
Anonymous User wrote:I think someone once ranked the NYC DA offices in order of prestige here once (IIRC: NYCDA, KCDA, QCDA, BCDA, RCDA, Long Island offices, etc.). Is this about right?

And in terms of gaining valuable experience/mobility, how do these rank? E.g., realistically, how easy is it to become a bureau chief in each of the offices, which offices give you the most complex cases the earliest, etc.? From what I read earlier it's actually sounding like Bronx DA may be a good place to go to pick up skills fast, for example, but are other offices equally good or better at giving you those opportunities earlier in your career?
I suppose if you plan on either becoming an AUSA or moving outside of the NY metro area at some point then you might want to go for Manhattan or Brooklyn for the name recognition. But otherwise I don't really see the point of picking one of these offices based on "prestige." They're all pretty well recognized and people will generally respect the kind of work you've done and appreciate the insane workload you will have dealt with. They're all huge offices (except for SI) with tons of work to be done, so you will be thrown into court early on and you'll be picking up skills right away.

I would say that each office is what you make of it. There were people in my entering class who really pushed their cases and were able to get a few jury trials under their belt within their first two years, and there were other people who were not as ambitious. Some people also had no desire to do trials and wanted to do appeals. I can't speak to the other boroughs, but in Queens you're going to be handling misdemeanors and violations for the first year and a half to two years, and then you move on to either appeals, investigation, or felony trials. I don't really know what you consider to be a complex case, but you have to do a few years in felony trials handling everything from guns to robberies, burglaries, assaults, and felony DUI's before you can go to a bureau like Special Victims or Homicide. There are of course always exceptions to that rule, but that's the general route. You're not going to become a bureau chief early on in your career - you have to put in the time, which makes sense.
/\ is very accurate.
If you are wondering about prestige honestly its NYC>>KCDA,BCDA,QCDA>LI
No one outside of New York knows about the borough offices. All they know is Manhattan, which is why its more prestigious. However most offices have the same work (violent felonies, misd etc.), which is why they are all on the same level. Also, Manhattan also has a very good investigations/white collar unit because they have jurisdiction over the sprawling financial sector.

But if you are not looking for complex white collar, particularly, any of these offices (with the exception of LI) will be great.

Im a former BCDA and there were always opportunities to try cases. Now with the lack of staffing in the mid-level range adas, newer adas are getting more experience faster due to an increased caseload. It is trial by fire and you will be triaging these cases but it is great (and difficult) experience.

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Re: District Attorney Offices 2017

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Feb 07, 2017 12:20 pm

If I have had 3 rounds with DANY, last round being in Dec., and haven't heard back, is it worth it to contact? No competing offers to update them with, but had additional rounds elsewhere. Not sure if the protocol is to only update them when I get another offer or if more rounds at other offices is a good thing to tell them.

Additionally - has anyone gotten an offer from DANY that has not had an offer elsewhere? If so - timeline???

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Re: District Attorney Offices 2017

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Feb 07, 2017 3:45 pm

How risky is it to go to KCDA right now, based on how the ADA race is playing out so far? And generally-speaking, if there is a new DA, would it suck as an ADA to adjust to a new incoming administration, or would it make a negligible difference to someone just starting out in the office?

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Re: District Attorney Offices 2017

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Feb 07, 2017 3:49 pm


/\ is very accurate.
If you are wondering about prestige honestly its NYC>>KCDA,BCDA,QCDA>LI
No one outside of New York knows about the borough offices. All they know is Manhattan, which is why its more prestigious. However most offices have the same work (violent felonies, misd etc.), which is why they are all on the same level. Also, Manhattan also has a very good investigations/white collar unit because they have jurisdiction over the sprawling financial sector.

But if you are not looking for complex white collar, particularly, any of these offices (with the exception of LI) will be great.

Im a former BCDA and there were always opportunities to try cases. Now with the lack of staffing in the mid-level range adas, newer adas are getting more experience faster due to an increased caseload. It is trial by fire and you will be triaging these cases but it is great (and difficult) experience.

What is so bad about LI, out of curiosity?

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Re: District Attorney Offices 2017

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Feb 07, 2017 4:22 pm

Anonymous User wrote:How risky is it to go to KCDA right now, based on how the ADA race is playing out so far? And generally-speaking, if there is a new DA, would it suck as an ADA to adjust to a new incoming administration, or would it make a negligible difference to someone just starting out in the office?
DA elections are only risk if there are people in the office who backed the losing DA, and that is only really relevant to the senior managing DA's. I don't think you have reason to believe you will be negatively affected unless the new DA is intolerable for some reason. If it leads to a few of the higher ups leaving the office then that may even help you in the long run as you would be a bit more experienced relative to the office's pool of attorneys. They might bring in a bunch of laterals, but big offices tend to rely on new grads rather than laterals.

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Re: District Attorney Offices 2017

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Feb 07, 2017 8:34 pm

Anonymous User wrote:

/\ is very accurate.
If you are wondering about prestige honestly its NYC>>KCDA,BCDA,QCDA>LI
No one outside of New York knows about the borough offices. All they know is Manhattan, which is why its more prestigious. However most offices have the same work (violent felonies, misd etc.), which is why they are all on the same level. Also, Manhattan also has a very good investigations/white collar unit because they have jurisdiction over the sprawling financial sector.

But if you are not looking for complex white collar, particularly, any of these offices (with the exception of LI) will be great.

Im a former BCDA and there were always opportunities to try cases. Now with the lack of staffing in the mid-level range adas, newer adas are getting more experience faster due to an increased caseload. It is trial by fire and you will be triaging these cases but it is great (and difficult) experience.

What is so bad about LI, out of curiosity?
similar to SI, opportunity for trials. Cases don't go to trial as often due to a myriad of reasons (jury pool etc)

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Re: District Attorney Offices 2017

Post by encore1101 » Tue Feb 07, 2017 9:43 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Anonymous User wrote:How risky is it to go to KCDA right now, based on how the ADA race is playing out so far? And generally-speaking, if there is a new DA, would it suck as an ADA to adjust to a new incoming administration, or would it make a negligible difference to someone just starting out in the office?
DA elections are only risk if there are people in the office who backed the losing DA, and that is only really relevant to the senior managing DA's. I don't think you have reason to believe you will be negatively affected unless the new DA is intolerable for some reason. If it leads to a few of the higher ups leaving the office then that may even help you in the long run as you would be a bit more experienced relative to the office's pool of attorneys. They might bring in a bunch of laterals, but big offices tend to rely on new grads rather than laterals.
Just be careful. Definitely not saying that it will happen at KCDA again, but Thompson nixed the incoming Fall 2013 class when Hynes (under whom the class was hired) lost the re-election. Two friends of mine got screwed because of it.

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Re: District Attorney Offices 2017

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Feb 08, 2017 7:19 pm

I have a 4th round interview with Manhattan/Brooklyn; what are the chances that I will not get an offer from it?

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Re: District Attorney Offices 2017

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Feb 08, 2017 7:47 pm

Does anyone have any news from queens?

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Re: District Attorney Offices 2017

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Feb 08, 2017 8:33 pm

Anonymous User wrote:Does anyone have any news from queens?
I had a second-round this week.

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Re: District Attorney Offices 2017

Post by Anonymous User » Sat Feb 11, 2017 4:25 pm

Anonymous User wrote:I have a 4th round interview with Manhattan/Brooklyn; what are the chances that I will not get an offer from it?
Mind if I ask when your 3rd round with Manhattan was? Also, any out of town/competing offers?

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Re: District Attorney Offices 2017

Post by Anonymous User » Sat Feb 11, 2017 4:25 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Anonymous User wrote:Does anyone have any news from queens?
I had a second-round this week.
How was that/any advice?

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Re: District Attorney Offices 2017

Post by Anonymous User » Sun Feb 12, 2017 12:15 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Anonymous User wrote:I have a 4th round interview with Manhattan/Brooklyn; what are the chances that I will not get an offer from it?
Mind if I ask when your 3rd round with Manhattan was? Also, any out of town/competing offers?
I had a competing offer in NYC.

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Re: District Attorney Offices 2017

Post by aovs1123 » Mon Feb 13, 2017 3:15 pm

Any news on Miami-Dade? Had third round interview in January and haven't heard back - Thanks.

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Re: District Attorney Offices 2017

Post by Anonymous User » Sun Feb 19, 2017 3:08 am

I don't know if this is the right place to ask, but for those in the larger NYC offices (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens), what is your actual take home pay in the first year, roughly? I'm trying to figure out what would be reasonable budget for rent on the current ADA salaries. Can you afford 1000/month? More? Less?

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Re: District Attorney Offices 2017

Post by Anonymous User » Sun Feb 19, 2017 7:57 am

Anonymous User wrote:I don't know if this is the right place to ask, but for those in the larger NYC offices (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens), what is your actual take home pay in the first year, roughly? I'm trying to figure out what would be reasonable budget for rent on the current ADA salaries. Can you afford 1000/month? More? Less?
Take home pay is app'x 3.3-3.5k per month.

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Re: District Attorney Offices 2017

Post by Anonymous User » Sun Feb 19, 2017 5:26 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Anonymous User wrote:I don't know if this is the right place to ask, but for those in the larger NYC offices (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens), what is your actual take home pay in the first year, roughly? I'm trying to figure out what would be reasonable budget for rent on the current ADA salaries. Can you afford 1000/month? More? Less?
Take home pay is app'x 3.3-3.5k per month.

With bumped up insurance (gonna switch back to free plan next year once I resolve a medical issue i have), tax free metrocard, and pension, I'm at under 3k a month.

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Re: District Attorney Offices 2017

Post by Anonymous User » Mon Feb 20, 2017 12:14 am

How long does it typically take to hear back from Queens for third round?

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Re: District Attorney Offices 2017

Post by Anonymous User » Mon Feb 20, 2017 1:33 pm

Does anyone have any insight into the Broward County SAO? I understand it is comparable to Miami-Dade. In particular, I would be interested to know about the career progression/upward mobility within the organization, exit opportunities, and quality of life.

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Re: District Attorney Offices 2017

Post by Anonymous User » Mon Feb 20, 2017 11:50 pm

Any one know what the second round at queens entails? How was yours? Also when was it if you don't mind sharing?

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Re: District Attorney Offices 2017

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Feb 21, 2017 12:22 am

Anonymous User wrote:Any one know what the second round at queens entails? How was yours? Also when was it if you don't mind sharing?
I had it a few weeks back.

I think it varies depending on which unit is interviewing you. I had two interviews, they spent a lot of time asking about why I want to be a prosecutor and we discussed current events relevant to their unit. They asked me one hypo and then we spent rest of the time discussing a case of theirs.

It was pretty chill, they just wanted to see if I was a human being I thought. But I have not heard back about third-round so who knows...

Make sure you google your interviewer and their unit. If they have any interesting cases then know them. I knew a lot about my unit going in, their hypo was based on one of their cases.

Seriously? What are you waiting for?

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