District Attorney Offices 2017 Forum

[Anonymous User]

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.

That being said, though, my interviewer got changed on the day of when I got there, so I wouldn't rely on doing this too much.

[Anonymous User]

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.

Totally understand if no one wants to answer this, but just in case: what's the health insurance like? What's the difference between the free plan and the paid plan, and about how much more is/are the latter? If I have a spouse who will be on my health insurance, will it still be free, or will I pay an extra fee?

[Anonymous User]

I made it through to Queens final round. What could I expect at the last round? My e-mail mentioned that it is a forty-five minute to hour long interview with a requirement to do an opening statement for five minutes.

What is the rest of the interview like?

[Anonymous User]

I made it through to Queens final round. What could I expect at the last round? My e-mail mentioned that it is a forty-five minute to hour long interview with a requirement to do an opening statement for five minutes.

What is the rest of the interview like?

Congrats! I am in the same boat and wondering the same?

Also, curious to the person above if you were able to get in touch with Helene yet to schedule an actual date for it?

[encore1101]

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.

Totally understand if no one wants to answer this, but just in case: what's the health insurance like? What's the difference between the free plan and the paid plan, and about how much more is/are the latter? If I have a spouse who will be on my health insurance, will it still be free, or will I pay an extra fee?

This is a pretty deep question, so I think you'd be better off reading this:
http://www1.nyc.gov/assets/olr/download ... ll-spd.pdf

or http://www1.nyc.gov/assets/olr/download ... ly2016.pdf for a quicker overview

[Anonymous User]

I made it through to Queens final round. What could I expect at the last round? My e-mail mentioned that it is a forty-five minute to hour long interview with a requirement to do an opening statement for five minutes.

What is the rest of the interview like?

Congrats! I am in the same boat and wondering the same?

Also, curious to the person above if you were able to get in touch with Helene yet to schedule an actual date for it?

Yep, I scheduled it today! She got back to me extremely quickly.

Congrats and good luck to you! Hopefully a Queens ADA can give us a sense of what to expect.

I get the feeling that many people received that email, so looks like many candidates for few slots. Particularly since someone mentioned they had a Queens offer back in November.

[Anonymous User]

I finished my interviews in November. I checked in Jan. and was told that I am on hold (and that the interview went well)--- I am not sure if this is good or bad.... I will be checking in again this week. Has anyone received offers? I see a lot of people doing third round interviews now..

I made it through to Queens final round. What could I expect at the last round? My e-mail mentioned that it is a forty-five minute to hour long interview with a requirement to do an opening statement for five minutes.

What is the rest of the interview like?

Congrats! I am in the same boat and wondering the same?

Also, curious to the person above if you were able to get in touch with Helene yet to schedule an actual date for it?

Yep, I scheduled it today! She got back to me extremely quickly.

Congrats and good luck to you! Hopefully a Queens ADA can give us a sense of what to expect.

I get the feeling that many people received that email, so looks like many candidates for few slots. Particularly since someone mentioned they had a Queens offer back in November.

[Anonymous User]

This might be a stupid question, but for those who went through third-rounds with Queens or are ADAs: in the employment application am I putting down CLA or ADA? What is a CLA? I would not ask the question but it says "not yet admitted to practice in New York State" which I am obviously not...

[Anonymous User]

This might be a stupid question, but for those who went through third-rounds with Queens or are ADAs: in the employment application am I putting down CLA or ADA? What is a CLA? I would not ask the question but it says "not yet admitted to practice in New York State" which I am obviously not...

CLA is a criminal law associate-- so that is what you will be checking off (its like a law graduate).

[Anonymous User]

This might be a stupid question, but for those who went through third-rounds with Queens or are ADAs: in the employment application am I putting down CLA or ADA? What is a CLA? I would not ask the question but it says "not yet admitted to practice in New York State" which I am obviously not...

CLA is a criminal law associate-- so that is what you will be checking off (its like a law graduate).

Thank you! Just out of curiosity, how do you know that? It was not clear to me that that is what I had to mark off. Helene did not mention it in her email either.

[Anonymous User]

This might be a stupid question, but for those who went through third-rounds with Queens or are ADAs: in the employment application am I putting down CLA or ADA? What is a CLA? I would not ask the question but it says "not yet admitted to practice in New York State" which I am obviously not...

CLA is a criminal law associate-- so that is what you will be checking off (its like a law graduate).

Thank you! Just out of curiosity, how do you know that? It was not clear to me that that is what I had to mark off. Helene did not mention it in her email either.

I interned there and many ADAs that I worked with had that position (they were in the process of being admitted).

[mazatec]

Got a panel for Bronx DA but dropped out of the race because I landed a clerkship.

[Anonymous User]

Got a panel for Bronx DA but dropped out of the race because I landed a clerkship.

good call

[mhd08]

I made it through to Queens final round. What could I expect at the last round? My e-mail mentioned that it is a forty-five minute to hour long interview with a requirement to do an opening statement for five minutes.

What is the rest of the interview like?

Congrats! I am in the same boat and wondering the same?

Also, curious to the person above if you were able to get in touch with Helene yet to schedule an actual date for it?

The opening statement is videotaped. They'll send you a fact pattern but not much else, from my recollection. They do the opening towards the end of the interview, which is better because you'll feel more comfortable/less awkward with the interviewers. It's traditionally 2 interviewers and is similar to the second round in that they'll do a hypo and build on it. But it's usually more than one hypo. They asked me sentencing and charging questions. And the other hypo was a search and seizure issue based on a real case they were prosecuting. Vinny Carroll is almost always one of the interviewers and he is very nice.

[Anonymous User]

Current Bronx ADA. DA Clark just announced among other things that 1) we're looking to hire ~120 ADAs for the fall of 2017, 2) we're getting our DA badges back, along with these new challenge coins to trade among LEAs, and 3) she's looking to really clean up, revamp, and expand our facilities.

[Anonymous User]

Current Bronx ADA. DA Clark just announced among other things that 1) we're looking to hire ~120 ADAs for the fall of 2017, 2) we're getting our DA badges back, along with these new challenge coins to trade among LEAs, and 3) she's looking to really clean up, revamp, and expand our facilities.

120 to start work in fall 2017, or 120 of those who apply in fall 2017?

[Anonymous User]

Wow.. I got rejected from the Bronx last month... And from almost every other da office except for Queens- which I want more then ever... Anyone have any information about what is going on in Queens? (Finished rounds in November)

[Anonymous User]

Got a panel for Bronx DA but dropped out of the race because I landed a clerkship.

I also declined a 3rd round (to accept at a different office).

Strongly encourage anyone who's waiting for another office and who hasn't applied to Bronx to do so; they seem to be moving pretty fast right now.

[Anonymous User]

Current Bronx ADA. DA Clark just announced among other things that 1) we're looking to hire ~120 ADAs for the fall of 2017, 2) we're getting our DA badges back, along with these new challenge coins to trade among LEAs, and 3) she's looking to really clean up, revamp, and expand our facilities.

What is the significance of the badge?

[Anonymous User]

Current Bronx ADA. DA Clark just announced among other things that 1) we're looking to hire ~120 ADAs for the fall of 2017, 2) we're getting our DA badges back, along with these new challenge coins to trade among LEAs, and 3) she's looking to really clean up, revamp, and expand our facilities.

What is the significance of the badge?

https://dainca.wordpress.com/2015/03/15 ... th-badges/

[Anonymous User]

Current Bronx ADA. DA Clark just announced among other things that 1) we're looking to hire ~120 ADAs for the fall of 2017, 2) we're getting our DA badges back, along with these new challenge coins to trade among LEAs, and 3) she's looking to really clean up, revamp, and expand our facilities.

What is the significance of the badge?

https://dainca.wordpress.com/2015/03/15 ... th-badges/

To actually answer the question (and with the disclaimer that I'm not an ADA), I've heard that it just makes it a whole lot easier to do one's job sometimes. You can tell people you're an ADA when you're trying to access a scene or speak to witnesses, etc., but I've heard that it's a lot easier to do your job with some authority if you have a badge to show people. So it's not really required for anything, but it's a symbol that you're truly a part of LE, and it can speed up the process of doing your job in some instances.

[Anonymous User]

Current Bronx ADA. DA Clark just announced among other things that 1) we're looking to hire ~120 ADAs for the fall of 2017, 2) we're getting our DA badges back, along with these new challenge coins to trade among LEAs, and 3) she's looking to really clean up, revamp, and expand our facilities.

120 is nuts, right? I don't think I've ever seen numbers for classes higher than the 60's. Can someone shed some light onto that?

[Anonymous User]

Current Bronx ADA. DA Clark just announced among other things that 1) we're looking to hire ~120 ADAs for the fall of 2017, 2) we're getting our DA badges back, along with these new challenge coins to trade among LEAs, and 3) she's looking to really clean up, revamp, and expand our facilities.

What is the significance of the badge?

https://dainca.wordpress.com/2015/03/15 ... th-badges/

To actually answer the question (and with the disclaimer that I'm not an ADA), I've heard that it just makes it a whole lot easier to do one's job sometimes. You can tell people you're an ADA when you're trying to access a scene or speak to witnesses, etc., but I've heard that it's a lot easier to do your job with some authority if you have a badge to show people. So it's not really required for anything, but it's a symbol that you're truly a part of LE, and it can speed up the process of doing your job in some instances.

Thank you. While that article was interesting it didn't really answer the question. This makes a lot of sense.

[Anonymous User]

Current Bronx ADA. DA Clark just announced among other things that 1) we're looking to hire ~120 ADAs for the fall of 2017, 2) we're getting our DA badges back, along with these new challenge coins to trade among LEAs, and 3) she's looking to really clean up, revamp, and expand our facilities.

What is the significance of the badge?

https://dainca.wordpress.com/2015/03/15 ... th-badges/

To actually answer the question (and with the disclaimer that I'm not an ADA), I've heard that it just makes it a whole lot easier to do one's job sometimes. You can tell people you're an ADA when you're trying to access a scene or speak to witnesses, etc., but I've heard that it's a lot easier to do your job with some authority if you have a badge to show people. So it's not really required for anything, but it's a symbol that you're truly a part of LE, and it can speed up the process of doing your job in some instances.

Correct. It makes many aspects of the job easier, especially if you're in working in an investigative capacity and going into the field with detectives, etc. Also since our office ID cards all look identical, from ADAs to the various support staff, having it coupled with a badge removes all doubt that you're a prosecutor and just moves things along.

Also to note, all NYC ADA badges are designed similarly to NYPD detective/ lieutenant badges, with an added flourish on the bottom and also a place to engrave your own name in lieu of "CORONER". Although the below pictures come from a German site, I can verify that their designs are pretty much spot on.

http://police-badges.de/hidden/nypd/3025.jpg
http://police-badges.de/hidden/nypd/3024.jpg
http://police-badges.de/hidden/nypd/Detective_NYPD.jpg

[Anonymous User]

How long does it usually take the NYC offices to send out formal offers? I accepted an offer at one of the NYC offices but haven't gotten anything in the mail yet. My brain will be more at ease once I have something in writing, hah hah.