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Re: District Attorney's Offices 2018
Posted: Fri Jan 19, 2018 12:02 am
by Anonymous User
Anonymous User wrote:Anonymous User wrote:
The director of legal hiring came in under Thompson''s admin because he worked on the campaign. Hopefully the new DA will clean up this mess of a team by the time the next cycle starts.
Been tracking NYC DA office hiring for a while.
I think the biggest issue was that the WMJ inherited a pretty defunct process driven by the Hynes political machine that got away with offering new hires the lowest starting salary in the city. Traditionally, QCDA was generally the slowest prior to WMJ.
The next issue I think is his lack of legal hiring experience before KCDA. He just looked at DANY and thought, "We can do that!" In addition to adding another interview round (like DANY), he focused wayyy to much on "poaching" their hires, both in 2L summer hiring and in 3L prebar hiring. One, as if many applied to offices other than DANY, California, Illinois, DOJ, Clerkship, or two, even if they did, they would even start at KCDA with the lower salary. Plenty of people at my LS only OCI'ed with DANY.
The idea that the 2L summers got a head start is also a bit flaky. Yeah, they got to skip OCI, but they still would have to wait for a panel to open up. Meanwhile, KCDA is filling up open panels with outside DANY target "poaches" and every other office is picking up their slack.
I worked for KCDA throughout law school, gunned for them, told them, and expected at least a full interview cycle. Instead, while KCDA sat on their hands, one of the other offices saw my experience and poached me early in the cycle with a better offer, knowing full well I was eyeing KCDA. The senior KCDA people I worked with were dumbstruck by it all.
Anon you quoted: Yes, I think everything you said is correct. I didn't mean to say WMJ messed up some great system under Hynes. I just mean things have not been improved under WMJ's leadership of the legal hiring process (applicants and ADAs all seem to agree with this frustration). Your story is sadly not new. Many of my peers at my school went through similar experiences of yours. My point was WMJ is in charge and the buck stops with him; KCDA has lost many strong applicants because of his failures.
But for purposes of this thread... take heart! KCDA is slow and probably still looking for places to fill because their legal hiring shop is poorly run.
Please post if you are going through KCDA hiring still. It would be interesting to know how late into the year they have to go.
Re: District Attorney's Offices 2018
Posted: Fri Jan 19, 2018 6:45 pm
by Anonymous User
I wonder if manhattan got more apps or is more selective this year than they have been in years past?
I wondering if the hiring freeze in the federal government pushed people that might otherwise apply for AUSA or SEC to go for manhattan instead
Re: District Attorney's Offices 2018
Posted: Fri Jan 19, 2018 7:57 pm
by Anonymous User
Had a 2nd round with KCDA back in October. I thought it went well, but haven't heard anything since then.
Re: District Attorney's Offices 2018
Posted: Sun Jan 21, 2018 12:28 am
by Anonymous User
This isn't universal or meant to be a dig at anyone, but KCDA seems to do this weird thing where they'll gun for who they believe to be exceptional applicants (great interns, people who interned at DANY with great credentials, etc.), and then everyone else kind of just lingers in legal hiring purgatory while they take their time going through apps, as though there aren't half a dozen other offices in the area people may also be applying to.
I think (especially recently) this has been as much about changing the culture at KCDA as it's been about hiring incompetency, so I dunno that I'd go as far as to say KCDA is scraping the bottom of the barrel to fill up half its class, but I'd definitely agree that they don't try going after applicants being offered by other offices as much as they should be doing, and they probably suffer quite a bit by being so slow.
I've heard from people there that there's a rumor that there may be raises in the pipeline, but I have no clue where that's coming from, or when they would kick in, if they're really coming.
Re: District Attorney's Offices 2018
Posted: Sun Jan 21, 2018 8:51 am
by Anonymous User
I don't see why waiting would really effect the quality of their incoming classes that much. There are only a handful of offices that hire pre-bar (~200 spots in NYC/LI + ~100(?) from Cook/Miami/Philly, and some of those offices are just as slow as Kings), and DANY is going to get the pick of the litter anyway in NY.
I've seen the incoming class at BX and Q, and they aren't exactly world-beating. They hire 80-90% TTT grads. BX moves very quickly, and it doesn't seem to have moved the needle with their classes. Last year only 4/122 new hires were T14 grads (and 2 were from Georgetown). Obviously there are qualifications beyond what law school you went to, but it's a pretty good proxy for how desirable applicants think an office is.
Re: District Attorney's Offices 2018
Posted: Sun Jan 21, 2018 10:03 am
by encore1101
Anonymous User wrote:I don't see why waiting would really effect the quality of their incoming classes that much. There are only a handful of offices that hire pre-bar (~200 spots in NYC/LI + ~100(?) from Cook/Miami/Philly, and some of those offices are just as slow as Kings), and DANY is going to get the pick of the litter anyway in NY.
I've seen the incoming class at BX and Q, and they aren't exactly world-beating. They hire 80-90% TTT grads. BX moves very quickly, and it doesn't seem to have moved the needle with their classes. Last year only 4/122 new hires were T14 grads (and 2 were from Georgetown). Obviously there are qualifications beyond what law school you went to, but it's a pretty good proxy for how desirable applicants think an office is.
Speaking as someone who interviewed candidates for an NYC office, what law school a candidate went to is a very poor metric of how that person will do as an ADA. Flashing that Harvard J.D. in front of a jury of high school-educated locals only gets you so far.
Some of the things I looked for in a candidate:
How does this person react under pressure?
Is he likely to stick around or just do 3 and leave?
Can I put this person in front of a jury? A judge? In an office with other ADAs? Against opposing counsel who has years, if not decades, of more experience and won't hesitate to exploit that?
Things like mock trial or moot court experience, for example, or military/law enforcement experience checks more than one box. On the other hand, going to a t14, by itself, tells me youre a hard worker, but not much else.
It's those candidates that score highly in all of these considerations that are gunned by all the offices. Most candidates will score highly in one area but poorly in others, or will score just average in all areas.
Re: District Attorney's Offices 2018
Posted: Sun Jan 21, 2018 12:06 pm
by Anonymous User
Anonymous User wrote:I don't see why waiting would really effect the quality of their incoming classes that much. There are only a handful of offices that hire pre-bar (~200 spots in NYC/LI + ~100(?) from Cook/Miami/Philly, and some of those offices are just as slow as Kings), and DANY is going to get the pick of the litter anyway in NY.
I've seen the incoming class at BX and Q, and they aren't exactly world-beating. They hire 80-90% TTT grads. BX moves very quickly, and it doesn't seem to have moved the needle with their classes. Last year only 4/122 new hires were T14 grads (and 2 were from Georgetown). Obviously there are qualifications beyond what law school you went to, but it's a pretty good proxy for how desirable applicants think an office is.
To be more clear, this "scraping the bottom" phrase wasn't about schools. Like the other poster said, school rank is not what these offices are looking for. KCDA's slow movement means they are left to hire the lackluster interns and law schools grads who never bothered to take Crim Pro or intern in Crim placements throughout law school.
Re: District Attorney's Offices 2018
Posted: Sun Jan 21, 2018 3:34 pm
by Anonymous User
Fair enough. I guess my broader point is that just given the sheer quantity of law grads who gun for DAs offices, there should be plenty of quality candidates for even the slowest pre-bar offices. The number of applicants must outstrip the number of pre-bar spots 20 or 30 to 1. Sure, some of those are hail marys from people with no crim stuff on their resumes, but I have a hard time believing a NYC office with a national-ish reputation has to get anywhere near the "bottom of the barrel" regardless of the metrics.
Re: District Attorney's Offices 2018
Posted: Sun Jan 21, 2018 6:31 pm
by Anonymous User
Fun how this thread is revived by complaining about KCDA.
Totally different office, but does anyone know anything about Detroit? I know their finances are bad, but I thought things were getting better. How do you become an APA there?
Re: District Attorney's Offices 2018
Posted: Mon Jan 22, 2018 1:28 pm
by Anonymous User
Spent $700 traveling across the country for an interview for a 1-year DA clerk position that I was sure went well... Got a rejection in the mail today.
This process is such a kick in the God-damn teeth.
Re: District Attorney's Offices 2018
Posted: Mon Jan 29, 2018 6:04 pm
by Anonymous User
Recently accepted an offer with DANY - does anyone know what to expect with the Personal References (non-relative, employer, teacher) Check? Are they going to get called into the office or just receive a phone call?
Re: District Attorney's Offices 2018
Posted: Wed Jan 31, 2018 1:59 pm
by Anonymous User
Re: posts about NY timelines, I've had 3 rounds at BK (latest was late 2017) and am in the waiting game. Feels like forever but from what I've heard anecdotally, it's not late in the game and all these offices make offers at least into if not through March, and maybe even beyond....
Re: District Attorney's Offices 2018
Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2018 12:13 pm
by Anonymous User
Just received a first round with the Suffolk MA DA. Anyone have knowledge of how these are run? Do people get some hypos in these?
Re: District Attorney's Offices 2018
Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2018 3:16 pm
by Anonymous User
Re: KCDA - still in the interview process, have a 4th interview scheduled for next week. They informed me this is the final round.
Re: District Attorney's Offices 2018
Posted: Wed Feb 07, 2018 8:17 pm
by Anonymous User
Anyone here accept a Bronx DA offer? If so, when’s last you heard back? I accepted the formal offer letter, as well as received a formal letter in the mail. Just want to know what the process is from this point. Any info is welcomed.
Re: District Attorney's Offices 2018
Posted: Wed Feb 07, 2018 8:17 pm
by Anonymous User
Anyone here accept a Bronx DA offer? If so, when’s last you heard back? I accepted the formal offer letter, as well as received a formal letter in the mail. Just want to know what the process is from this point. Any info is welcomed.
Re: District Attorney's Offices 2018
Posted: Wed Feb 07, 2018 8:42 pm
by Anonymous User
Anonymous User wrote:Anyone here accept a Bronx DA offer? If so, when’s last you heard back? I accepted the formal offer letter, as well as received a formal letter in the mail. Just want to know what the process is from this point. Any info is welcomed.
Still nothing. I check in with some other classmates who also got offers from time to time, and it's been nothing but silence since the formal offers went out. That was months ago.
Re: District Attorney's Offices 2018
Posted: Wed Feb 07, 2018 9:28 pm
by Anonymous User
Anonymous User wrote:Anonymous User wrote:Anyone here accept a Bronx DA offer? If so, when’s last you heard back? I accepted the formal offer letter, as well as received a formal letter in the mail. Just want to know what the process is from this point. Any info is welcomed.
Still nothing. I check in with some other classmates who also got offers from time to time, and it's been nothing but silence since the formal offers went out. That was months ago.
Thanks for reply, glad to hear I’m not the only one. I will reach out to office in coming days and see if I can get a timeline and will post back.
Re: District Attorney's Offices 2018
Posted: Wed Feb 07, 2018 9:43 pm
by Anonymous User
Anonymous User wrote:Anonymous User wrote:Anonymous User wrote:Anyone here accept a Bronx DA offer? If so, when’s last you heard back? I accepted the formal offer letter, as well as received a formal letter in the mail. Just want to know what the process is from this point. Any info is welcomed.
Still nothing. I check in with some other classmates who also got offers from time to time, and it's been nothing but silence since the formal offers went out. That was months ago.
Thanks for reply, glad to hear I’m not the only one. I will reach out to office in coming days and see if I can get a timeline and will post back.
Current bxda here. I didn't hear anything until april when HR told me to expect a packet.
Re: District Attorney's Offices 2018
Posted: Wed Feb 07, 2018 9:59 pm
by Anonymous User
Anonymous User wrote:Anonymous User wrote:Anonymous User wrote:Anonymous User wrote:Anyone here accept a Bronx DA offer? If so, when’s last you heard back? I accepted the formal offer letter, as well as received a formal letter in the mail. Just want to know what the process is from this point. Any info is welcomed.
Still nothing. I check in with some other classmates who also got offers from time to time, and it's been nothing but silence since the formal offers went out. That was months ago.
Thanks for reply, glad to hear I’m not the only one. I will reach out to office in coming days and see if I can get a timeline and will post back.
Current bxda here. I didn't hear anything until april when HR told me to expect a packet.
Great that was information I was looking for.
Thank you.
Re: District Attorney's Offices 2018
Posted: Thu Feb 08, 2018 12:56 am
by Anonymous User
Can anyone talk generally about their experience or impressions of the santa clara DA's office?
Re: District Attorney's Offices 2018
Posted: Sun Feb 11, 2018 3:52 pm
by Anonymous User
Anyone hear back from the Cook County State's Atty's Office?
Re: District Attorney's Offices 2018
Posted: Mon Feb 12, 2018 3:21 pm
by Anonymous User
Anonymous User wrote:Anyone hear back from the Cook County State's Atty's Office?
I had a final round with Cook County first half of Jan., haven't heard.
Anyone still in waiting game with Brooklyn? I had a third round in Dec, haven't heard.
Re: District Attorney's Offices 2018
Posted: Mon Feb 12, 2018 4:57 pm
by Anonymous User
Anonymous User wrote:
Anyone still in waiting game with Brooklyn? I had a third round in Dec, haven't heard.
Had 2nd round in November that I thought went well, but nothing since.
Re: District Attorney's Offices 2018
Posted: Thu Feb 15, 2018 11:23 am
by Anonymous User
Did anyone here apply to the Suffolk DA’s office in Massachusetts? Hear anything back?