How to be a Prosecution/PD Gunner? Forum

[Anonymous User]

Anyone here have any experience working for an NJ prosecutors office?

[BlueLotus]

Anyone here have experience working for the Defender Association of Philadelphia?

[Anonymous User]

2L here,

Wasted my 1L summer in insurance defense, spent 2L fall at a DA's Office, 2L Spring currently at a Federal PD office, will be getting my student practice license and working for another prosecution organization over the summer where I apparently will be handling motions and speaking in court daily, and applying for a clinical in which I'll be providing defense work for fall 3L.

The only issue here is that I worked for an insurance defense firm instead of building a rapport with a judge during 1L summer, and will never have the opportunity to do so. Should I just cut my losses and forego applying to clerk and attempt to apply to all the pre-bar DA's Offices?

[encore1101]

Borhas and others: is LR equally a waste of time for PD/DA/Legal Aid-type jerbs? Picked up my writing comp. packet and ended up not completing it.

I played Diablo 3 instead of doing writing competition; not sure which one would have been a bigger waste of time.

[Anonymous User]

2L here,

Wasted my 1L summer in insurance defense, spent 2L fall at a DA's Office, 2L Spring currently at a Federal PD office, will be getting my student practice license and working for another prosecution organization over the summer where I apparently will be handling motions and speaking in court daily, and applying for a clinical in which I'll be providing defense work for fall 3L.

The only issue here is that I worked for an insurance defense firm instead of building a rapport with a judge during 1L summer, and will never have the opportunity to do so. Should I just cut my losses and forego applying to clerk and attempt to apply to all the pre-bar DA's Offices?

Both. the market sucks right now, it's going to be hard to get a DA job not having it on your resume for both summers like everyone else will have on their resume.

[adonai]

2L here,

Wasted my 1L summer in insurance defense, spent 2L fall at a DA's Office, 2L Spring currently at a Federal PD office, will be getting my student practice license and working for another prosecution organization over the summer where I apparently will be handling motions and speaking in court daily, and applying for a clinical in which I'll be providing defense work for fall 3L.

The only issue here is that I worked for an insurance defense firm instead of building a rapport with a judge during 1L summer, and will never have the opportunity to do so. Should I just cut my losses and forego applying to clerk and attempt to apply to all the pre-bar DA's Offices?

What do you mean by "clerk"? Clerk for a DAs office or a judicial clerkship for a judge?

[FlanAl]

I think the interning for a judge 1L thing is way over played in law school circles, i.e. just being in a prosecutor's shop both summers is better than doing judge 1L and then DA 2L. Working for a judge 2L summer if you have a DA gig lined up is not advisable.

[Borhas]

Borhas and others: is LR equally a waste of time for PD/DA/Legal Aid-type jerbs? Picked up my writing comp. packet and ended up not completing it.

it's way worse of a waste of time

moot court is not literally a waste of time in the sense that you don't gain anything from it, it's just that your time could be spent doing better things

law review is literally a waste of time

[FlanAl]

Hey Borhas,

has the workload mellowed out at all or are you still balls to the wall?

[Anonymous User]

2L here,

Wasted my 1L summer in insurance defense, spent 2L fall at a DA's Office, 2L Spring currently at a Federal PD office, will be getting my student practice license and working for another prosecution organization over the summer where I apparently will be handling motions and speaking in court daily, and applying for a clinical in which I'll be providing defense work for fall 3L.

The only issue here is that I worked for an insurance defense firm instead of building a rapport with a judge during 1L summer, and will never have the opportunity to do so. Should I just cut my losses and forego applying to clerk and attempt to apply to all the pre-bar DA's Offices?

What do you mean by "clerk"? Clerk for a DAs office or a judicial clerkship for a judge?

Same anon here, judicial clerkship. I'm kicking myself for not realizing my criminal interest until my 1L summer.

[spleenworship]

2L here,

Wasted my 1L summer in insurance defense, spent 2L fall at a DA's Office, 2L Spring currently at a Federal PD office, will be getting my student practice license and working for another prosecution organization over the summer where I apparently will be handling motions and speaking in court daily, and applying for a clinical in which I'll be providing defense work for fall 3L.

The only issue here is that I worked for an insurance defense firm instead of building a rapport with a judge during 1L summer, and will never have the opportunity to do so. Should I just cut my losses and forego applying to clerk and attempt to apply to all the pre-bar DA's Offices?

What do you mean by "clerk"? Clerk for a DAs office or a judicial clerkship for a judge?

Same anon here, judicial clerkship. I'm kicking myself for not realizing my criminal interest until my 1L summer.

I'd apply for DAs and clerkships. Neither is guaranteed, but after a clerkship you'll still be competitive for DAs offices.

[Anonymous User]

I assume this falls under what this thread was intended for, but what kind of starting pay can someone who's followed the prosecution path expect? I know it isn't big law dollars, but that's never been an absolute goal for me (no debt whatsoever, and girlfriend makes a good living).

[spleenworship]

I assume this falls under what this thread was intended for, but what kind of starting pay can someone who's followed the prosecution path expect? I know it isn't big law dollars, but that's never been an absolute goal for me (no debt whatsoever, and girlfriend makes a good living).

This is in the thread.

That said, since I bothered to type a response I guess I'll just let you know it varies across the country from about $30k to about 60k.

[Anonymous User]

I assume this falls under what this thread was intended for, but what kind of starting pay can someone who's followed the prosecution path expect? I know it isn't big law dollars, but that's never been an absolute goal for me (no debt whatsoever, and girlfriend makes a good living).

Miami ASA here
34K before the bar results come in
40K after your sworn in (i was sworn about 5 days after bar passage)

I'm not starving...somehow.

[BlueLotus]

Anyone know entry-level salaries of CPCS and Philly PD?

[spleenworship]

Anyone know entry-level salaries of CPCS and Philly PD?

Philly 32k pre results, 48k post results.

[BlueLotus]

Say hypothetically, you get a pre-Bar offer in a "hard state" (NY, CA) and end up failing the bar. Do PDs give you one more chance in Feb., or do they relinquish your offer?

[BlueLotus]

Anyone know entry-level salaries of CPCS and Philly PD?

Philly 32k pre results, 48k post results.

The discrepancy in salary/caseloads between PD and DA really sucks.

[spleenworship]

Say hypothetically, you get a pre-Bar offer in a "hard state" (NY, CA) and end up failing the bar. Do PDs give you one more chance in Feb., or do they relinquish your offer?

Don't know. Was going to ask them this if offered a jerb.

[adonai]

Say hypothetically, you get a pre-Bar offer in a "hard state" (NY, CA) and end up failing the bar. Do PDs give you one more chance in Feb., or do they relinquish your offer?

LA gives you the boot

[BlueLotus]

Say hypothetically, you get a pre-Bar offer in a "hard state" (NY, CA) and end up failing the bar. Do PDs give you one more chance in Feb., or do they relinquish your offer?

Don't know. Was going to ask them this if offered a jerb.

GL, bro! I admire your hustle.

[Borhas]

Say hypothetically, you get a pre-Bar offer in a "hard state" (NY, CA) and end up failing the bar. Do PDs give you one more chance in Feb., or do they relinquish your offer?

Don't know. Was going to ask them this if offered a jerb.

GL, bro! I admire your hustle.

Usually they don't but can make exceptions for people they love

Source: hearsay from alameda post bars

[Easy-E]

Any tips for prosecution interview for 1L summer? How much do they expect me to know?

[encore1101]

Any tips for prosecution interview for 1L summer? How much do they expect me to know?

Not much, tbh. Be ready to answer why you want to intern there, what you hope to get out of the internship experience, what attracted you to that office, what bureau you want to work in. Seriously doubtful they'd ask you any hypos.

[Easy-E]

Any tips for prosecution interview for 1L summer? How much do they expect me to know?

Not much, tbh. Be ready to answer why you want to intern there, what you hope to get out of the internship experience, what attracted you to that office, what bureau you want to work in. Seriously doubtful they'd ask you any hypos.

Yeah that was my main concern. I've got an idea of what to say for the rest of that though. Thanks.