How to be a Prosecution/PD Gunner? Forum

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spleenworship

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Re: How to be a Prosecution/PD Gunner?

Post by spleenworship » Tue Nov 04, 2014 7:30 pm

Anonymous User wrote:2L interview with the NY Federal PD. Half the interview was hypos.

That was laughably bad...
It's never as bad as you think it is.

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Re: How to be a Prosecution/PD Gunner?

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Nov 04, 2014 8:58 pm

spleenworship wrote:
Anonymous User wrote:2L interview with the NY Federal PD. Half the interview was hypos.

That was laughably bad...
It's never as bad as you think it is.
It was pretty bad based on the less than 24 hour later ding :lol:

But, I asked if they could give me some feedback, and I know it's a cliche, but it was a good learning experience. I approached the hypos totally wrong, but fortunately have other another offer and since I'm a 2L plenty of time to fix it!

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spleenworship

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Re: How to be a Prosecution/PD Gunner?

Post by spleenworship » Thu Nov 06, 2014 3:17 pm

I realize this isn't necessarily the thread for this, but I've been too lazy to get onto the lawyers only forum:

Do you want an entry level PD job? Do you already have a license? If so PM me. ASAP.

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spleenworship

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Re: How to be a Prosecution/PD Gunner?

Post by spleenworship » Fri Nov 14, 2014 6:20 pm

After 2 hellish days I want to say this:

I LOVE being a public defender. Wouldn't change jobs for the world... But... Some days it just blows. Innocent people go to jail, guilty people give you hell because you can't get them off, people who deserve a second chance aren't given them, your motions are denied despite being right, juries of old white people find your client guilty on all counts mostly because of their skin color, cops just bald-face lie on the stand and go unpunished. This shit happens. Not every day, but a lot. Just be prepped for that if you want to be a PD.

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samcro_op

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Re: How to be a Prosecution/PD Gunner?

Post by samcro_op » Fri Nov 14, 2014 6:32 pm

Anyone have any thoughts/experiences working at any of the PD offices in the DMV area (Not PDS)? I am thinking about applying for a 2L summer position and wanted to see if anyone had any info on them.

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Welcome to TLS

Post by CaptainLeela » Sat Nov 15, 2014 1:31 pm

Welcome to TLS

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Displeased

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Re: How to be a Prosecution/PD Gunner?

Post by Displeased » Sat Nov 15, 2014 3:42 pm

CaptainLeela wrote:
samcro_op wrote:Anyone have any thoughts/experiences working at any of the PD offices in the DMV area (Not PDS)? I am thinking about applying for a 2L summer position and wanted to see if anyone had any info on them.
Alexandria is excellent. Melinda Douglas has a great local reputation and their intern program is really great. I haven't done it, but know a couple people who have and had very positive experiences
Seconding the praise for Melinda Douglas and Alexandria, though I don't have firsthand experience there. You hear nothing but good things about Melinda Douglas.

I've also heard good things about Fairfax and Tod Petit. Saw him speak once, he was convincing and seemed like a good guy.

Dunno about Arlington, I think they are the least busy office in the state. Given that the commission is looking at budget cuts, I wonder if Arlington might feel the pressure sooner than other offices.

All northern Virginia offices get slightly increased pay relative to the rest of the state, to compensate for COL. An APD I in Northern Virginia gets 55k, while an APD I anywhere else in the state gets 49k. Just something to be aware of.

If you count Fredericksburg + Stafford County as DMV, PM me if you want to know more.

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Re: How to be a Prosecution/PD Gunner?

Post by Anonymous User » Mon Nov 17, 2014 5:29 pm

On a somewhat similar line...anybody have any idea of prosecutors offices in northern VA? my impression is that none of the offices would be big/busy enough for pre-bar hiring

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Re: How to be a Prosecution/PD Gunner?

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Nov 19, 2014 9:11 pm

What is the consensus on thank-you notes/emails after a panel or final round interview?

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Re: How to be a Prosecution/PD Gunner?

Post by vandalvideo » Thu Nov 20, 2014 10:47 pm

Displeased wrote:
I've also heard good things about Fairfax and Tod Petit. Saw him speak once, he was convincing and seemed like a good guy. .
I had the opportunity to see him at a recent CLE, and the man is charismatic and generally mentors those below him well. Although he stated that his office was not really hiring at the moment. Most of NOVA is on a hiring freeze from what I gathered. Have spoken with both Petit and Douglas. You would be better served looking to Fauquier County.

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Re: How to be a Prosecution/PD Gunner?

Post by Displeased » Fri Nov 21, 2014 9:03 pm

vandalvideo wrote:
Displeased wrote:
I've also heard good things about Fairfax and Tod Petit. Saw him speak once, he was convincing and seemed like a good guy. .
Although he stated that his office was not really hiring at the moment. Most of NOVA is on a hiring freeze from what I gathered. Have spoken with both Petit and Douglas. You would be better served looking to Fauquier County.
All Virginia PD openings are posted on the Virginia Jobs website, you could just google "Virginia Indigent Defense Commission Careers" and you'll get taken to a listing of all openings in the Virginia IDC.

Basically, the only way to get a PD job in Virginia is to wait for an existing Assistant Public Defender I to quit or transfer. Since very few offices in Virginia have more than 20 attorneys, its a long wait if you limit yourself to 1 or 2 possible locations.

Having said that, the IDC's budget this year is supposedly terrible, due to a statewide budget crisis about 4 months ago. And since the NoVA offices have some of the lowest caseloads per attorney, while still being paid more, I could imagine a situation where the IDC refuses to allow a NoVA office to fill an empty position. But that's just speculation, I have no idea if the budget situation is so bad that NoVA offices can't hire. I will say that there isn't a general hiring freeze in the Virginia IDC, there are open capital defender positions and secretarial positions.

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anon sequitur

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Re: How to be a Prosecution/PD Gunner?

Post by anon sequitur » Fri Nov 21, 2014 9:13 pm

Displeased, do you know approximately what the caseload is for Alexandria and Fairfax? What offices have the highest case loads? Richmond, Norfolk?

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Re: How to be a Prosecution/PD Gunner?

Post by Tanicius » Fri Nov 21, 2014 9:34 pm

anon sequitur wrote:Displeased, do you know approximately what the caseload is for Alexandria and Fairfax? What offices have the highest case loads? Richmond, Norfolk?
Caseload can really be a misleading statistic. As a misdo attorney in a medium-sized city, I go through hundreds of files over the course of months. But my overall workload requires far less preparation than some PD who works out in the boonies doing nothing but property and sex crimes defense where the stakes are much higher, the juries much whiter and tougher, and the judges and prosecutors much crazier.

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Re: How to be a Prosecution/PD Gunner?

Post by Displeased » Sat Nov 22, 2014 11:14 am

anon sequitur wrote:Displeased, do you know approximately what the caseload is for Alexandria and Fairfax? What offices have the highest case loads? Richmond, Norfolk?
The IDC 2013 annual report says Alexandria does 210 cases per year per attorney, Fairfax does 307, Arlington does 213. Arlington, Alexandria, and Franklin (tiny city in Southern Virginia, but I think the PD also covers multiple nearby counties) have the lowest caseloads per attorney. 310 seems like about average statewide. I didn't realize Fairfax was so relatively high compared to the rest of NoVA, its still just about average though.

Danville (426), Staunton (395), Lynchburg (378), and Richmond (382) have the highest caseloads.

Caseloads seem to vary significantly from year to year, and I will say that some of the numbers in the IDC report don't seem entirely accurate to me (based on my limited experience as a PD in VA). But that report is how they determine caseloads, and I suspect how they determine funding, so it must be relatively accurate.

Tanicus is right, though. Pure caseload can be misleading. A drive while suspended, trespass, or petit larceny case takes very little actual time, even the trials rarely take more than 15 minutes. Its not unusual for a PD to handle 20+ misdemeanors in one morning, even if almost all of them go to trial. But complicated and contested felonies, appeals, and jury trials can eat up unbelievable amounts of time.

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Re: How to be a Prosecution/PD Gunner?

Post by Lawst » Sat Nov 22, 2014 2:37 pm

spleenworship wrote:I realize this isn't necessarily the thread for this, but I've been too lazy to get onto the lawyers only forum:

Do you want an entry level PD job? Do you already have a license? If so PM me. ASAP.
Where *is* the lawyers forum, anyway? I looked in the index and I don't see it unless I'm just overlooking it.

I find myself in here because I passed the bar and am still trying to nail down that PD job. It's a tough market out there.

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Re: How to be a Prosecution/PD Gunner?

Post by RaleighStClair » Sun Nov 23, 2014 12:58 am

Hey all. Looking for some general advice here.

Currently a 3L at a lower T2 in the Pacific Northwest. (I know, not strong mobility).

1L Summer: Major city prosecutor's office law clerk.
2L Summer - Present: Mid sized city prosecutor's office certified legal intern (i.e., I'm conducting all stages of the criminal process in court with limited supervision).
Starting in January - graduation: Concurrently with the above job, another certified internship with similar responsibilities, only with a municipal agency.
^All of these positions have been in the same metro area.

I want to be a prosecutor. That is for sure. I do not care where; I'll, quite honestly, go anywhere in the country. My problem is that at the office where I'm currently working, we don't find out if we get offers until within a week or so of graduation. (Yes, it is totally fucked up.) As a result, I think I need to apply anywhere and everywhere. So, here are my questions:

1) Has anyone experienced success with resume-mailing/random applying to cities outside of their market? I would prefer one of the "prestigious" DA's offices (i.e., the various NYC boroughs, Chicago, LA, Miami-Dade), but I'm concerned I've missed the boat on some of these. Honestly, I would go to Bumf*** County, Alabama, if it meant getting real world ADA experience. How can I get one of these jobs PRE-graduation/bar?

2) Is it wrong to ask my current supervisor to serve as a reference for post-grad applications? This could turn in to a lot of people calling him, as I plan on casting a wide net. But I have been working there for a while, and plan on doing so until at least graduation. It's awkward.

3) Will you say prayers for me? Thanks.

Seriously though, even if it's not to the above points, any and all advice in this area is appreciated.

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Re: How to be a Prosecution/PD Gunner?

Post by MURPH » Sun Nov 23, 2014 10:46 am

You should try to sit down with your current supervisor and ask him for career advice. That is kinda part of the deal when they take on interns/clerks. He doesn't owe you advice but it would be surprising if he didn't give it. If the talk goes well he will probably offer to give recommendations rather than you having to just ask for it.

I've heard of lots of people getting lucky and getting random jobs outside of their market. It is a good idea to apply widely. Chances are good that most government jobs will be filled before they are even posted - the hiring guy has someone in mind but must go through the formality of pretending to open the position up to everyone.

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Re: How to be a Prosecution/PD Gunner?

Post by Anonymous User » Sun Nov 23, 2014 5:00 pm

If you're keen on becoming an ADA in Bumbfuck, Alamaba it helps to be white, like 97.5% of your fellow DAs, instead of black, like 26% of your fellow Alabamans. And make sure you're okay with all this.

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Re: How to be a Prosecution/PD Gunner?

Post by kay2016 » Sun Nov 23, 2014 9:17 pm

but even then you're not going to be hired before you pass the bar.. FYI

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Re: How to be a Prosecution/PD Gunner?

Post by MURPH » Mon Nov 24, 2014 12:20 am

Hey Anonymous user, If you do not like racism in prosecutors offices then there is only one way to make sure every case that you are involved in does not have a racist prosecutor. That is to be the prosecutor.

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Re: How to be a Prosecution/PD Gunner?

Post by Anonymous User » Mon Nov 24, 2014 9:22 am

Good luck keeping your ADA job in Bumbfuck, Alabama. You will stand out like a sore thumb if you're not willing to (1) disproportionately use peremptories on blacks in the venire and (2) come up with pretextual reasons for striking blacks for cause. But don't let this prevent you from following your dreams of being the first Alabama prosecutor to fight against racism-- maybe you can pull a four figure book deal with a local publisher when you get fired. It might even be in the upper four figures if you time your Atticus Finch-like stand with Martin Luther King Jr. Day or, as they've designated it in Alabama, Robert E. Lee/Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

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Re: How to be a Prosecution/PD Gunner?

Post by A. Nony Mouse » Mon Nov 24, 2014 9:57 am

I don't think this is really the thread to argue about where prosecutors are or are not racist.

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Re: How to be a Prosecution/PD Gunner?

Post by encore1101 » Mon Nov 24, 2014 10:10 am

Man, this thread has de-railed.

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Re: How to be a Prosecution/PD Gunner?

Post by djaja » Mon Nov 24, 2014 11:03 am

I'm loving this! :D

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Re: How to be a Prosecution/PD Gunner?

Post by kay2016 » Mon Nov 24, 2014 1:00 pm

A. Nony Mouse wrote:I don't think this is really the thread to argue about where prosecutors are or are not racist.

Seriously? What are you waiting for?

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