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Hello everyone, I just wanted to get a quick survey. I received offers for my 2L summer at both USAO in EDPA (Philadelphia), as well as USAO in D.C. Are there people who have summered at either. What were your experiences like? If pursuing a career in crim. prosecution in NY, would either office be more advantageous over the other? Thanks for any feedback guys. And yes, i am very thankful for both, wish I could do both.

I would look to see who else is working at the office to see if they have any professional ties to the New York area. That said, I think D.C. would come off as more prestigious and give you more contacts that would allow for mobility.

Since you can't really get hired for the USAO without DOJ Honors straight out of law school, I'd go for D.C., as that might give you some connections.

kalvano wrote:Since you can't really get hired for the USAO without DOJ Honors straight out of law school, I'd go for D.C., as that might give you some connections.

This. You will be able to do more networking in DC that can help you get in DOJ Honors, if that is your goal. Also, I wouldn't bank on being an AUSA in NY out of DOJ Honors. I am under the impression that the geographic placement is somewhat random.

Keep in mind that USAO-DC is responsible for criminal work in DC Superior Court, so you could be working on non-federal cases (e.g., simple assault, theft). I'm not saying that's worse than federal work. But there's a reason the USAO-DC hires like a 100 interns every summer--they have a big office responsible for prosecuting local crimes.

If you want to do criminal prosecution in NY, then you would be better off in a NY local DA office than either of the USAOs you identified. If you are trying to get into federal criminal prosecution in NY (highly unlikely for new grad), then check with DC to make sure you'll be working on federal cases.

Thanks everyone. I guess some more background info. I have already worked in two D.A.'s offices, both Manhattan and Los Angeles as an intern. So I have the experience regarding local DA's offices. I guess I need to find out whether the work I'll be doing is Federal or State. Ultimately out of law school I want to be working in NY County DA's. That's the dream.