District Attorney's Offices 2015 Forum

[Anonymous User]

Those who got first round interviews with DANY when did you apply? Did you intern there before?

[Anonymous User]

Those who got first round interviews with DANY when did you apply? Did you intern there before?

Did not intern. Applied Aug 7th using the clerk app. I applied last year as a 3L, same time, got interview offer same time (last week in Aug), but never went on that interview because I received my clerkship offer first.

[Anonymous User]

Those who got first round interviews with DANY when did you apply? Did you intern there before?

Interned there and applied in August. Also got the email that everyone else in this thread got about scheduling a first round interview. Supposed to call and schedule it.

[Anonymous User]

Has anyone heard anything out of Queens yet (OCI or otherwise)? I've heard from the others, but radio silence from Queens so far.

[Anonymous User]

Has anyone heard anything out of Queens yet (OCI or otherwise)? I've heard from the others, but radio silence from Queens so far.

I have applied to all DA offices in NYC and Long Island and have not heard back from anywhere. Do you mind sharing when you applied/heard back from the other offices?

[Anonymous User]

Has anyone heard anything out of Queens yet (OCI or otherwise)? I've heard from the others, but radio silence from Queens so far.

I have applied to all DA offices in NYC and Long Island and have not heard back from anywhere. Do you mind sharing when you applied/heard back from the other offices?

Same anon you quoted: I applied shortly after the apps opened up in August.

[Anonymous User]

BUMP.

Any movement on the NYC area offices?

[Anonymous User]

All: what can I expect at the screener and CB stage w/r/t interview style and questions?

[Anonymous User]

All: what can I expect at the screener and CB stage w/r/t interview style and questions?

This is what I got:

Bronx: resume review, general Q's of why prosecution and why here (VERY laid back)
Manhattan: resume review, and a sort of semi but not really hypo (pretty laid back)
Brooklyn: resume review, general Q's of why prosecution and why here (VERY laid back)
Queens: resume review, Q's of why prosecution and why here, hypo (probably the most formal)

On another note, I've heard salary rumors:

Manhattan going up to $65,000
Bronx going up to $60,500 when you pass the bar (NOT a rumor, it's on the application form)
Queens is at $60,000 when you pass, and no word on an increase
Brooklyn currently hiring at $52,000 but Thompson supposedly trying to secure more money

[Anonymous User]

All: what can I expect at the screener and CB stage w/r/t interview style and questions?

This is what I got:

Bronx: resume review, general Q's of why prosecution and why here (VERY laid back)
Manhattan: resume review, and a sort of semi but not really hypo (pretty laid back)
Brooklyn: resume review, general Q's of why prosecution and why here (VERY laid back)
Queens: resume review, Q's of why prosecution and why here, hypo (probably the most formal)

On another note, I've heard salary rumors:

Manhattan going up to $65,000
Bronx going up to $60,500 when you pass the bar (NOT a rumor, it's on the application form)
Queens is at $60,000 when you pass, and no word on an increase
Brooklyn currently hiring at $52,000 but Thompson supposedly trying to secure more money

For me...

Bronx OCI: Resume review, general questions, small hypo
Brooklyn OCI: Resume review, general questions, hypo
Queens OCI: Resume review, general questions, several hypos
Miami-Dade OCI: Resume review, general questions, several hypos (very tough)

The above quoted salaries are correct aside from Brooklyn. Interviewer shared that Thompson was able to increase salaries and new ADAs will start around $58,000.

[Anonymous User]

^^^^ what type of hypos were y'all asked? (screener, CB, or both?) if possible, can you state which office asked a particular hypo? tyia.

[Anonymous User]

My first-round interview with the Brooklyn DA's office was almost entirely informal. I wasn't asked why prosecution/why our office. I wasn't even asked a hypothetical. In fact, we just kind of chatting about our personal backgrounds, etc. Not sure if this was a good or bad thing.

[gdane]

^^^^ what type of hypos were y'all asked? (screener, CB, or both?) if possible, can you state which office asked a particular hypo? tyia.

You'll mostly get ethical hypos. The hypos most likely to be asked:

1) there has been a string of dead babies in baskets found ashore at local beaches. You're the prosecutor on duty for the evening. At 1 am, you receive a phone call from a detective that you know well and that has a lot of credibility. He tells you that he is currently watching a man walking around the beach with a basket in his hands. Fearing that the man is the one responsible for the recent baby deaths, the detective wants to know what to do.

Answer: there is no right answer per se. The interviewers mainly want to see how well you go through the reasonable suspicion to stop analysis. In the end you can say that you'd probably advise the detective to stop the man because although any evidence would be suppressed, and youd be violating the person's 4th amendment rights, stopping a potential murder is more important than getting evidence in.

2) the day before trial your key witness dies. Do you tell the defense and drop the charges?

Answer: no. This mainly tests Brady and the obligations of a prosecutor to disclose certain things.

3) same as above, but now the defense comes to you right before trial agreeing to take a plea. Do you tell them that your key witness is dead?

4) no. Same analysis as above. Also, a bit of policy to discuss in here as well as you can talk about how the plea was voluntary and willing and all that. You will get a lot of push back here though. The main issue is "is it fair to the defendant to take a plea without being fully informed about the evidence against him?" Read Brady.

5) you're a prosecutor and the day before you file an indictment your key witness dies. Do you still file it?

Answer: no. Informations/indictments require prosecutors to affirm, under oath, that they have all the necessary evidence to indict, and to prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt. So, it would be lying to file because you don't have your key witness.

6) a lady is robbed in the street. Immediately afterwards, she is interviewed by a police officer. She tells the officer that the man was white with blond hair. A few hours later the police find and arrest the robber. At a lineup the lady identifies a Hispanic man with dark hair as the perp. She is 100% sure. At trial the lady testifies that the robber was a Hispanic man with dark hair, the defendant. In the hallway the interviewing officer tells you "I think we got this guy. I was worried for a second there because the day of the robbery she told me that it was a white guy with blond hair that robbed her." What do you do?

Answer: immediately disclose to the judge what happened and tell the defense about the statement. Read Brady AND Giglio (impeachment evidence).


These are the main ones that you'll get. Ask people in your specific jurisdiction though because state rules sometimes have their own nuances.

miami and manhattan asked pretty much the same version of these questions.

[Anonymous User]

Thx gdane. Are those screener or CB Q's? Have upcoming screener w/ one of those offices.

[Anonymous User]

.

[gdane]

Thx gdane. Are those screener or CB Q's? Have upcoming screener w/ one of those offices.

You're likely the one that sent me the PM. In any case, these questions came up during the screener and the second round interviews. I withdrew from manhattan after the second round so I can't tell you much about that. However, miami after the second round is with the state attorney herself. If you're out of state you will likely interview with her the day of your second interview. If you did well enough of course.

Important: this third round interview with ms Fernandez rundle is not simply a formality like some people believe. It counts. She will ask you personal questions, some that I felt were kinda inappropriate because they kind of touched on your political beliefs, but answer honestly. Hint: she is a democrat. So when she asks you if you're for or against the death penalty, say "i am against it except in the most extreme cases."

[Anonymous User]

Thx gdane. Are those screener or CB Q's? Have upcoming screener w/ one of those offices.

You're likely the one that sent me the PM. In any case, these questions came up during the screener and the second round interviews. I withdrew from manhattan after the second round so I can't tell you much about that. However, miami after the second round is with the state attorney herself. If you're out of state you will likely interview with her the day of your second interview. If you did well enough of course.

Important: this third round interview with ms Fernandez rundle is not simply a formality like some people believe. It counts. She will ask you personal questions, some that I felt were kinda inappropriate because they kind of touched on your political beliefs, but answer honestly. Hint: she is a democrat. So when she asks you if you're for or against the death penalty, say "i am against it except in the most extreme cases."

IIRC, the only one where meeting with the DA/State Attorney/Prosecutor is a formality is if you get the opportunity to meet Cy Vance in Manhattan.

[Anonymous User]

The above quoted salaries are correct aside from Brooklyn. Interviewer shared that Thompson was able to increase salaries and new ADAs will start around $58,000.

Really? When did you hear that? I heard $52K pretty recently.

[Anonymous User]

All: what can I expect at the screener and CB stage w/r/t interview style and questions?

This is what I got:

Bronx: resume review, general Q's of why prosecution and why here (VERY laid back)
Manhattan: resume review, and a sort of semi but not really hypo (pretty laid back)
Brooklyn: resume review, general Q's of why prosecution and why here (VERY laid back)
Queens: resume review, Q's of why prosecution and why here, hypo (probably the most formal)

On another note, I've heard salary rumors:

Manhattan going up to $65,000
Bronx going up to $60,500 when you pass the bar (NOT a rumor, it's on the application form)
Queens is at $60,000 when you pass, and no word on an increase
Brooklyn currently hiring at $52,000 but Thompson supposedly trying to secure more money

Queens is 60k starting, 60.5 upon admission

[BlueLotus]

Would it be tough to get a jerb for "the dark side", if all your experience is in indigent civil Legal Aid?

[sd5289]

Would it be tough to get a jerb for "the dark side", if all your experience is in indigent civil Legal Aid?

Not as impossible as the other way around (DA --> PD), but you'd definitely get a lot of questions about why prosecution, why not defense, etc. The NYC DA's offices like seeing some kind of defense experience on your resume (not a requirement, but it is nice), but I think they'd have questions about someone who's been all PD throughout law school.

[Anonymous User]

Am I the only one who's having a tough time reading how interviews went? It's like 1L all over again where if I feel good about it and my classmates going through OCI also do, that means it's a total crapshoot and same if we all feel bad.

I'd like to think 2 of the 3 offices I've interviewed with already went well, but unsure if it was well enough to make it to panels.

[Anonymous User]

Attn: any people from the last or previous cycles reading this thread:

Can you provide insight on the 2nd round panel interviews? And specify which office you're talking about? Thanks!

[BlueLotus]

would civil indigent legal aid working with crime victims (family law and immigration) be looked upon fondly by DA's offices? my crim experience is scant. i was in the courtroom last summer, doe, and have taken evidence, crim pro, etc.

[gdane]

would civil indigent legal aid working with crime victims (family law and immigration) be looked upon fondly by DA's offices? my crim experience is scant. i was in the courtroom last summer, doe, and have taken evidence, crim pro, etc.

It doesn't hurt. Apply if you want but keep in mind that you're likely not competitive to be a prosecutor.