Post
by Anonymous User » Fri Jul 18, 2014 1:40 pm
Saw this forum and figured I would give some insight as well, because I know from being in this position last year I wanted/needed as much information as possible.
My stats are from a higher T2 school in Southern California. I was not on journal, moot, or mock. Interned at a DA office in the SoCal region two full semesters before applying. GPA is a 3.3 top 40%. Strong letters of rec from a few DA's within my office as well as a Judge whom I appeared in front of quite a bit.
Obviously I am from out of town (have family in NY/NJ greater region) and wanted to be a DA so I applied to all NY offices and offices in SoCal to keep my chances high. Here are the offices I applied to and ones I got interviews at:
Manhattan - received first and second round interviews
Kings County - they were on a freeze because of a new DA hired, never heard from them
Queens - received first and second, denied for last round
Bronx - received first and second, denied for last round
Suffolk - denied outright
Cook County States Attorney - received first and second, denied for the last
(all offices work with out of town applicants to set up multiple interviews per visit)
I ended up receiving and taking a job offer in California at a prominent DA's office. I do have some additional words of advice. If anyone has any questions, especially in regards to OUT OF STATE applicants heading in for these interviews, feel free to PM me. I would love to help out.
HYPO's
I cannot stress how important the hypos are. I am a very good interviewer because I am passionate about wanting to be a DA which comes through in my interview and have been told I have a very good personality. HOWEVER, the sole reason I did not move on in these interviews is because my lack of preparation for the hypo stage. I interviewed and flew across country during the meat of the semester and just failed to prepare. I received a hypo at EVERY office in the Second Round (received a hypo in the first round at Manhattan, very simple and generic one). In fact, the second rounds are basically just a hypo with constant hounding on slight deviations from the facts of the hypo. Yes, the second round panels will ask you generic questions, but for the most part, they want to test your knowledge of crim pro, or in the alternative, the ability to think on your feet and be ethical. With that said, obviously there are the generic hypos of (a) Dead witness, (b) Officer lying on stand then telling you, etc. I did not get asked any of these hypo's, instead I got asked different ones which threw me off and because of my lack of preparation, I stumbled. Here are two hypo's I received that were tough:
(1) Vic of a domestic violence case comes into your office and tells you her boyfriend beats her. She has noticeable scars/bruises. You talk for a while, and decide there is enough evidence to prosecute. Moments later, you get up to go to the bathroom while she waits in your office. You return to your office to find that your wallet, which you are 99% sure you left on the desk, is gone. You talk to your secretary and she says no one has been in and out of your office while you were in the bathroom. You ask the
Vic about it and she at first denies it. What do you do? Do you still go forward with the case? How do you question the Vic about it if your sure she took it? If she confesses, do you still go forward with the case? Do you need to tell opposing counsel? And so fourth...
(2) Officer pulls the car over, approaches the driver, and smells the scent of marijuana. What rights does the officer have at this moment in regards to being able to search the car? What should/can he ask the driver? Can he search the car? What happens if he does search the car? What about if the officer notices the smell of a dead body, and he determines through his training and experience that it is definitely the smell of a dead body coming from the car. Can he search the car? Why or why not? What about if the driver tells him that he is going to work, the officer follows him, and it turns out the driver did not go to work but instead parked the car somewhere and got out and walked away. Can the officer search now? After its impounded?
As you can see, there are some generic hypos that you will get if you interview at more than one office. But be ready for ones you have never heard before. Make sure you know BRADY and FOURTH AMENDMENT rules and issues like you know your own family. They will come up, guaranteed.
Other Information
Have an answer ready for "why this office." A poster alludeted to it above, but these offices know you are applying to all the Burroughs. Understand what each office brings to the community and its involvement, and try to convey why you like those things in an office that you are going to work for.
Let them know, either by working it in somewhere or when they ask, that you want to make a career out of being a prosecutor. They can smell BS the moment it comes out of your mouth, so dont lie or fabricate.
IF you have worked at prior DA offices, write down three or four big cases/motions/arguments you worked on or conducted and know them from start to finish. I was asked by a few offices about a few motions to suppress that I did as well as preliminary hearings, and they asked me to take them through it start to finish and asked why I did some of the things that I did. Be able to productively talk about your DA experience and what traits it has given you and why it has been fundamental in your learning process.
Overall, be ready when you go to the interview. You cant be perfect, no one is. They know what they are looking for and you dont, so be honest with them and convey yourself the best way you can. They can tell if your prepared or if your lax. If you dont know an answer, answer the best way you can by maintaining composure and being ethical.
Again, feel free to PM me with any questions. Happy to help. Good luck!
