District Attorney Offices 2016 Forum

[Anonymous User]

Bronx offer made 24 hours after the 3rd interview.

Have a third round in Brooklyn coming up, debating whether to accept the Bronx offer or wait for a Brooklyn offer.

Anyone have any thoughts on which is the better office to work at?

BK- more horizontal than vertical although that's changing slowly, lots of history and baggage but Mr. Thompson seems to be changing that too

BX- all vertical, get thrown in the fire quicker, but who knows what changes will be happening with Judge Clark.

It's good to have options but would like to hear other peoples thoughts'.

[Anonymous User]

Bronx offer made 24 hours after the 3rd interview.

Have a third round in Brooklyn coming up, debating whether to accept the Bronx offer or wait for a Brooklyn offer.

Anyone have any thoughts on which is the better office to work at?

BK- more horizontal than vertical although that's changing slowly, lots of history and baggage but Mr. Thompson seems to be changing that too

BX- all vertical, get thrown in the fire quicker, but who knows what changes will be happening with Judge Clark.

It's good to have options but would like to hear other peoples thoughts'.

I accepted Manhattan, but also got Bronx and Brooklyn.
I personally would have chosen Bronx as my second, although both offices are quite excellent.

Bronx seems to offer more responsibility and discretion, vertical prosecution as well as cases being less top heavy, and higher salary. It's an exciting time in the Bronx office with the new DA, and I know from speaking with DA Clark that she is not changing vert pros, but rather emphasizing it even more. She also wants ADAs to become increasingly involved in police investigations and going on scene with detectives.

What I liked about Brooklyn over Bronx was the nicer locale, which in turn also allows you to prosecute a more "diverse" community. DA Thompson also seems to be doing a good job after the Hynes fallout, and the office can only get better from there on.

[Anonymous User]

For what it's worth... I accepted a position at DANY, but I have interned at 3 area offices and Bronx would definitely be my second choice. It's a great office, was actually really sad to turn down their offer.

[Anonymous User]

Is it bad to ask for an extension? Could they rescind based on that?

Anyone have any experience with this?

[Anonymous User]

Is it bad to ask for an extension? Could they rescind based on that?

Anyone have any experience with this?

Previous threads have said that it's a non issue (like if you ask for a week) and my friend at an office confirmed. Further, my offer letter did not have a deadline to respond.

[Anonymous User]

Do we think offers will continue into this week (Mon-Wed) or be put on hold due to upcoming holidays? Seems like waves of Bronx offers have been going out Wednesdays but its pretty close to Christmas Eve

[reasonableperson]

Bronx DA pretty much has exclusive jurisdiction over Rikers Island, so prosecuting those already in prison is pretty interesting stuff.

"...Ms. Clark said she would consider placing prosecutors from her office permanently at the troubled jail complex to speed processing of cases of contraband and violence among inmates and correctional officers." http://www.wsj.com/articles/likely-bron ... 1445994155

Anyone want to work out of Rikers? lol.

[reasonableperson]

Is it bad to ask for an extension? Could they rescind based on that?

Anyone have any experience with this?

Just politely ask. The worst they can say is no.

[Anonymous User]

Bronx DA pretty much has exclusive jurisdiction over Rikers Island, so prosecuting those already in prison is pretty interesting stuff.

"...Ms. Clark said she would consider placing prosecutors from her office permanently at the troubled jail complex to speed processing of cases of contraband and violence among inmates and correctional officers." http://www.wsj.com/articles/likely-bron ... 1445994155

Anyone want to work out of Rikers? lol.

Good luck convincing a judge to work out of there.

I'm a little concerned about the VISTA project she's got going. It's supposedly like compstat but to keep track of delayed dispositions outside of 30.30. I feel like that could be a shitty metric to use in performance reviews especially if the defense bar starts using it to slow down their cases to force a more favorable disposition.

[Anonymous User]

am I crazy to be thinking of taking Bronx over Manhattan? Offers from all 4 NYC offices, t6 here.

[Anonymous User]

am I crazy to be thinking of taking Bronx over Manhattan? Offers from all 4 NYC offices, t6 here.

Firstly, congrats!

I think it really depends on what you want to do long term; 10, 15, 20 years down the line and which office is poised to get you there. If you want white collar, go DANY.

For me, I eventually want to work in a crime strategies unit in a high crime area.
Brooklyn, which has such a unit (and East New York) initially appealed to me more so than the Bronx, which does not have that unit set up. However, I think Manhattan's model, which Brooklyn followed, is somewhat flawed.

I landed in Bronx because I feel the new DA will eventually get there and we can use the lessons of the other counties, and my professional background, to get there. Plus, the Manhattan people seemed like such prestige douches who are only interested in their office's white collar unit.

Either way, good luck with your decision.

[Anonymous User]

am I crazy to be thinking of taking Bronx over Manhattan? Offers from all 4 NYC offices, t6 here.

The poster above me hit the nail on the head.

Bronx DA is highly respected for many types of felonies, while Manhattan DA earns substantial respect for white collar/ financial crimes. With Manhattan, you most likely won't be working on triple homicides, car jackings, etc. the traditional criminal stuff. This is purely due to the fact that Manhattan is "low crime" in that regard, while Bronx is kinda the opposite.

At the Bronx, you'll definitely get a lot of experience since it was has the worst crime rate in NYC. In terms of training I know they have a felony trial training program for ADAs before they graduate to trying felony cases.

I think a lot of people hear the word Manhattan DA, and think cool exciting stuff like they see on TV shows i.e. Law & Order, Castle, Blue Bloods etc. Just be aware that Manhattan DA is not that.

Also to add, Bronx DA mostly prosecutes Rikers' prison officers (probably more fun), e.g. for excessive force, bribery, sexual conduct, not the actual prison inmates themselves.

[Anonymous User]

Got a call scheduling my third round with manhattan today. It had been a little over a month since my second round. Hoping for the best!

[Anonymous User]

Just got dinged for the BX. Waiting to hear back from DANY and BK.

[Anonymous User]

Just got dinged for the BX. Waiting to hear back from DANY and BK.

Did you have a Bronx third round?

[Anonymous User]

am I crazy to be thinking of taking Bronx over Manhattan? Offers from all 4 NYC offices, t6 here.

I landed in Bronx because I feel the new DA will eventually get there and we can use the lessons of the other counties, and my professional background, to get there. Plus, the Manhattan people seemed like such prestige douches who are only interested in their office's white collar unit.

(current Manhattan ADA here)

I can assure you we're not, but good job in throwing generalizations out there in an informational thread.

Our trial division is enormous, and most of us in that division are handling street crime. I won't speak for everyone in the office, but that interests me far more than white collar does. We have investigations bureaus that specialize in everything from cybercrime to special victims to white collar. People who want to do white collar have a place to go. People who want to focus on gangs have a place to go.

Oh, and just about everyone I work with is down to earth, nice, and makes the office a great place to work. We're ADA's for chrissake. If we were prestige douches we just would've done OCI and lost our souls in some high-rise office building in midtown.

ETA: I'd echo what the anonymous a few posts up mentioned. It seems like Brooklyn and the Bronx especially have gotten a lot more competitive in the past couple of years, and really any NYC office you end up at is going to be a great experience. Manhattan's violent and major crime rate is much lower than Brooklyn and the Bronx, and as mentioned above, everything that's gone on at Rikers is handled by the Bronx. I am also someone who had offers from multiple offices, and I remember when I was interviewing that Brooklyn had certain "zones" that you were assigned to that included a balance of high crime and less high crime neighborhoods. I don't remember if the Bronx had something like that.

[reasonableperson]

am I crazy to be thinking of taking Bronx over Manhattan? Offers from all 4 NYC offices, t6 here.

I landed in Bronx because I feel the new DA will eventually get there and we can use the lessons of the other counties, and my professional background, to get there. Plus, the Manhattan people seemed like such prestige douches who are only interested in their office's white collar unit.

(current Manhattan ADA here)

I can assure you we're not, but good job in throwing generalizations out there in an informational thread.

Our trial division is enormous, and most of us in that division are handling street crime. I won't speak for everyone in the office, but that interests me far more than white collar does. We have investigations bureaus that specialize in everything from cybercrime to special victims to white collar. People who want to do white collar have a place to go. People who want to focus on gangs have a place to go.

Oh, and just about everyone I work with is down to earth, nice, and makes the office a great place to work. We're ADA's for chrissake. If we were prestige douches we just would've done OCI and lost our souls in some high-rise office building in midtown.

ETA: I'd echo what the anonymous a few posts up mentioned. It seems like Brooklyn and the Bronx especially have gotten a lot more competitive in the past couple of years, and really any NYC office you end up at is going to be a great experience. Manhattan's violent and major crime rate is much lower than Brooklyn and the Bronx, and as mentioned above, everything gone at Rikers is handled by the Bronx. I am also someone who had offers from multiple offices, and I remember when I was interviewing that Brooklyn had certain "zones" that you were assigned to that included a balance of high crime and less high crime neighborhoods. I don't remember if the Bronx had something like that.

I've visited my friends at Manhattan DA, and that was a broad generalization. Everyone I've met at all levels was pretty chill.
That being said, I'm sure statistically there are more "douches" at Manhattan just because Manhattan, but then again there are douches with their inflated egos everywhere. I mean we're trial lawyers for Christ's sake, hopefully with more of a conscience.

[Anonymous User]

I've visited my friends at Manhattan DA, and that was a broad generalization. Everyone I've met at all levels was pretty chill.
That being said, I'm sure statistically there are more "douches" at Manhattan just because Manhattan, but then again there are douches with their inflated egos everywhere. I mean we're trial lawyers for Christ's sake, hopefully with more of a conscience.

True. We can't all be perfect.

[Anonymous User]

am I crazy to be thinking of taking Bronx over Manhattan? Offers from all 4 NYC offices, t6 here.

I landed in Bronx because I feel the new DA will eventually get there and we can use the lessons of the other counties, and my professional background, to get there. Plus, the Manhattan people seemed like such prestige douches who are only interested in their office's white collar unit.

(current Manhattan ADA here)

I can assure you we're not, but good job in throwing generalizations out there in an informational thread.

Our trial division is enormous, and most of us in that division are handling street crime. I won't speak for everyone in the office, but that interests me far more than white collar does. We have investigations bureaus that specialize in everything from cybercrime to special victims to white collar. People who want to do white collar have a place to go. People who want to focus on gangs have a place to go.

Oh, and just about everyone I work with is down to earth, nice, and makes the office a great place to work. We're ADA's for chrissake. If we were prestige douches we just would've done OCI and lost our souls in some high-rise office building in midtown.

ETA: I'd echo what the anonymous a few posts up mentioned. It seems like Brooklyn and the Bronx especially have gotten a lot more competitive in the past couple of years, and really any NYC office you end up at is going to be a great experience. Manhattan's violent and major crime rate is much lower than Brooklyn and the Bronx, and as mentioned above, everything that's gone on at Rikers is handled by the Bronx. I am also someone who had offers from multiple offices, and I remember when I was interviewing that Brooklyn had certain "zones" that you were assigned to that included a balance of high crime and less high crime neighborhoods. I don't remember if the Bronx had something like that.

Anon poster here

I don't doubt that there are many great, professional, down to earth people working at Manhattan, and I admit I took a shot at your office and threw out a generalization.

However, note that I said the office seems like it's full of prestige douches. I'm making that judgement based off of my interactions with the DANY recruitment process. It's the impression they seem to intentionally want to make (the prestige white collar part, not the douche part; we're all douches in the end).

I remember going to an informational session at Hogan Place that was downright cringeworthy with all the name and school dropping by ADAs that really seemed like they would have rather been an AUSA. It's also the impression that ADAs (and criminal judges!) in the other boroughs have of DANY. Every single time I mentioned I had also applied to DANY I got an eye-roll and a crack about their white collar focus, which you have to admit, is what Vance wants his tenure to be known for.

That being said, the great thing about DANY, to me, is that it has the benefit of all that HSBC money, so they are going to be a driving force in criminal justice reform.

At the end of the day we're all NYC ADAs (well, by September), our offices are going to be more alike than they are different and let's just be happy we aren't in Richmond County.

[reasonableperson]

am I crazy to be thinking of taking Bronx over Manhattan? Offers from all 4 NYC offices, t6 here.

I landed in Bronx because I feel the new DA will eventually get there and we can use the lessons of the other counties, and my professional background, to get there. Plus, the Manhattan people seemed like such prestige douches who are only interested in their office's white collar unit.

(current Manhattan ADA here)

I can assure you we're not, but good job in throwing generalizations out there in an informational thread.

Our trial division is enormous, and most of us in that division are handling street crime. I won't speak for everyone in the office, but that interests me far more than white collar does. We have investigations bureaus that specialize in everything from cybercrime to special victims to white collar. People who want to do white collar have a place to go. People who want to focus on gangs have a place to go.

Oh, and just about everyone I work with is down to earth, nice, and makes the office a great place to work. We're ADA's for chrissake. If we were prestige douches we just would've done OCI and lost our souls in some high-rise office building in midtown.

ETA: I'd echo what the anonymous a few posts up mentioned. It seems like Brooklyn and the Bronx especially have gotten a lot more competitive in the past couple of years, and really any NYC office you end up at is going to be a great experience. Manhattan's violent and major crime rate is much lower than Brooklyn and the Bronx, and as mentioned above, everything that's gone on at Rikers is handled by the Bronx. I am also someone who had offers from multiple offices, and I remember when I was interviewing that Brooklyn had certain "zones" that you were assigned to that included a balance of high crime and less high crime neighborhoods. I don't remember if the Bronx had something like that.

Anon poster here

I don't doubt that there are many great, professional, down to earth people working at Manhattan, and I admit I took a shot at your office and threw out a generalization.

However, note that I said the office seems like it's full of prestige douches. I'm making that judgement based off of my interactions with the DANY recruitment process. It's the impression they seem to intentionally want to make (the prestige white collar part, not the douche part; we're all douches in the end).

I remember going to an informational session at Hogan Place that was downright cringeworthy with all the name and school dropping by ADAs that really seemed like they would have rather been an AUSA. It's also the impression that ADAs (and criminal judges!) in the other boroughs have of DANY. Every single time I mentioned I had also applied to DANY I got an eye-roll and a crack about their white collar focus, which you have to admit, is what Vance wants his tenure to be known for.

That being said, the great thing about DANY, to me, is that it has the benefit of all that HSBC money, so they are going to be a driving force in criminal justice reform.

At the end of the day we're all NYC ADAs (well, by September), our offices are going to be more alike than they are different and let's just be happy we aren't in Richmond County.

Oh crap, I entirely forgot about our brethren borough in Long Isla-- errrrr, I mean Staten Island.
Also, don't hate on Nassau and Westchester. They're people too.

[Anonymous User]

am I crazy to be thinking of taking Bronx over Manhattan? Offers from all 4 NYC offices, t6 here.

I landed in Bronx because I feel the new DA will eventually get there and we can use the lessons of the other counties, and my professional background, to get there. Plus, the Manhattan people seemed like such prestige douches who are only interested in their office's white collar unit.

(current Manhattan ADA here)

I can assure you we're not, but good job in throwing generalizations out there in an informational thread.

Our trial division is enormous, and most of us in that division are handling street crime. I won't speak for everyone in the office, but that interests me far more than white collar does. We have investigations bureaus that specialize in everything from cybercrime to special victims to white collar. People who want to do white collar have a place to go. People who want to focus on gangs have a place to go.

Oh, and just about everyone I work with is down to earth, nice, and makes the office a great place to work. We're ADA's for chrissake. If we were prestige douches we just would've done OCI and lost our souls in some high-rise office building in midtown.

ETA: I'd echo what the anonymous a few posts up mentioned. It seems like Brooklyn and the Bronx especially have gotten a lot more competitive in the past couple of years, and really any NYC office you end up at is going to be a great experience. Manhattan's violent and major crime rate is much lower than Brooklyn and the Bronx, and as mentioned above, everything that's gone on at Rikers is handled by the Bronx. I am also someone who had offers from multiple offices, and I remember when I was interviewing that Brooklyn had certain "zones" that you were assigned to that included a balance of high crime and less high crime neighborhoods. I don't remember if the Bronx had something like that.

Anon poster here

I don't doubt that there are many great, professional, down to earth people working at Manhattan, and I admit I took a shot at your office and threw out a generalization.

However, note that I said the office seems like it's full of prestige douches. I'm making that judgement based off of my interactions with the DANY recruitment process. It's the impression they seem to intentionally want to make (the prestige white collar part, not the douche part; we're all douches in the end).

I remember going to an informational session at Hogan Place that was downright cringeworthy with all the name and school dropping by ADAs that really seemed like they would have rather been an AUSA. It's also the impression that ADAs (and criminal judges!) in the other boroughs have of DANY. Every single time I mentioned I had also applied to DANY I got an eye-roll and a crack about their white collar focus, which you have to admit, is what Vance wants his tenure to be known for.

That being said, the great thing about DANY, to me, is that it has the benefit of all that HSBC money, so they are going to be a driving force in criminal justice reform.

At the end of the day we're all NYC ADAs (well, by September), our offices are going to be more alike than they are different and let's just be happy we aren't in Richmond County.

Oh crap, I entirely forgot about our brethren borough in Long Isla-- errrrr, I mean Staten Island.
Also, don't hate on Nassau and Westchester. They're people too.

When I got the reply notification I really thought I would see:

(Current Richmond ADA here)

[Anonymous User]

Where does Queens fit into this equation?

[Anonymous User]

Where does Queens fit into this equation?

Ehhhhhhhhhhhh,

In my opinion, the office really needs an overhaul. Very much an "us vs. them" mentality.
The sooner the regime change the better.

http://www.newyorklawjournal.com/id=120 ... 1123120736

That being said, their attorneys do very good work but it is definitely 4th.

[Anonymous User]

When I got the reply notification I really thought I would see:

(Current Richmond ADA here)

(Current Manhattan ADA here)

Nope, just me.

Not sure they have the internets out on Staten Island.

[Anonymous User]

I am from staten island, the borough has no internet. Mike McMahon does seem like a nice guy though. Maybe, just maybe, Richmond County will finally install Wifi in their DA's office. One can only dream