District Attorney's Offices 2015 Forum

[Anonymous User]

Anybody know what's going on with Brooklyn? They said before they wanted to finish hiring by the end of the year but they seem to be slowing down at this point? Anybody know about offers going out besides the select few last month?

where did you hear they wanted to finish hiring before january?

[Anonymous User]

I'm curious where people are in the process. Haven't heard anything from BK post-1st round and nothing BX post-2nd round.

[Anonymous User]

I'm curious where people are in the process. Haven't heard anything from BK post-1st round and nothing BX post-2nd round.

Dinged BX and Nassau (round 1)

???? Brooklyn and Manhattan (Round 1)

Round 3 Miami TBD

Mass mailings/mail merges to non-DA jobs: week before Thanksgiving.

Panic mode: After finals.

[Anonymous User]

for anyone that got bronx offer - how long did they say the offer is open for..?

[gdane]

Fyi, in almost every case if you are an out of state interviewee your 3rd round at Miami will coincide with your 2nd round if you did well enough during your 2nd round. Out of state and no 3rd round the same day of your 2nd round? Likely a ding.

[Anonymous User]

Fyi, in almost every case if you are an out of state interviewee your 3rd round at Miami will coincide with your 2nd round if you did well enough during your 2nd round. Out of state and no 3rd round the same day of your 2nd round? Likely a ding.

Unless you interview with Miami through OCI. There are at least two cities I know of in which Miami will come up for all three rounds on separate dates.

[Anonymous User]

Yea, from what I have seen, if you are out of state, Miami usually does 3rd round the same day or next day as your 2nd round.

[Anonymous User]

BX gave my friend (female) 5 days to accept or deny the offer.

[Anonymous User]

BX tries to work with your schedule. They gave me longer than 5 days (won't give more detail than that) in order to complete a final round with another office. That final round had already been scheduled when BX called.

My advice, if you know your gunna be on the fence once you get an offer, don't wait until you have the offer in hand to begin making that pro/con list

[Anonymous User]

Queens - ??? no initial interview
BX - final round interview completed
BK - final round scheduled
DANY - 3rd round completed in nov

[Anonymous User]

Queens - ??? no initial interview
BX - final round interview completed
BK - final round scheduled
DANY - 3rd round completed in nov

can i ask what your BK timeline was (regard to hearing back from 3rd rd). I had my 3rd about 3 weeks ago - how long did it take for them to call you about receiving a final?

[Anonymous User]

Fyi, in almost every case if you are an out of state interviewee your 3rd round at Miami will coincide with your 2nd round if you did well enough during your 2nd round. Out of state and no 3rd round the same day of your 2nd round? Likely a ding.

Out of state here. The SA is coming to my city for the 3rd round, but no date has been set as of now. Any tips/advice on what she will be asking/looking for during the interview?

[Anonymous User]

I'm curious where people are in the process. Haven't heard anything from BK post-1st round and nothing BX post-2nd round.

Dinged BX and Nassau (round 1)

???? Brooklyn and Manhattan (Round 1)

Round 3 Miami TBD

Mass mailings/mail merges to non-DA jobs: week before Thanksgiving.

Panic mode: After finals.

Miami is known for a delay between 2 & 3 scheduling. Don't panic! A good friend had to wait for 2 months between his and he's employed there now. Good luck on exams!

[gdane]

Fyi, in almost every case if you are an out of state interviewee your 3rd round at Miami will coincide with your 2nd round if you did well enough during your 2nd round. Out of state and no 3rd round the same day of your 2nd round? Likely a ding.

Out of state here. The SA is coming to my city for the 3rd round, but no date has been set as of now. Any tips/advice on what she will be asking/looking for during the interview?

She'll likely ask you what your thoughts are on legalizing marijuana, who your favorite Supreme Court justice is, your thoughts on the death penalty, whether you feel that some laws are too harsh and whether you feel some aren't. Hint: she's a liberal. keep that in mind when you answer. Above all just be friendly. KFR is almost always "on" so she'll be very friendly and animated when speaking to you. Let the interview become a conversation and keep it positive.

Funny story: an out of state interviewee told me about his interview with the state attorney last year. Apparently it was in this nice hotel in Manhattan and it was incredibly awkward because he and the state attorney were literally sitting on a bed just a few feet away. Sooo, be warned

[Anonymous User]

And here I thought Bronx had just forgotten about me. Got my rejection a mere four months after my first round.

[Anonymous User]

For those of you who've been rejected, did it come via email or US mail? Please specify which office if you'd be so kind.

[Anonymous User]

nassua 2nd round ding- us mail
bronx 1st ding us mail

[dsat23]

Bronx - completed third round. No Response from Bronx DA as of yet (keeping fingers crossed)
Manhattan - 2nd and potential 3rd round (if successful at 2nd round) scheduled next week
Queens - No initial interview??? (seriously, I was raised in Queens, that was a little heartbreaking)
Brooklyn - No initial interview


Any advice for the hypos on the 2nd and 3rd round of the Manhattan DA?

[Anonymous User]

Sorry to hear about Queens. From what I hear they do things very different and they usually hire current/former interns. I was dinged by Queens as well and am from there.

[Anonymous User]

I have had 3rd rounds (and a 4th) with every office except Staten Island. They just want to see that you can speak like a normal person and that you have a sense of right and wrong. The hypo depends on who is conducting the interview. Some panels push back on your answers and others just let you speak.

1) Hypos
I would say study 4th Amendment stuff (not too in depth), Brady material and impeachment material.
- For Fourth Amendment, know the exceptions to the warrant requirement, and search and seizure.
- Brady/Impeachment - Know what they are, when to turn them over, and why it is important to do so.
ex) Cop lies
ex) Witness messes up
ex) Giglio material
- Some hypos just want to test your judgement. Like - "Would you charge an old man who beat up a murderer?
But what if the old man is a Vietnam Vet with a clean record?" For these, just be relaxed and rationale. Just
think, "what is the right thing to do?" They don't want gunner prosecutors who think everyone should be in
jail forever, so if you come off like that, expect a rejection letter in the mail.
- Its not always about the answer. Its the thought process and how you explain yourself. Think out loud and
explain why you would decide things a particular way.
- Always good to say "I would ask a supervisor if possible." That should not be your only answer, but it should
be a factor. Remember, as a prosecutor, you will have a supervisor.

2) Know why you want to be a prosecutor and why that office
- Come up with an elevator pitch and don't forget it. They will ask you this question, everyone does, and if you fumble that question, you will automatically be in a hole. Practice in the mirror.
- Also, just in case, have an answer for "why not defense work?"

3) Work on delivery
-Eye contact is key. You will be talking to jurors (eventually), so make sure you treat the panel like a jury. Make each person feel like they are being spoken to.
- Minimize the "umms" and "ahhs"

4) Resume
- Make sure you know about your resume and can articulate examples to back up your answers.
ex) Why would you be good in court? --> A clinic experience when you spoke in court
- If you dont have a lot of experience, try and connect the experience you do have with the qualities that are
important to be a good prosecutor. Strong resume helps, but once you get the interview, you are qualified on
paper and its about how well you interview.

Don't get so nervous. They are all people just like you and me. They pretend to be serious, but most of the interviewers are good folks.

Good luck everyone!

[Anonymous User]

Anyone been rejected by DANY post 3rd round interview?

[Anonymous User]

Can someone help me with the DV victim steals your wallet hypo? Is there a duty to disclose to defense? My thought was there would be a duty, because D could use that to impeach the character of the witness, but there wouldn't be a violation because it wouldn't be likely to affect the outcome. But then being asked if you would bring charges: I said "no, I don't think I would" because I wouldn't think it was worth it and I wouldn't want to further victimize someone in that situation, but I didn't know if I should be more committed to a strict sense of right and wrong.

[Anonymous User]

Can someone help me with the DV victim steals your wallet hypo? Is there a duty to disclose to defense? My thought was there would be a duty, because D could use that to impeach the character of the witness, but there wouldn't be a violation because it wouldn't be likely to affect the outcome. But then being asked if you would bring charges: I said "no, I don't think I would" because I wouldn't think it was worth it and I wouldn't want to further victimize someone in that situation, but I didn't know if I should be more committed to a strict sense of right and wrong.

With this one, I would disclose. Its a prior bad act, and is impeachment evidence.

What does "not likely to affect the outcome" have to do with it? It goes to credibility, and could lead the jury to not believe the victim's story.

In terms of bringing charges against the victim, it depends.....Did the person turn it over when you asked for it? Did the person lie about having it? Is the person a single parent, and struggling financially?- In the end, its not about whether you would or not, but why. It can go either way. Me personally, if the victim gave it back right away, I would say "don't charge her."

Also, did you tell the victim you would or would not charge him/her before they testified?

[Anonymous User]

Fyi, in almost every case if you are an out of state interviewee your 3rd round at Miami will coincide with your 2nd round if you did well enough during your 2nd round. Out of state and no 3rd round the same day of your 2nd round? Likely a ding.

Out of state here. The SA is coming to my city for the 3rd round, but no date has been set as of now. Any tips/advice on what she will be asking/looking for during the interview?

She'll likely ask you what your thoughts are on legalizing marijuana, who your favorite Supreme Court justice is, your thoughts on the death penalty, whether you feel that some laws are too harsh and whether you feel some aren't. Hint: she's a liberal. keep that in mind when you answer. Above all just be friendly. KFR is almost always "on" so she'll be very friendly and animated when speaking to you. Let the interview become a conversation and keep it positive.

Funny story: an out of state interviewee told me about his interview with the state attorney last year. Apparently it was in this nice hotel in Manhattan and it was incredibly awkward because he and the state attorney were literally sitting on a bed just a few feet away. Sooo, be warned

Same anon here. That's hilarious. Hopefully there will either be a desk of some sort in the hotel room or be able to conduct the interviews in either a local law school or conference room. Thanks for the info!

[Anonymous User]

Did anyone get an offer from BX today after the interview?