District Attorneys' Offices 2014 Forum

[Anonymous User]

In other news, Brooklyn has started reviewing applications. No timetable on when decisions on interviews will be made.

i heard there will be a small class that will start in september 2014..not sure if they will also have a january 2015 class or what

can i ask where this info is coming from? i heard from someone who works there recently that there is a complete hiring freeze for ADAs right now. hoping your info is true and not mine.

[Anonymous User]

I realize at this stage in the game Manhattan is likely done, but has anybody heard from them recently? Called about a month ago asking about my status and was told it was "pending." No word since.

[Anonymous User]

I have a question for those of you who have had hypos at interviews.

What type of questions were they? Any examples? How would you suggest preparing for them?

Thanks!

[gdane]

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.

[Anonymous User]

In other news, Brooklyn has started reviewing applications. No timetable on when decisions on interviews will be made.

i heard there will be a small class that will start in september 2014..not sure if they will also have a january 2015 class or what

can i ask where this info is coming from? i heard from someone who works there recently that there is a complete hiring freeze for ADAs right now. hoping your info is true and not mine.

Won't get into details but heard from a very reliable source at KCDA. Who knows though...it seems a lot is still up in the air with them.

[Anonymous User]

Anyone have any word out of Cook County SA?

[Anonymous User]

I spoke with the CCSAO Director of Hiring last week and she said they'd likely be making decisions this week.

[Anonymous User]

I realize at this stage in the game Manhattan is likely done, but has anybody heard from them recently? Called about a month ago asking about my status and was told it was "pending." No word since.

A friend of mine was just hired. No idea how many spots are left, but I definitely know someone who got the offer recently.

[Anonymous User]

Has anyone heard from Nassau county in the past week or so?

[Anonymous User]

Has anyone been accepted, rejected, or waitlisted at Cook County?

Thanks!

[Anonymous User]

I'm waitlisted, notified by snail mail. The letter was sent last Friday.

[Anonymous User]

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Looks like BK is hiring a small class this September and a pretty big one for 2015.

[Anonymous User]

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Looks like BK is hiring a small class this September and a pretty big one for 2015.

EPIC.

(for the rising 3L's that is)

[Anonymous User]

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Looks like BK is hiring a small class this September and a pretty big one for 2015.

has anyone been interviewed for one of the 15 spots yet?

[Anonymous User]

--LinkRemoved--

Looks like BK is hiring a small class this September and a pretty big one for 2015.

has anyone been interviewed for one of the 15 spots yet?

I had a first round for one of those spots last week.

[Genuine4ps]

Hey everyone, I interviewed with a DA in Indiana, and I was told by the interviewer that she would get back with me within 2 weeks. Well, it's been close to three weeks and still no word. If an office decides not to hire you, is it customary for them to follow up with some sort of letter or email? I was also wondering if you think I should be expecting a rejection based on receiving no contact from the office. Thank you!

[Anonymous User]

Pretty common in my experience to get feedback months later, even if a couple of weeks is promised. Even in scenarios where I have moved on to a second or third round of interviews, its usually because I followed up with a friendly call asking for a status update/whether it would be possible to submit a letter of rec, etc

Hey everyone, I interviewed with a DA in Indiana, and I was told by the interviewer that she would get back with me within 2 weeks. Well, it's been close to three weeks and still no word. If an office decides not to hire you, is it customary for them to follow up with some sort of letter or email? I was also wondering if you think I should be expecting a rejection based on receiving no contact from the office. Thank you!

[Anonymous User]

I think Miami is looking to add 7 more to its entering fall class. At least that's the rumor I'm hearing.

[Anonymous User]

Rising 3L here, what type of writing sample did you guys use? I just found out I'm not going to be doing too much writing at my summer 2L internship and really want to send out applications come August.

[Anonymous User]

Rising 3L here, what type of writing sample did you guys use? I just found out I'm not going to be doing too much writing at my summer 2L internship and really want to send out applications come August.

I interviewed in ancient times (c/o 2012) and no one at any of the 4 offices I interviewed at asked for one.

[Anonymous User]

Rising 3L here, what type of writing sample did you guys use? I just found out I'm not going to be doing too much writing at my summer 2L internship and really want to send out applications come August.

I interviewed in ancient times (c/o 2012) and no one at any of the 4 offices I interviewed at asked for one.

OP here. According to their websites, Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Bronx are asking for one.

[Anonymous User]

Rising 3L here, what type of writing sample did you guys use? I just found out I'm not going to be doing too much writing at my summer 2L internship and really want to send out applications come August.

I interviewed in ancient times (c/o 2012) and no one at any of the 4 offices I interviewed at asked for one.

OP here. According to their websites, Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Bronx are asking for one.

c/o 2012 here again. I went back and checked my application materials, apparently I did turn in a writing sample for Manhattan. My bad, I just don't remember ever talking about it during an interview.

[Anonymous User]

Rising 3L here, what type of writing sample did you guys use? I just found out I'm not going to be doing too much writing at my summer 2L internship and really want to send out applications come August.

I interviewed in ancient times (c/o 2012) and no one at any of the 4 offices I interviewed at asked for one.

OP here. According to their websites, Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Bronx are asking for one.

c/o 2012 here again. I went back and checked my application materials, apparently I did turn in a writing sample for Manhattan. My bad, I just don't remember ever talking about it during an interview.

I appreciate you doing it, but what kind of sample did you use? I figure I'll use the unpublished note I wrote for my journal. I really don't see how doing something like a Charging Document would really suffice since it's just a form where you plug in a new name/information and whatnot.

[Anonymous User]

[/quote] I appreciate you doing it, but what kind of sample did you use? I figure I'll use the unpublished note I wrote for my journal. I really don't see how doing something like a Charging Document would really suffice since it's just a form where you plug in a new name/information and whatnot.[/quote]

Don't use your note. Use anything where you write as an advocate. If you don't have something from an internship, then you use a brief that you wrote for 1L legal writing. If that isn't an option, use a memo or some kind of neutral piece of writing. Legal employers - especially DA's office - do not want to see whether or not you are a good academic writer. It just doesn't bear on any writing that you'd do if you were hired.

I interviewed at 5-6 DAs offices and my writing sample came up 1 time. Pretty positive that the guy who brought it up hadn't read it either. So don't sweat it too much.

[Anonymous User]

I appreciate you doing it, but what kind of sample did you use? I figure I'll use the unpublished note I wrote for my journal. I really don't see how doing something like a Charging Document would really suffice since it's just a form where you plug in a new name/information and whatnot.[/quote]

Don't use your note. Use anything where you write as an advocate. If you don't have something from an internship, then you use a brief that you wrote for 1L legal writing. If that isn't an option, use a memo or some kind of neutral piece of writing. Legal employers - especially DA's office - do not want to see whether or not you are a good academic writer. It just doesn't bear on any writing that you'd do if you were hired.

I interviewed at 5-6 DAs offices and my writing sample came up 1 time. Pretty positive that the guy who brought it up hadn't read it either. So don't sweat it too much.[/quote]

Thanks again, I'll just use my shitty Reply Motion I did early in fall of 2L if it doesn't matter too much in the end. Nothing glamorous, but better than writing some BS plug that I barely constructed.