How to be a Prosecution/PD Gunner? Forum

[Rocío]

Can people share how they are preparing for their interviews? Are people going in having their evidence, crim law, and criminal procedure outlines down cold?

http://pslawnet.org/uploads/Public_Defe ... URRENT.pdf

http://www.psjd.org/uploads/PublicDefen ... School.pdf

And schedule a mock interview with a professor in your school's criminal law clinic, or with someone at your school's CSO who knows something about PD/prosecutor jobs. Ask CSO and crim clinic professors for the names of alumni who work at whatever office you are interviewing at. Otherwise, be more specific in this thread about which offices you are interviewing at if you want any recent grads who are working as PDs/prosecutors to give you detailed advice.

[Anonymous User]

Any 2Ls have success with landing a PD gig yet? I've been sending out applications everywhere and have only heard back from a few, is it early still?

[Tanicius]

Any 2Ls have success with landing a PD gig yet? I've been sending out applications everywhere and have only heard back from a few, is it early still?

Yes it's early. I only just finished an interview this past week, and most PD offices in my area haven't started interviewing yet. Many won't interview until Jan/Feb.

[lovelaw27]

I got a call today about a judicial clerk position. Would taking a judicial clerk position (while in school) be a bad idea if it wouldn't allowed me to extern at a PD/Prosecutor's office? One thing is the judicial clerk position is paid where the externship of course is not.

[akili]

Wooohooo! Got the (summer) gig. Thanks for all the advice everyone!

[JCFindley]

Wooohooo! Got the (summer) gig. Thanks for all the advice everyone!

Congrats!

[Borhas]

I got a call today about a judicial clerk position. Would taking a judicial clerk position (while in school) be a bad idea if it wouldn't allowed me to extern at a PD/Prosecutor's office? One thing is the judicial clerk position is paid where the externship of course is not.

It wouldn't hurt in of itself but the experience at the pd/da office would be much more relevant. I wouldn't do it unless you really need the money.

[Rocío]

I got a call today about a judicial clerk position. Would taking a judicial clerk position (while in school) be a bad idea if it wouldn't allowed me to extern at a PD/Prosecutor's office? One thing is the judicial clerk position is paid where the externship of course is not.

If you aren't planning on doing your school's criminal law clinic, or spending your 2L summer as an intern with a prosecutor/PD office, then you really need to do an externship with a PD/prosecutor office. I would only recommend doing the judicial externship if you have done either (and preferably both) your school's crim clinic and the relevant 2L internship.

Judicial internship/externship is otherwise fine, though, and won't hurt you with your PD/prosecutor job search.

[Anonymous User]

Got a PD offer in Florida today contingent on getting certified to practice in the state. Apparently it's submitting the character and fitness part for the bar fingerprints and all. The process can take up to 6 months. Should I take the offer and pray I get certified (it's a great office in an area I'd love to work in) or look at other options? For what it's worth I don't think I have anything too troubling for C&F - two traffic tickets, and fired from working in the undergrad cafeteria for not showing up (b/c of class conflicts but my supervisor didn't give a shit) but everything else seems kosher.

[JCFindley]

Got a PD offer in Florida today contingent on getting certified to practice in the state. Apparently it's submitting the character and fitness part for the bar fingerprints and all. The process can take up to 6 months. Should I take the offer and pray I get certified (it's a great office in an area I'd love to work in) or look at other options? For what it's worth I don't think I have anything too troubling for C&F - two traffic tickets, and fired from working in the undergrad cafeteria for not showing up (b/c of class conflicts but my supervisor didn't give a shit) but everything else seems kosher.

Neither the tickets nor job should hurt your C&F stuff there. I think FL is harder on financial stuff than some other states so credit rating can matter.

[Anonymous User]

Florida C & F isn't all that bad if you have a pretty clean record. It does take a little while but you have some time, right? I think mine took from February to July or so.

[Anonymous User]

Florida C & F isn't all that bad if you have a pretty clean record. It does take a little while but you have some time, right? I think mine took from February to July or so.

Yeah I do except for things I mentioned above so not bad. I have until May. I'm just worried if there's a problem (which I don't see happening but you never know) that I could be screwed from other options.

Also sorry to derail but do we have to list all addresses we lived at since 16 (like all the different dorm addresses and such in undergrad or just our parent's address since it was still the domicile)? Thanks!

[Borhas]

Got a PD offer in Florida today contingent on getting certified to practice in the state. Apparently it's submitting the character and fitness part for the bar fingerprints and all. The process can take up to 6 months. Should I take the offer and pray I get certified (it's a great office in an area I'd love to work in) or look at other options? For what it's worth I don't think I have anything too troubling for C&F - two traffic tickets, and fired from working in the undergrad cafeteria for not showing up (b/c of class conflicts but my supervisor didn't give a shit) but everything else seems kosher.

congrats man, you a 3L or a graduate?

[Anonymous User]

Got a PD offer in Florida today contingent on getting certified to practice in the state. Apparently it's submitting the character and fitness part for the bar fingerprints and all. The process can take up to 6 months. Should I take the offer and pray I get certified (it's a great office in an area I'd love to work in) or look at other options? For what it's worth I don't think I have anything too troubling for C&F - two traffic tickets, and fired from working in the undergrad cafeteria for not showing up (b/c of class conflicts but my supervisor didn't give a shit) but everything else seems kosher.

congrats man, you a 3L or a graduate?

2L summer offer.

[Anonymous User]

Anyone heard from EJW interview selections yet. I've heard back from one agency, nothing from anyone else. Hoping some more come in!

[Borhas]

Anyone heard from EJW interview selections yet. I've heard back from one agency, nothing from anyone else. Hoping some more come in!

Um I got an email from Miami about whether I took a clinic but nothing else

Who did you hear from?

[Anonymous User]

Would people with EJW interviews please post stats? I'm T30, top 1/3, moot court, clinic, 1L and 2L summers at a PD office, extensive volunteer work related to criminal justice issues, A's in all criminal courses and evidence, no journal. Got nada so far from EJW.

[Anonymous User]

Anyone heard from EJW interview selections yet. I've heard back from one agency, nothing from anyone else. Hoping some more come in!

Um I got an email from Miami about whether I took a clinic but nothing else

Who did you hear from?

Alaska, selected for an interview.

Would people with EJW interviews please post stats? I'm T30, top 1/3, moot court, clinic, 1L and 2L summers at a PD office, extensive volunteer work related to criminal justice issues, A's in all criminal courses and evidence, no journal. Got nada so far from EJW.

T25, slightly below median, two PD summers one at a very prestigious office, no journal, will participate in clinic next term. I have extensive experience in mitigation and juvenile defense if that matters.

[Anonymous User]

So I did go back multiple pages but didn't see anything on this... sorry if it was already discussed!

What's up with Philly DA? Should I assume, if I haven't been contacted, that I won't be?

[Borhas]

Anyone heard from EJW interview selections yet. I've heard back from one agency, nothing from anyone else. Hoping some more come in!

Um I got an email from Miami about whether I took a clinic but nothing else

Who did you hear from?

Alaska, selected for an interview.

Would people with EJW interviews please post stats? I'm T30, top 1/3, moot court, clinic, 1L and 2L summers at a PD office, extensive volunteer work related to criminal justice issues, A's in all criminal courses and evidence, no journal. Got nada so far from EJW.

T25, slightly below median, two PD summers one at a very prestigious office, no journal, will participate in clinic next term. I have extensive experience in mitigation and juvenile defense if that matters.

I thought Alaska was only interviewing 2L's

[Anonymous User]

Anyone heard from EJW interview selections yet. I've heard back from one agency, nothing from anyone else. Hoping some more come in!

Um I got an email from Miami about whether I took a clinic but nothing else

Who did you hear from?

Alaska, selected for an interview.

Would people with EJW interviews please post stats? I'm T30, top 1/3, moot court, clinic, 1L and 2L summers at a PD office, extensive volunteer work related to criminal justice issues, A's in all criminal courses and evidence, no journal. Got nada so far from EJW.

T25, slightly below median, two PD summers one at a very prestigious office, no journal, will participate in clinic next term. I have extensive experience in mitigation and juvenile defense if that matters.

I thought Alaska was only interviewing 2L's

I'm a 2L

[Borhas]

oh ok, sorry I assumed the two summers you mentioned were 1L and 2L summers

that's sort of reassuring, I think a lot of the other offices just aren't done picking out people, or else EJW just hasn't uploaded anything yet

I wish they'd hurry up, I'm obsessively checking my email during the days

[Myself]

.

[Rocío]

oh ok, sorry I assumed the two summers you mentioned were 1L and 2L summers

that's sort of reassuring, I think a lot of the other offices just aren't done picking out people, or else EJW just hasn't uploaded anything yet

I wish they'd hurry up, I'm obsessively checking my email during the days

This is purely anecdotal: last year, no 3Ls I knew seemed to have much luck at EJW, including those who had great PD/prosecutor resumes and good grades. 3Ls had a lot more luck outside of EJW through mass mailing/direct applications, OCI, and local public interest/government career fairs. So take that for whatever it's worth, and don't worry if you strike out at EJW. I didn't get any interviews at EJW, for instance (although I didn't apply to some of the offices because I had interviews with those offices through OCI/mass mailing, etc.), and I ended up with offers at the end of it all.

[Anonymous User]

2L with one EJW interview offer that came yesterday from Alaska PD