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I am at a t10 school and looked at where 2L's are currently doing their summer internships - no one works for the DAs office. Is it super competitive?

Anonymous User wrote:I am at a t10 school and looked at where 2L's are currently doing their summer internships - no one works for the DAs office. Is it super competitive?

I went to a TTT; one of my classmates (not on law review) did an internship at Manhattan DA. He was URM, though.

I interned there a recent summer. They don't care what school you go to at all. Also, your performance is, literally, just one of many factors they will consider.

Anonymous User wrote:I interned there a recent summer. They don't care what school you go to at all. Also, your performance is, literally, just one of many factors they will consider.

did you like it?
do they offer full time employment after you spend a summer there?

It was incredible. You are promised a 1st round interview.

Anonymous User wrote:It was incredible. You are promised a 1st round interview.

thanks. are you planning on interviewing for a full time?
do most people make it through to an offer?

i am thinking about applying and bypassing biglaw but i am worried that it might be risky re: having a job when i graduate.

Anonymous User wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:It was incredible. You are promised a 1st round interview.

thanks. are you planning on interviewing for a full time?
do most people make it through to an offer?

i am thinking about applying and bypassing biglaw but i am worried that it might be risky re: having a job when i graduate.

Why do people ignore the truth here??? Class of 2010... 0 offers made in Manhattan DA's office... so yea go for out... Awesome idea!

I don't understand your post. Are you saying that DANY did not make any offers to the graduating class of 2010? Because that is certainly not true.

Yes, I am planning on applying for a full time, and traditionally I'd say that about 30-40% of each new class were former interns.

Anonymous User wrote:It was incredible. You are promised a 1st round interview.

Would you have any idea on how well Fordham and William and Mary are represented in the Manhattan DA's office. Just trying to gauge my chances coming from either of these schools. Thanks.

I can't emphasize enough how little it matters where you go to school. I don't know any W&M kids/DA's personally, but surely, of the 500, there are a handful.

Anonymous User wrote:I can't emphasize enough how little it matters where you go to school. I don't know any W&M kids/DA's personally, but surely, of the 500, there are a handful.

Great. Thanks. If you could just answer a few more questions for me I'd really appreciate it. Typically how important are grades for summer internships. Would top 1/3 suffice or would top 10 percent only put you in the running? Also, how much value is placed on community service type factors in gaining entrance into the program? What other elements would you think would make a successful applicant?

Your grades will make up about 1/7 of their consideration. It's more like "Ok, he's smart enough, let's move on." Top 1/3 will put you in the "good" category, but outside of "excellent." They want to see a commitment to public service and a deep desire to be a prosecutor. Things like community service, clinics, etc...will all work in your favor in a meaningful way.

I thought the Manhattan DA's office was one of the hardest offices to gain employment at? From this info it seems like a breeze.

Thanks for the reply. Yea, I'm quite suprised by some of that as well. I had heard it was as competetive if not more so than most Biglaw.

It's extremely competitive, but just different than biglaw. They get well over 2000 applications for 40, maybe 50 ADA spots each year. So, about a 2% acceptance rate.

The job couldn't be more different than biglaw. You're in court everyday. You're going to try cases, and have total discretion of what to do about many others. Before you're even admitted to practice, you're going to make decisions that are going to impact peoples' lives and freedom. Grades and school are some things they look at, but courtroom presence, ability to think on your feet, and dedication to public service matter more than your 1L property grade.

Much of your job consists of filing paperwork to expedite criminals through the clogged system.

You should go down to the criminal court and watch the daily cattle call. If that does not shake your trust in the system, your fellow man and the job of an ADA, I don't know what will.

I realized being an ADA was not for me when I saw pictures of my viciously beaten domestic violence victim and was told to plea it down to a violation.

On the other hand, Manahttan DA's office is the place to be if you want to be a state prosecutor.

Right. I think a lot of people use the DA's office to enter politics or get into the DOJ, etc. So outside of public interest legal employment what kind of public interest jobs does the NYDA view favorably (e.g teaching, NGO's, non-legal volunteering)? Does doing any of these things show the kind of commitment to PS that they might be looking for?

DA--> DOJ is very difficult and virtually impossible if you are trying to become an AUSA in NY. I hear it is possible in other offices. AUSA and ADA have very different jobs.

DA's offices (and DOJ, for that matter) would like to see government service. Bonus if you actually interned at some point with a prosecutor's office. HUGE bonus if you actually handled cases on your own... if you are in NY, you should try to get an externship with the Queen's DA Office Domestic Violence Unit. They will let you actually prosecute cases.

Outside of that? Sure, I guess some demonstration of your commitment to your fellow man is helpful... just not nearly as strong.

Voyager wrote:DA--> DOJ is very difficult and virtually impossible if you are trying to become an AUSA in NY. I hear it is possible in other offices. AUSA and ADA have very different jobs.

DA's offices (and DOJ, for that matter) would like to see government service. Bonus if you actually interned at some point with a prosecutor's office. HUGE bonus if you actually handled cases on your own... if you are in NY, you should try to get an externship with the Queen's DA Office Domestic Violence Unit. They will let you actually prosecute cases.

Outside of that? Sure, I guess some demonstration of your commitment to your fellow man is helpful... just not nearly as strong.

Thanks for all the helpful information. I guess I should just be gunning for DOJ Honors program then. Yikes.

deadhipsters wrote:

Voyager wrote:DA--> DOJ is very difficult and virtually impossible if you are trying to become an AUSA in NY. I hear it is possible in other offices. AUSA and ADA have very different jobs.

DA's offices (and DOJ, for that matter) would like to see government service. Bonus if you actually interned at some point with a prosecutor's office. HUGE bonus if you actually handled cases on your own... if you are in NY, you should try to get an externship with the Queen's DA Office Domestic Violence Unit. They will let you actually prosecute cases.

Outside of that? Sure, I guess some demonstration of your commitment to your fellow man is helpful... just not nearly as strong.

Thanks for all the helpful information. I guess I should just be gunning for DOJ Honors program then. Yikes.

Yikes indeed. But all hope is not lost. The difficulty in getting into the various divisions varies rather greatly... and I think it is also easier to get into the SEC.

Have you thought about tax law? If I had to do it all over again, and if I did not have a shot at my current job, I would have focused on tax law and securities and gone for the DOJ tax division and the SEC.

Voyager wrote:

deadhipsters wrote:

Voyager wrote:DA--> DOJ is very difficult and virtually impossible if you are trying to become an AUSA in NY. I hear it is possible in other offices. AUSA and ADA have very different jobs.

DA's offices (and DOJ, for that matter) would like to see government service. Bonus if you actually interned at some point with a prosecutor's office. HUGE bonus if you actually handled cases on your own... if you are in NY, you should try to get an externship with the Queen's DA Office Domestic Violence Unit. They will let you actually prosecute cases.

Outside of that? Sure, I guess some demonstration of your commitment to your fellow man is helpful... just not nearly as strong.

Thanks for all the helpful information. I guess I should just be gunning for DOJ Honors program then. Yikes.

Yikes indeed. But all hope is not lost. The difficulty in getting into the various divisions varies rather greatly... and I think it is also easier to get into the SEC.

Have you thought about tax law? If I had to do it all over again, and if I did not have a shot at my current job, I would have focused on tax law and securities and gone for the DOJ tax division and the SEC.

I have not. But, I have to admit that sounds like a sound idea. I have heard that working for the IRS is actually a dream job-if you can believe it. Aside from that, I would wager that the FBI would be interested in tax lawyers. Is an LLM necessary for such jobs would you think? What government agency are you in if you don't mind me asking?

No tax LLM is necessary. They tend to be a waste of time and money. If you pursued tax law, you could apply to the DOJ Tax division, IRS, and, of course, firm tax practices.

Voyager wrote:No tax LLM is necessary. They tend to be a waste of time and money. If you pursued tax law, you could apply to the DOJ Tax division, IRS, and, of course, firm tax practices.

Interesting. I thought as much. Thanks again. You gave me a new possible avenue to explore that I had not considered.