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I'm at T20 school, below median grades, but a bunch of experience/course work with criminal law & litigation.

Do I have a shot at the DA's office / public defender / or other public sector job??

Yes, but course work is not enough. At least for DA's offices, they want to see internships and/or clinics that demonstrate an interest in prosecution.

If they ask for grades or transcript you are going to have a hard time. It's not like people with good grades universally lack experience or have bad personalities. Interviewing takes time and if you have and decent number of applicants with paper credentials, that's likely all you will bring in.

If you are below median, you need to have really good experience, a good cover letter, and (best option) someone who will speak on your behalf. (In other words, network like your career depends on it.)

Anonymous User wrote:I'm at T20 school, below median grades, but a bunch of experience/course work with criminal law & litigation.

Do I have a shot at the DA's office / public defender / or other public sector job??

Almost all public sector jobs will take grades into account, yes. This is especially true with the big federal jobs and the more prestigious state and local jobs.

Based on my experience, I think grades will never "not matter" until you get some years of experience after graduation.

I think grades may matter less, but they'll still matter to some degree. I would try to do as many internships and take all the crim pro/evidence/etc classes that you can. Demonstrate that you want to be a PD/DA.

Grades always matter, but as other posters have pointed out, the effect varies by job/market. For biglaw, there is generally a GPA threshold based on your school and if you are below that mark, it doesn't matter how outstanding your grades are or how well you interview. For bigfed jobs, it's about the same (if not more competitive). For DA's work, your grades will be really important for the uber-competitive offices (e.g., Manhattan), but far less important for the "local" DA's or even some secondary-market DA's Offices.

At the typical DA's Office, connections/outstanding résumé/great interviewing skills can overcome a poor GPA, but it's still an uphill battle. The GPA won't be a pre-requisite like it is at a firm (which mostly have hard cutoffs), but it will still be part of the consideration. A great résumé and interview can outrun a poor GPA at a DA's Office, but it doesn't mean it's easy/likely just because it's possible. Think of it like a scale, with your GPA balancing alongside your résumé/interview skills/connections. If the latter can really outrun the former, you have a shot.

You have a real shot if you have good experience and good references. Just hustle like crazy.

Does Legal Aid normally ask for transcripts for FTLT positions?