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Currently interviewing for DOJ criminal division sections and criminal divisions at USAO offices. Anyone care to give pros/cons of picking Main Justice over a USAO or vice versa? Honestly, the only thing I can think of is whether I'd like to be in DC for the summer or in the cities where the USAOs are located. Thanks for the input.

Anonymous User wrote:Currently interviewing for DOJ criminal division sections and criminal divisions at USAO offices. Anyone care to give pros/cons of picking Main Justice over a USAO or vice versa? Honestly, the only thing I can think of is whether I'd like to be in DC for the summer or in the cities where the USAOs are located. Thanks for the input.

I think your line of thinking is spot on. Location matters a ton more than position. Work in the city you want to live/work in post grad. Experience will be the same or similar.

I spent my 1L summer at a USAO in a major city, and I had many friends who worked at Main Justice. One main difference, it seems, is the ability to attend court proceedings. While there is obviously a federal district court in D.C. for you to observe, the USAO is often located in the same building as the courthouse. As an intern, I was told that I was basically free to go and observe court whenever I wanted. I think that's a really important part of the experience as a 1L, which may push the needle slightly towards USAO given your interest in criminal work.

If you've never observed criminal practice or a full jury trial, USAO would provide more opportunities. The cases handled by main justice are all over the country, and you won't be able to travel to observe the courtroom side of things you're working on.