incoming AUSA, helpful reading material? Forum

[Anonymous User]

Starting an new AUSA job soon. Come from big law background. Anybody have any reading material recommendations that are helpful in advance of starting? I read Curmudgeon's guide before big law and thought that was helpful. Anything similar?

[Anonymous User]

The criminal handbook from your circuit. The rules of evidence. The sentencing guidelines manual and various summaries thereof. John Kroger's "Convictions."

[SomewhatLearnedHand]

Getting to Maybe

[Anonymous User]

Depending on how long ago you took crim pro, Dressler’s crim pro stuff might be helpful.

I don’t think there’s anything out there about how to negotiate the job similar to the Curmudgeon’s Guide - Kroger’s book is interesting and an easy read, but I felt by the end it had become more of a pitch for his run for office that an anything else. But I haven’t read it since before I started so it might be interesting to see what I think of it now.

[Anonymous User]

PP above -- agree with your assessment of Kroger. Was being somewhat facetious, though it is a good reminder of how cool the job can be. More for inspiration than anything else.

I re-read some hornbooks (the two "Understanding Criminal Procedure" volumes from Lexis and another on white collar, as that was the section I started in). They helped shake off the rust after biglaw. If you can get your hands on any of the OLE books on offenses you'll be prosecuting, do that--the Narcotics Pros manual and Firearms Manual, for example. Other than that, just bone up on evidence and read the fed rules of crim pro. And the guidelines, as sentencing is one of the most complicated areas of our practice.

Good luck and congrats!

[Anonymous User]

Oh, I definitely found Kroger interesting and worth reading. I agree that if you can get hold of the OLE books those things are gold. (I still use them.) But honestly if I can survive without having ever taken crim pro and having no practice experience when I started, you will be fine!