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Hello All,

I've been doing some reading on this subject, but I wanted to get some input from folks in the field.

I've been working in the Financial Crimes/Anti-Money Laundering/Compliance field for different financial institutions for 5 years now, doing Investigations, Suspicious Activity Reports, due diligence research, risk assessments, compliance policy audits, etc. I've steadily advanced through the field and am in a solid role right now, but I often wish I could do more as it concerns the end-cycle and larger scale component of some of the things that I research.
I recently went to a BSA conference where I was able to listen to an Attorney General and a slew of Special Agents discuss the actual investigation and prosecution of money laundering/TF/fraud/national security cases, and it made me curious to know how much a JD can help me reach a level where I too can be part of the end cycle of these issues.

It seems to me that the Justice Dept and AUSA are the main ones involved in all of this, though there are many other government organizations involved in this as well, such as the Dept of Treasury and the Dept of Homeland Security. From the high-level investigation aspect, I know that SA FBI positions also hire JDs.

I would just like to know:
1) Is the above correct as it relates to the individuals and groups that participate in the prosecution and/or high-level investigation of this White Collar/National Security-related crime? Are there any other major organizations/opportunities related to this field that I missed?
2) How common are these roles? Is the pathway to get here competitive, long, and reliant on the prestige/ranking of the law school attended? Though I've met a few attorneys who are involved in this field/role, I don't know if they're just a small group of elite individuals who made it through. My understanding is that AUSA roles are extremely competitive.
3) Does my background afford me any credibility/advantage when attempting to enter these fields?

I'm currently just a simple state school graduate with a Bachelor's degree and good work progression in my chosen field. I've considered graduate school for some time to allow myself the possibility to be part of a larger role within this field, but I want to be sure if it's something even worth pursuing given the debt accrued, lost wages, and scarcity of related roles.

I'm still reading through sources and trying to answer my own questions. This is just a feeler, really. Any input and perspective from this forum would be greatly appreciated!

sirjerald55 wrote:Hello All,

I've been doing some reading on this subject, but I wanted to get some input from folks in the field.

I've been working in the Financial Crimes/Anti-Money Laundering/Compliance field for different financial institutions for 5 years now, doing Investigations, Suspicious Activity Reports, due diligence research, risk assessments, compliance policy audits, etc. I've steadily advanced through the field and am in a solid role right now, but I often wish I could do more as it concerns the end-cycle and larger scale component of some of the things that I research.
I recently went to a BSA conference where I was able to listen to an Attorney General and a slew of Special Agents discuss the actual investigation and prosecution of money laundering/TF/fraud/national security cases, and it made me curious to know how much a JD can help me reach a level where I too can be part of the end cycle of these issues.

It seems to me that the Justice Dept and AUSA are the main ones involved in all of this, though there are many other government organizations involved in this as well, such as the Dept of Treasury and the Dept of Homeland Security. From the high-level investigation aspect, I know that SA FBI positions also hire JDs.

I would just like to know:
1) Is the above correct as it relates to the individuals and groups that participate in the prosecution and/or high-level investigation of this White Collar/National Security-related crime? Are there any other major organizations/opportunities related to this field that I missed?
2) How common are these roles? Is the pathway to get here competitive, long, and reliant on the prestige/ranking of the law school attended? Though I've met a few attorneys who are involved in this field/role, I don't know if they're just a small group of elite individuals who made it through. My understanding is that AUSA roles are extremely competitive.
3) Does my background afford me any credibility/advantage when attempting to enter these fields?

I'm currently just a simple state school graduate with a Bachelor's degree and good work progression in my chosen field. I've considered graduate school for some time to allow myself the possibility to be part of a larger role within this field, but I want to be sure if it's something even worth pursuing given the debt accrued, lost wages, and scarcity of related roles.

I'm still reading through sources and trying to answer my own questions. This is just a feeler, really. Any input and perspective from this forum would be greatly appreciated!

I think your background might give you a small edge when it comes time to apply to public sector positions. The best way to AUSA is through biglaw, but even then it can be very very competitive. DOJ honors also takes people right out of school/clerkships, but it is very competitive as well. You could also consider going the state prosecutor route (das office) in a major metropolitan area. Some AGs offices have competitive entry level programs as well. So either way it will probably take at least several years of post-grad work experience before you can get to a level where you’re doing these specialized prosecutions. But, particularly if you’re willing to make do with just the state gov salary for your career, it’s doable. In other words, although AUSA is tough, I wouldn’t necessarily classify those state Gov options as unicorn jobs.

sirjerald55 wrote:I would just like to know:
1) Is the above correct as it relates to the individuals and groups that participate in the prosecution and/or high-level investigation of this White Collar/National Security-related crime? Are there any other major organizations/opportunities related to this field that I missed?
2) How common are these roles? Is the pathway to get here competitive, long, and reliant on the prestige/ranking of the law school attended? Though I've met a few attorneys who are involved in this field/role, I don't know if they're just a small group of elite individuals who made it through. My understanding is that AUSA roles are extremely competitive.
3) Does my background afford me any credibility/advantage when attempting to enter these fields?

1. The FTC, CFPB, and SEC all deal with financial crimes, as well. Depending on your specific interests, those would be organizations to know about.

2. Not very. As you correctly spotted, federal prosecutors do a lot of work in this sector. Non-criminal agency lawyers also do regulatory enforcement in specific areas at the non-DOJ agencies. But becoming a federal prosecutor is a difficult path, and not every office handles a lot of white collar cases (you also mentioned national security, but that's an entirely different beast, which even fewer offices really handle in volume). The prestige of your school, your grades, etc. will all make a difference when applying to any of these agencies, especially if you want to be working out of any of the DC offices. And outside of the hyper-competitive honors program, none of these offices hire right out of school.

3. It will, but only after you fit the other requirements for the role (as mentioned above). A Columbia grad with 4 years of biglaw and a federal clerkship will always get the job over a regional school grad who ended up in city government, even if the latter has your specialized background. The problem for you is that AUSAs don't get hired into a specialty field right off the bat. Almost every office requires you to sign on for 4 years, and during that time, you have to rotate through multiple specializations (starting with General Crimes) before finding your niche.

The main problem is that it sounds like you don't actually want to be a lawyer. You mention using the JD as a way to get in to the FBI or to give yourself a "larger role" in this field. But law school is for people who want to be lawyers. There are a very limited range of other career tracks a JD can be helpful for, and none of them are predictable enough that I'd waste three years hoping for them.