District attorneys oversee legal professionals, such as assistant and deputy district attorneys, paralegals, investigators, and victim counselors. They are elected by the people of a county and prosecute criminal cases. Attorneys must be admitted to the state bar and may start with minor cases. Paralegals assist with research and document preparation. Larger offices may have dedicated financial or IT staff. New attorneys seek employment in DA offices for hands-on experience.
A district attorney (DA) generally has a number of legal professionals working under his or her supervision, often classified as assistant district attorneys (ADA) or deputy district attorneys. In addition, most district attorneys’ offices employ paralegal staff, senior administrative staff, and general secretarial staff. Larger DA offices are often structured to allow ADAs to focus on specific types of crime, such as drug-related offenses or misdemeanors; they may also employ other specialists, such as investigators and victim counselors, as well as other administrative and technical personnel. District attorneys in the United States are usually elected by the people of a county to be the chief legal officer of their government, and the entire staff of the office assists the district attorney in prosecuting criminal cases and representing the government against lawsuits.
The most well-known positions of the district attorney are the ADAs and deputy district attorneys, who act on behalf of the district attorney, under his direction and supervision, in the prosecution of criminal cases tried in the county. Because they are involved in litigation and represent people in court, they must be attorneys admitted to the state bar in which they work. Law students and recent lawyers who have not yet passed the bar exam are sometimes hired by the District Attorney’s offices on a temporary basis, but are not eligible to appear in court as prosecutors. Newly hired attorneys generally start out on misdemeanor and other minor cases until they develop the experience to work major cases. Attorneys working for DAs often have a significant caseload that doesn’t involve court appearances, including things like legal research, preparing briefs, legal memorandums, and statements of fact.
District Attorney positions are not limited to attorneys only. Paralegals are not attorneys, but they have legal training and experience and can play a crucial role in the running of a DA office, assisting with research and document preparation. Many DA offices rely on county or municipal law enforcement agencies for investigation assistance, while some employ their own detectives. Larger DA offices may also hire victim counselors, usually college-educated professionals with specific training in psychology and counseling. Senior administrative staff, sometimes called legal secretaries, have generally received specialized training in law firm administration. Some DA offices also employ dedicated financial staff or IT (IT) staff; others will rely on county resources.
Generally, a district attorney is elected for each county in the United States, and each county employs staff in district attorney positions. New attorneys often seek employment in a district attorney’s office because it offers them a good introduction to the administration of justice in a hands-on setting, as well as the opportunity to argue in a courtroom shortly after graduating from law school. There is competition for district attorney positions, especially in the larger metropolitan areas of the country, but a competent attorney can be confident of finding a job in a district attorneys office.
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