How to become a DA Essay

Submitted By Anneleise2013
Words: 2213
Pages: 9
Open Document
How to become a DA
Final Project
By: Crystal L. Droney

The purpose of this paper is to define a District Attorney, explain what the requirements are for that position, and to discuss the different things one can expect from doing a position like that one.
According to http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com a District Attorney is an elected official of a county or a designated district with the responsibility for prosecuting crimes. The duties include managing the prosecutor's office, investigating alleged crimes in cooperation with law enforcement, and filing criminal charges or bringing evidence before the Grand Jury that may lead to an indictment for a crime. In some states a District Attorney is officially entitled County Attorney or State's Attorney. United States Attorneys are also called Federal District Attorneys and are prosecutors for districts (there are several in larger states) within the Department of Justice, are appointed by the President and serve at his/her pleasure. (1)
The District Attorney is an elected position. Due to the fact that it is an elected position, a DA must not only be publicly visible but also have the confidence of the constituency. Lawyers who wish to be elected must first have a public presence in some capacity, and excellent professional exposure. Once the DA is elected, he or she may appoint ADAs, or Assistant District Attorneys. A good way to become a future DA is to apprentice a legal assistant in the DA’s office while still a law student. This would provide an insider’s view into how the county or district works, as well as insight into what is required to prosecute a case. (Source: http://www.lawcrossing.com) (2)
The requirements for becoming a Da are attending law school and passing the bar. Attending law school is a pre-requisite for all attorneys. It is always a good idea to excel while in law school because it will look better to any future employer and that includes the people who would vote for the DA. Also, if you can get an internship with an Assistant DA while in law school, that would look even better to an employer. After graduating law school one must prepare to take the BAR exam. Before doing this, however, you must figure out what state you wish to practice law in because attorneys are only allowed to be licensed in one state at a time. (Source: http://www.lawcrossing.com) (3)
Once you become an ADA or DA, there are certain things that are expected of you. You must be ethical in your daily work life as well as your home life. You must have good intuition on what cases to take and what not to take. And you must be seen in the public eye as someone who is a protector of the people. The following interview was with the First Assistant to the District Attorney of Warren County, Pennsylvania.

How long have you been the first assistant to the District Attorney? Fist Assistant? Not long. I have only been first assistant two months. The DA took office the first of the year, actually. The first Monday and that’s pro to the Pennsylvania Constitution. I was the second assistant because there are only 2 assistants to the DA in Warren County. And I was appointed to that position April 15th, 2013. So I haven’t even been in the office for a year yet.
Do you like your job? I do. Very much so. You never know what’s going to come across your desk. We are in charge of all the criminal activity within the county of Warren. Which is not the largest county in PA, but geographically we are by no means the smallest.
What kind of education do you have? I, of course, graduated from high school in 2005 from Warren area. I went to college at Mercy Hurst. It was still Mercy Hurst College Not University. I graduated from there in 2009 with a BS in Political Science and a Minor in in history, but I am 2 classes from a major. Then, I went straight to law school down in Oklahoma City and I graduated from there in May of 2012. And that is a Juris Doctor Degree not to be confused
Show More

Related Documents: How to become a DA Essay

Essay Religious Belief and Uncivilized West Africans

Ca da Mosto’s account in An Early Portuguese Encounter with West Africans tells historians that Europeans perceived West Africans as uncivilized and inferior. This perception is exhibited through Ca da Mosto’s description of the West Africans’ lack of wealth, different beliefs, lack of knowledge and violent disposition. Ca da Mosto seemed to believe that wealth indicates how civilized someone is and how honest they are. During his initial voyage to West Africa, Ca da Mosto speaks of how highly…

Words 909 - Pages 4

Essay about Interpreter of Maladies

represent her idea. In the story, the main character, Mr. Kapasi, is an Indian tour guide who accompanies the Das family on their way to see the Sun Temple at Konarak. Mr. Kapasi is an intelligent and knowledgeable man. He was once fluent in many languages but now speaks only English. He wanted to be a diplomat once but now he works as an interpreter in a doctor’s office. Mr. and Mrs. Das are young couple with three kids. Mr. Kapasi feels that they are more likely to be brother and sister to the kids…

Words 1610 - Pages 7

Women In Susan Glaspell's A Jury Of Her Peers

broken, their eyes connect again and a real connection and understanding passed between them. Mrs. Peters shares a story of when she was a child and a boy killed her kitten, her feelings of wanting to hurt the boy or even kill him an dindentifying with how Mrs. Wright most likely felt when her husband broke the bird’s neck. The act of killing the bird was an act of control, a husband attempting to retain dominance through fear and violence. The two women make a true connection when Mrs. Hale says “it…

Words 1223 - Pages 5

Leonardo da Vinci and the Renaissance Essay

LEONARDO DA VINCI and THE RENAISSANCE 1. Using a dictionary or your computer. Find the meanings for the following terms: The Renaissance: The word Renaissance mean rebirth and it refers to the revival of the Classical Greek and Roman civilization. Sfumato: The meaning in Italian means smoked and it refers to the gentle blurring Leonardo Da Vinci used at the edge shapes and objects. Humanism: It means the realism and the felling that the humans at the centre of…

Words 540 - Pages 3

Essay on Interpreter of Maladies

actions and characteristics from the Das family and analyzes them. Mr. Kapasi realizes his own malaise through his deluded thoughts. Mr. Kapasi bemusement with the Das family started with his initial visual perception of them. The family was young, wore bright colored clothing and translucent visors (Lahiri 258). The Das family clothing resembled foreigners but physical features resembled those of Kapasi’s homeland. Through his eyes, readers learn that the Das family was a contrast from the ordinary…

Words 1187 - Pages 5

Leonardo Da Vinci: The Renaissance Man

Leonardo Da Vinci was probably one of the most important artists of the Renaissance. He was born on April 15, 1452 and until today he is known as the "Renaissance Man" because of all of his contributions to the development of various things. He is most famously known for painting the "Monalisa" and "The Last Supper", but he also had a big part in advances in medicine since was a writer, mathematician, artist and inventor. The Vitruvian Man is probably his most famous anatomy drawing, inspired by…

Words 266 - Pages 2

Beowulf: Poem Analysis

Beowulf is under constant pressure to perform acts of greatness in battle in order to prove himself to the world, leading to his demise through overwhelming tasks; likewise, in the movie Whiplash, Myles Teller plays an inspiring jazz drummer who becomes obsessed with impressing his teacher which causes him to physically abuse himself; an inability to settle caused by exponentially increasing expectations for themselves, hinders someone from feeling a sense of accomplishment. Struggle is a necessary…

Words 1650 - Pages 7

Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?

Literature is common ground to exhibit a person's grit and how they overcome or avoid challenges placed throughout a story. The easy way out of any obstacle is to avoid it, but this inclination will slowly become ingrained in one's psyche. Characters can exhibit symptoms of self-victimization, thinking problems they have caused do not stem from their actions but instead were forced to because of other people. This sentiment causes a character to form an idealized version of what is going on, thinking…

Words 1335 - Pages 6

Why Dante Damned Francesca Da Rimini Analysis

Why Dante Dammed Francesca Da Rimini “Why Dante Damned Francesca Da Rimini.” By Peter LevineUniveristy of Maryland. Through reading the text one will mostly understand and term Francesca Da Rimini as a tragic heroine though concurrently you could have sympathy on her due to the misfortunes she faces in the name of love. However, Dante criticizes her and challenges moral judgment that would have to be a merciful punishment to her. She judges her by use of philosophy and literature which has no space…

Words 1585 - Pages 7

Advantages and Disadvantages of Media Essay

is Disadvantage of Media There are different types of disadvantage Structure[edit] A DA usually has four key elements. These four elements are not always necessary depending on the type of disadvantage run, and some are often combined into a single piece of evidence. A Unique Link card, for example, will include both a description of the status quo and the plan's effect on it. A traditional threshold DA, however, has a structure as follows: Uniqueness[edit] Uniqueness shows why the Impacts have…

Words 1494 - Pages 6