Several district attorney (DA) jobs exist to assist the office in dealing with the large workloads that come with the job. One or more assistant district attorneys (ADA) work for the DA and are responsible for taking cases to trial. Several district attorney office jobs are filled by paralegals, law students, and clerks to help the ADA gather information for trial. Despite the fact that they are not certified lawyers, these district attorney staffers are capable of conducting research, gathering information, and speaking with potential witnesses about the trial’s issues. Counselors to work with traumatized witnesses and victims are occasionally hired by district attorneys.
Many district attorney positions are filled by people who do not have a law degree or who have not yet passed their state’s bar exam. The DA supervises a large staff, which includes secretaries, clerks, and other positions, to carry out the people’s legal work. While most district attorneys in the United States are elected, the DA frequently appoints other district attorneys. The DA frequently hires Deputy District Attorneys (DDAs), paralegals, and law clerks to help with the office’s trial work. In most aspects of the office, the DA serves as a leader or supervisor, while the ADA or DDA is in charge of taking cases to court.
In most cases, the district attorney determines which cases will go to trial and which cases will not be worth the department’s time and effort. The DA will meet with the ADAs to go over the facts of the case and offer advice on how to proceed. The ADA’s plea bargaining or reduced charge offers are usually made directly by the DA. The district attorney’s office staff, including recent law school graduates and legal clerks, handle many small caliber cases that enter the caseload of the DA’s office.
Workers who are in charge of the majority of the research, case investigation, and witness interviews in district attorney jobs are typically not bar-certified lawyers. The paralegal is a skilled professional who has been trained in research and case study techniques, but he is not a law student. This is a position that is frequently undervalued in the office. Secretaries, investigators, and photographers are examples of district attorney jobs that do not require a law degree. In many cases involving domestic abuse or sexual assault, district attorney jobs staffed by counselors and medical personnel are used to provide expert testimony at trial.