What is a good state to become a district attorney? Or what are some well known colleges?

Antonio,

I've worked as a prosecutor and know several full-time prosecutors, including both state and federal prosecutors. Being a prosecutor is one of the best legal jobs you can get in any state, but the best positions are usually in big cities where you'll be able to try many types of cases and work your way up from misdemeanors and minor felonies to major crimes. The job is fun, challenging, demanding and often a lot more interesting than pushing paper around, which is what most lawyers do. While the starting pay is good but not great, over the course of an entire career you'll be well compensated and earn good government benefits.

You've got at least 8 years before you'll be a licensed lawyer, but you can start pursuing this career right now and make sure that it is something you want to do. First, go to college and get great grades (As, not Bs). Your college major doesn't matter much but criminal justice, sociology, political science, history and other majors will all serve you well. While you're in college, start interning or volunteering with the local district attorney's office. Write letters or call them or just go watch criminal trials, which you can already do. This way you'll see the job up close and know if it's right for you. You'll also meet prosecutors and build your network, which will help you land a job down the line. While in college take practice LSAT exams (the test you need to take to go to law school) or take a study course to make sure that you get a very good score (165 or better) on the real exam. The key to getting into a good law school and to getting scholarship money is GREAT grades and a high LSAT score. Remember that you do not have to go to law school right away. After college you could work for a district attorney's office in a variety of non-lawyer roles, including paralegal, clerk, trial assistance, victim's advocate etc. This will build your network even more and allow you to save money for law school. Also, when you apply for prosecutor jobs everyone will know you're serious about working there.

Law school is very expensive and since you've decided you want to be in the public sector, it will be much harder to pay back expensive student loans. My recommendation would be for you to go to a good law school that gives you lots of scholarship money rather than a great law school where you pay full price, especially with student loans. For example, you'll be much better off going to BC Law or BU Law than Harvard if you're getting lots of scholarship money from BC or BU and none from Harvard. Even a full-ride at Suffolk Law would be better than full price at BC, since you know you want to be a prosecutor and have built up a network of connections in prosecutors' offices.

Once you choose a law school the path to success is clear: get great grades your 1L year and make law review. During your 1L summer either do research for a criminal law professor or get an internship in a DA's office. In your 2nd year take classes that relate to criminal law, such as white collar crime and evidence. In most states, during your 2L summer you can get a provisional license to practice law under the supervision of a licensed attorney. So you can get another internship with a DA's office and you'll actually prosecute cases for them. At the end of the summer, if they like you and are hiring they may even give you a full-time job offer for when you graduate. During your 3L year make sure you take a clinic, such as a prosecution clinic or a defense clinic, anything that has you doing real legal work. Then take it easy and enjoy your last year of law school before the real work starts.

So to recap: 1) The best prosecutor jobs are in big cities where there are lots of cases to try; 2) get great grades during college and do very well on the LSAT; 3) start volunteering or working in a prosecutor's office in college or for a year or two after college; 4) don't choose a law school that will bury you in student debt no matter how good it is; and 5) get great grades in law school, work for a DA's office, and get as much hands-on experience as possible.

Good luck!

Antonio,

That's a good question, and I'm glad that you're taking the time to investigate the career so far in advance. I would second everything that Ms. Dissette said in her response. And I would especially direct your attention to point #3. The vast majority of attorneys that I know are very unhappy in their jobs. The job makes for a VERY hard work-life balance, which is especially frustrating if you want to have a family (or spend meaningful time with the family you do have).

Another major problem is that most attorneys leave law school with $100,000 or more of debt. That can often work out to around $1,000 / month in student loan payments. Doing some quick math, that's about $12,000 / year from your after-tax salary, which accounts for about $18,000 / year in pre-tax salary.

If you want to be an Assistant District Attorney in a city like Austin, your starting salary will only be around $60,000 / year, which is roughly the same as a teacher with no law school debt. That equates to a take-home salary of about $45,000, or about $3,750 / month. Out of that amount, you will have to pay around $1,000 / month in law school loans. You now have $2,750 / month to cover everything else, which is actually less than a teacher will have to spare.

Keep in mind that, as an attorney, you will have to buy multiple suits and dress shoes. You will have to get your dry cleaning done on a regular basis. You will need a vehicle, and will need to pay rent. Even if your car payment is only $200 / month and your rent is $1,000 / month (which is VERY cheap in Austin, unless you have a roommate), your take home salary is now down to $1,550 / month. That has to cover everything else: Car insurance. Dry cleaning. Clothing. Groceries. Medical bills. Whatever is taken out for your 401k. Any sort of social activities. I know that may seem like a lot of money to a teenager (I was once one myself :) ), but the practical reality is that it's really not. It's hard for a teacher to make ends meet in a city like Austin, and even harder for an attorney who makes the same salary but has more expenses and higher loan payments. And that doesn't even cover the fact that you'll likely be working 60 hour weeks on a regular basis.

Hope that helps, and happy to talk more if you'd like.

Hi Antonio,
You will need a law degree to become a district attorney. Most District Attorneys are accomplished trial lawyers and also competent politicians, because they have to be elected to office. Sometimes, though, when people say "D.A." they might mean Assistant D.A., which is not an elected position. The D.A. hires his or her Assistant D.A.s to do most of the actual prosecutorial work. The D.A.'s role as the boss tends to the big picture -- dealing with the governor, the legislature, the media, and political constituents and opponents.
To get a job as an assistant D.A., it is often a matter of "whom you know" rather than what you know. So, IN ADDITION to doing well in college and law school, I would recommend that you be always on the lookout for opportunities to get to know and be known by prominent people in the community (e.g., volunteering on campaigns, and building your skills and your resume by pitching in for other good causes.) Because networking can make the difference as to who gets the job, I would say that your chances will be best in the community where you know people. You can go away to college or law school, but whatever community you choose to work in ultimately, you'll need to invest time in developing relationships there. Being an Assistant D.A. is wonderful experience and (because it tends to be low-paying) often used as a steppingstone to private law practice.
In the meanwhile, other things I'd recommend: (1) get all the public speaking practice you can -- debate team, theatre, even door-to-door canvassing; join Toastmasters (2) investigate whether there is a student trial competition that you can enter; this is offered in many high schools now; (3) be aware that there are many lawyers who have not been happy with their career choice -- now is a good time to talk with lawyers of all kinds and find out what they like and don't like about their work. There are so many ways to use legal knowledge and skill -- you'll want to make sure you are aware of the options and get headed in the right direction for you. Best wishes for success!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_school_rankings_in_the_United_States

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_review#Student_activity