While my goal of becoming a prosecutor started with high school Mock Trial, I was never naïve enough to believe that a career in law would be as fun and easy as a high school competition. As the end of my high school experience approached, I achieved over a semester of college credits through my AP test scores and began to transition my dream of becoming a prosecutor to a goal, one that I would dedicate my life to achieving.
My journey began with a two-week internship in the Lake County Prosecutor’s Office at the end of my senior year. After all, it was important to make sure that I love the actual job of becoming a prosecutor, and not just the idea of it. I sat in on hearings, reviewed old cases and trials, and even got the privilege of proofreading some of the motions before couriering them to the courthouse. As I had expected from the start, the job of a prosecutor was not always the most glamorous and often consisted of drowning in piles of paperwork. However, the fascinating paperwork and spending more time in courtrooms and judge’s chambers
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I thought it would be useful to see things from their point of view. This experience taught me more than I expected, such as: how to utilize Westlaw; how attorneys interact with clients, even the ones who hate them; how to strategize for a trial; how to do eleven hearings with eleven clients and one attorney all in one morning; and all of the differences between municipal, common pleas, and juvenile courts..By the time I left, I was doing almost everything the paralegals and law clerks did. I realized that being a public defender was not as bad as I had expected, although I would much rather be a prosecutor. This experience also pushed me to set my sights higher. To make my goal not just to become a prosecutor, but eventually a federal
The Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office is located at 25 Kirkpatrick Street, New Brunswick, New Jersey. The prosecutor’s office is considered the nucleus of the criminal justice system in Middlesex County. It works in conjunction with law enforcements from multiple towns, the judicial and correctional system, and even citizens within the community. The Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office is ran by Prosecutor Andrew Carey. In New Jersey, he as a County Prosecutor, is considered as the chief law enforcement of the county. He is responsible for over 1900 sworn law enforcement officers. The MCPO is staffed with over 200 hundred employees which include assistant prosecutors, agents, detectives and support staff. The hierarchy of the office beings with Prosecutor Andrew Carey, then power descends downward to the First Assistant Prosecutor, Deputy First Assistant Prosecutors, Chiefs, Chiefs of Staff, Captains, Lieutenants, Sergeants, Assistant Prosecutors, Detectives, Agents, Agency Aides, and then finally support staff. In this hierarchy of power, I as an intern am considered as a support staff member for the entire office. Therefore, I am responsible for assisting agents, detectives, and agency aides with any task pertaining to the cases they are working
Rosemarie Seider-Paquin was kind enough to come into class and share what she does for a living. I am lucky enough to have previously seen and spoken to her in a previous class. Although I have no desire to work in a prosecutor's office it is still important to know how the system works and functions. She spoke about the different judges that the county has including Alan Jackson. She has been in the gloucester county prosecutor's office for over 14 years and spent a majority of those years in the domestic violence unit. The county has 30 different detectives and many different units that help the justice system. Her specific job is to comfort the victims and ensure their protection. She informs the victim of new information about the trail and she teaches them how the system works so they don’t get overwhelmed.
Being in the Law & Criminal Justice Academy (LCJA) really showed me what I wanted to do as a career and as a passion. In the LCJA, I learned about how to apply legal terms, practices and the law to current situations. I went into Mock Trial during my Junior year of high school to earn a credit to graduate and found a place to belong and passion.
Being located in the Federal building I have received tours of the court rooms and have had the opportunity to meet the judges and their staff. I feel I have been given a great lenses to observe the interworking of the courthouse and how cases progress through the criminal justice system. In working with the agents in particular, I have been able to see the different ways a federal case can be assembled within the guidelines and can lead to a federal
I currently have an Associate degree in Criminal Justice and have attended Professional Military Education (PME) courses in Security Forces Apprentice and Security Forces Leadership courses. Moreover, I was selected to attend the MWD Handler and Kennel Master/Trainer courses at Lackland Air Force Base (AFB) Texas. I have also attended the Non Commissioned Officer Academy Management Course at Petersen AFB, Colorado that enhanced leadership capabilities. Lastly, I was selected to attend Yuma Joint Forces Regional K9 Training with U.S. Marine/Navy in Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona in preparation for combat mission in
III.Education requirements to take on the career of a District Attorney are strenuous, but finishing the several steps is accomplishing and rewardful once completed.
Building on this interest, I took part in the National Bar Mock Trial competition which gave me a valuable insight into the important roles of assessing a criminal case in court. This led me to undertake work experience in a solicitor's firm, where I shadowed a criminal lawyer. I observed client consultations, and had an attempt to draft legal documents and
I intend to graduate with a Bachelor’s Degree in psychology before going on to law school. I have known for quite a long time that I wanted to become involved in law, but only recently I discovered that I want to become a prosecutor.
I took inspiration for my father, who also was a prosecutor. He eventually had to change jobs and became an attorney, but only because he needed a more substantial income for raising me and my four younger brothers.
Majority of students in their senior year in high school decide who they will become later in the future and pursue the road of success, as for I made an interest in criminal justice. The beginning of my freshman year in high school I knew who I was and who I wanted to be but not for myself but for my family. To image myself in the customs border protection agent uniform and present to my family the success I have made is the goal I would love to achieve. For the strong interest I have for criminal justice I joined everything my family could’ve afford to enroll me into and the most recent one I enjoyed my high school years was the United High School Criminal Justice Club (UET). A team I became a member of was the building search team, where
From when I was ten until I was fifteen, I wanted to become a lawyer. I’ve always had impressive public speaking skills, a persuasive personality, and a knack for debate, so it seemed like the perfect fit for me. However, upon a taking a law class my sophomore year, I realized that lawyering might not be exactly what I expected it to be. As I learned about the different laws and the complexities of the court system I was
This realization was accompanied by a another: I would be a criminal defense attorney! Excited by the prospect of my new, glittering future, I set out to join my High School's mock trial team. Two weeks later, when the role results were announced
My mock trial experience started in sophomore year, and it wasn’t for the reasons one might expect. It wasn't because I had a love of law—that came later—but because I wanted to try something so vastly different than what I normally do. Reading books on the weekends turned into reading pages of affidavits and preparing speeches, and study trips to the library after school changed to fun practices and public speaking. I happily volunteered my time and energy to the team, and it wasn’t uncommon to spend over 24 hours doing mock trial in one weekend, and that doesn’t include after school practices or any practice done individually at home. It was
After spending my time in Law and Justice Institute I have change mentally due to this program. Before I come to this program, school was easy for me and I didn't have too much trouble with my subjects. However, when I came into the program I had to work hard in order to keep up in class. By doing that I was able to change the way I acted towards work. In the past I didn’t feel like I had to study or work hard because I already got it in the bag, but this program opened my eyes and showed me that I do need to study and work in order to success. In the end, by being in Law and Justice Institute I was able to grow by learning how to work hard.
Working at the Shiawassee Prosecutors Office has its advantages. One advantage is that it’s a small county where the prosecutors, defense attorneys, Judges, and staff can easily remember the names of previous defendants, as well as, each other. It has given me the opportunity to meet and work with different parts of the criminal justice system, such as, the State Police, probation, and drug court administrators.