DA Academy

Pulling Back the Curtain on What Prosecutors Really Do

By Summer Stephan, NDAA President, District Attorney for San Diego County & Shawnalyse Ochoa, Deputy District Attorney, San Diego County

For many of us, a career as a prosecutor was a specific goal early in our educational journey and we pursued it with commitment and focus. Many law students strived to become prosecutors as a pinnacle of the legal profession with many more applicants than available positions.

Today, the desire to seek justice and protect our communities as a prosecutor doesn’t hold the same allure for many law students. The reality is that there are fewer and fewer law students aspiring to become prosecutors. This has caused a national shortage of prosecutors with many offices across the nation suffering with 20% and higher vacancies. A shortage of qualified prosecutors has a tremendous impact on the very foundation of criminal justice — it impacts the rights of victims, the rights of the accused, and the rights of the community to be safe.

The DA Academy

At the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office, we set out to change that through a program called DA Academy. Much like the Fairbanks, Alaska District Attorney’s Office’s Junior DA Program that targets High School students, our DA Academy targets first-year law students and offers a proactive and engaging pathway to gain firsthand insight into the criminal justice system — with the goal of steering some toward a career as a prosecutor.

We saw an opportunity to ignite an interest in becoming a prosecutor during the first year of law school since most students do not have legal internships in their first year. The DA Academy is brief but impactful with practical and interactive experience that appeals to today’s law students. It puts law students in the shoes of Deputy DAs, bringing students into our office to work alongside us and experience the interesting and rewarding aspects of our jobs.

The program features mock courtroom exercises including a direct examination of a law enforcement witness, a former crime victim, and cross-examination of a defense witness. Participants in DA Academy also engage in discussions about prosecutorial ethics. DA Academy participants also get exposed to the public nature of the job by conducting a mock media interview with lights, cameras, and “reporters” asking questions about a criminal case.

Students shadow Deputy District Attorneys in real court hearings, observing prosecutors conducting criminal proceedings, including jury trials. While in court, students meet judges willing to share their experience and career path to the bench — which often began in a District Attorney’s Office.

Importantly, DA Academy attendees also experience our office culture of camaraderie, teamwork, passion for victims’ rights, and our mission “to do the right thing.” They are also introduced to our priority to support their physical and mental wellbeing so they can thrive in their career.

As first year students begin their daunting law school journey, they’re at a critical moment that affords us the opportunity to plant the seed and encourage them to pursue a career as a prosecutor. They’re hungry for insight into potential legal careers and eager to meet mentors and legal experts who can provide valuable guidance.

DA Academy takes advantage of that critical moment in time by offering hands on experience, exposure to people they can relate to who are doing the work, and relationship building with young prosecutors recently out of law school.

Recognizing societal trends that are critical of the criminal justice system and the role of the prosecutor, law students participating in DA Academy learn the truth of the work we do.

Old-school recruiting methods don’t cut it in today’s criminal justice landscape. No one is better suited to tell our story than us. DA Academy has been our chance to share who we really are with law students and increase the pool of law students applying to work in our office.

We encourage you to consider instituting a DA Academy of your own. Consider it a recruiting tool for the times we live in, and an opportunity to creatively address the recruiting challenges we all face. We’ve shared all our resources including our DA Academy short video, application, and agenda, and we hope this provides you with an opportunity to expand your recruitment into this exceptional profession of being a prosecutor.

Resource Links

Links to the DA Academy program application, agenda, and marketing tools are included below to assist you in recreating this program for your jurisdiction.

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National District Attorneys Association

The National District Attorneys Association (NDAA) is the oldest and largest national organization representing state and local prosecutors in the country.