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Simple English definitions for legal terms

Prosecuting attorney

Read a random definition: in globo

A quick definition of Prosecuting attorney:

A prosecuting attorney is a lawyer who works for the government and is responsible for making sure that people who break the law are punished. They investigate crimes, decide what charges to bring against someone, and go to court to try to prove that the person is guilty. They also work with police officers to gather evidence and talk to witnesses. Prosecuting attorneys are sometimes called district attorneys or state's attorneys.

A more thorough explanation:

A prosecuting attorney is a lawyer who represents the government in criminal cases. They are either elected or appointed by local government officials to represent the state in a criminal case brought in a judicial district or designated county.

Their main responsibilities include:

  • Presenting the case against individuals suspected of violating the law
  • Initiating and directing further criminal investigations
  • Deciding what criminal charges to file
  • Guiding and recommending sentences for offenders
  • Participating in grand jury proceedings

For example, if someone is accused of stealing a car, the prosecuting attorney will investigate the case, decide what charges to file, and present the case in court. They will also recommend a sentence for the offender if they are found guilty.

Prosecuting attorneys have the authority to investigate persons, grant immunity to witnesses and alleged offenders, and plea bargain with defendants. They can be appointed by the chief executive of the jurisdiction or elected by local voters. In the federal system, the equivalent of a district attorney is a United States Attorney, each appointed by the President.

prosecute | prosecution

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HurriedNippyPirate
16:24
Anyone here from ND
CTCSH
16:47
No, just asians and new yorkers
babybunny
18:07
i’m new york adjacent so it’s nice to feel included
Silver
18:35
Would you guys consider going to Law school out of state or should I try and stay In-state for cost?
TruthTheX
18:41
It depends tbh. Can you get scholarships do you want to practice in your state what’s your debt tolerance… idk there’s a lot that goes into applying that needs to be considered. Personally I don’t wanna practice in my state and the schools in my state don’t transfer to the area(s) I would prefer to practice in I’d have been screwed had I stayed in state so in my case I definitely consider going out of state haha
Silver
18:45
In State would be Illinois, I don't quite know where I want to be though. Not applying till end of 2024.
KnowledgeableRitzyWasp
18:47
@TruthTheX: praying for your gulc uprising
TruthTheX
19:15
Ty me too 🙏
TruthTheX
19:15
@Silver: if you want to practice in IL then there’s likely no better school than the in state schools
BankruptcyAndRestructuringLawIsCool
19:53
@SpectacularDefiantMouse: yeah, like condemnedpuffygnome, I'm not really preparing for law school by taking some courses or anything like that. The only way I'm going to be preparing is by getting myself into a rhythm schedule-wise, well enough in advance of the first day of classes, that I think will be necessary for me to do well 1L.
BankruptcyAndRestructuringLawIsCool
19:54
I'm very much not in rhythm now. lol. But I've 3-ish months.
BankruptcyAndRestructuringLawIsCool
19:55
I've got*
jb2028
19:55
@Silver: Cost of attendance is what matters. $37K in-state tuition = $47K sticker price with a $10K scholarship elsewhere, $70K sticker with a $40K scholarship is better than either, $40K sticker with a $0 scholarship worse than both.
jb2028
19:55
(Assuming placement etc. is comparable)
BankruptcyAndRestructuringLawIsCool
19:57
Congrats on Harvard, jb2028. Any reason you applied to A&M but not Texas at Austin? Seems odd.
jb2028
19:58
@BankruptcyAndRestructuringLawIsCool: Family connection, they gave me a CAS waiver so it was free
BankruptcyAndRestructuringLawIsCool
20:00
Ah, gotcha.
BankruptcyAndRestructuringLawIsCool
20:04
Question for the chat about judicial internships (not externships). My understanding is that judicial internships (as opposed to externships) during the summer are unpaid. How, then, do people who get them pay living expenses during the summer? Do they just make loans stretch for 12 months when they're only meant for 9? I heard that some people supplement the internship with, e.g., a research assistant position with a law professor. But would such a person both do the internship and the RA position at the same time? And if so, is that too much work or feasible?
BankruptcyAndRestructuringLawIsCool
20:04
I don't know what the workload is really like for judicial internships and RA positions.
BankruptcyAndRestructuringLawIsCool
20:05
Also curious what other things people might do to supplement an unpaid judicial internship over the summer with something paid.
jb2028
20:20
@BankruptcyAndRestructuringLawIsCool: Many schools will provide some type of stipend for unpaid summer roles with a public interest employer (defined broadly, often includes any gov or judicial job)
BankruptcyAndRestructuringLawIsCool
20:35
Right, I thought so. At BU, though, it appears that what's called BU's public interest project grant is not available to supplement judicial internships. And I think its public service summer funding is also limited. Oh well.
jb2028
21:13
@BankruptcyAndRestructuringLawIsCool: FWIW they allude to some type of funding ("BU Law has implemented separate funding sources for judicial interns") in this packet https://www.bu.edu/law/files/2023/11/Public-Service-Summer-Funding-Applicant-Packet-2024.pdf
jb2028
21:13
Although they don't give details, and as you note they don't guarantee funding to everyone (which is in line with other $ they offer, e.g. the LRAP)
TruthTheX
21:14
Anyone know how hard it is to do pro bono work as a 1L for judges or fed gov in general in the D.C. market
TruthTheX
21:14
Idk much about pro bono opportunities period but thinking I wanna try to get some work experience as soon as humanly possible
TruthTheX
21:14
When I begin law school I mean
jb2028
21:15
Lines up with BU's limited endowment: $81K per student a few years ago, i.e., enough to support a payout of about $3,250 per student per year at a 4% payout rate https://leiterlawschool.typepad.com/leiter/2022/05/per-student-value-of-law-school-endowments-2021.html
jb2028
21:17
Seems like they're trying to compete with other schools on program headlines (we fund X, Y, and Z and we have an LRAP) but the endowment can't really support that, so they have all these programs but don't guarantee funding. Would not rely on that if you have alternatives.
BankruptcyAndRestructuringLawIsCool
21:19
Thanks for those links. I'll give the public service summer funding information packet, in particular, a careful read. But yeah, your takeaway seems right.
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