Prosecuting Attorney Career

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Pages: 6

For my senior project I chose the career of a prosecuting attorney. This career is a difficult career to acquire. It requires some of the most difficult education. The career as a prosecuting attorney requires many responsibilities from the schooling to the time in the office. What is a prosecuting attorney? A prosecuting attorney is the chief legal representative of the prosecution in countries with either the common law adversarial system, or the civil law inquisitorial system. This means that a prosecuting attorney is responsible for presenting a case in a criminal trial. They are usually presenting it against the person accused of breaking the law. Prosecutors hold a power that is part of the states most profound act and that is the ability …show more content…
They also represent the public interests when filing a law suit. According to Neal Devins, “The common law power to represent the public authorizes attorneys to file suits on behalf of the people”. Prosecuting attorneys power differ from state to state. According to Gregory Moeller, “ Attorneys have the power to issue advisory opinions even when their clients solicit such opinions”. In some cases an attorney will authorize outside counsel to represent the state either as a plaintiff or a defendant. They may also have to weigh other considerations before deciding whether or not to defend the state. If they chose not to defend, they can let outside officials come in depending on the circumstances of the case. State attorneys are increasingly declining to defend state laws. The duty to defend question allows attorney to claim their decision not to defend is …show more content…
According to Nancy Levit, “Many lawyers, as many as 70% in one poll, say the would not chose a legal career if they had to do it all over again”. This can occur for many different reasons. It is also said that lawyers experience higher rates of drug and alcohol abuse. According to Nancy Levit, “Studies show that lawyers have the highest rates of depression among all occupational categories… Lawyers suffer high rates of depression, alcoholism, and suicide”. Some lawyers find themselves in the wrong type of practice, so their work does not align with their values, strengths, and interests. An increased opportunity to succeed comes with increased pressure, most of these pressures fall upon women. Lawyers commonly engage in routine or repetitive ways of practice with little room for creativity, autonomy, or innovation which makes them more likely to become