823 Advizers
Considering a career in law?

Lance
Deputy District Attorney
Trial Litigation
California State University: Long Beach
Chapman University, School of Law
Q1Career path
Prosecution
Criminal Justice
Internship Experience
1:06
"During law school, I interned with several prosecutorial agencies...which further cemented my desire to become a criminal prosecutor."
Q2Main responsibilities
Court Appearances
Criminal Prosecution
Case Filing
0:45
"My duties include filing cases, reviewing police reports to ensure we have enough evidence to pursue a case."
Q3Day in the life
Arraignment
Criminal Law
Trial Litigation
1:21
"So early on in my career, I spent a lot of time doing that, but each day, um, these days is different."
Q4Most important skills - role
Negotiation
Communication Skills
Legal Knowledge
1:13
"Your ability to be comfortable in that space is critical."
Q5Favorite parts - role
Criminal Justice
Decision-Making
Legal Profession
0:59
"There's a wide array of tools, uh, in our belt... And I enjoy being in what I'll call the driver's seat on ultimately determining what justice is."
Q6Biggest challenge - role
Adversarial Relationships
Ethical Dilemmas
Victim Advocacy
1:36
"I value the role that I have and I'll never not do the right thing for the sake of being liked or well received."
Q7Favorite parts - industry
Impact
Trial Litigation
Making a Difference
0:49
"When you're prosecuting cases, you are making an impact. You are changing lives."
Q8Who thrives in industry
Resourceful
Independent
Go-getter
1:02
"At the end of the day, you're responsible for your own case and it's trusted that you won't need to be handheld through the process."
Q9Wish known before - industry
Adaptability
Problem-Solving
Industry Realities
1:24
"Going into this profession, specifically being a prosecutor, you gotta be able to think on your feet."
Q10Entry-level positions
Internships
Entry-Level Positions
Criminal Prosecution
0:56
"There's an abundant of opportunities for internships, uh, during the fall, spring, and summer."
Q11Significant lesson - career
District Attorney
Criminal Justice
Adversarial System
0:54
"You can't please everybody in this profession."
Q12College ideas for success
Internships
Criminal Justice
Extracurricular Activities
1:21
"Being involved in extracurricular activities is, I would say the utmost important thing that a student can do."