823 Advizers

Considering a career in law?

LawHub Logo

Lance

Deputy District Attorney

Trial Litigation

California State University: Long Beach
Chapman University, School of Law

Five years of experience in trial litigation and legal research and writing
Law
Legal
Criminal Justice
Scholarship Recipient
Pell Grant Recipient
Took Out Loans
Greek Life Member
First Generation College Student

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."