How to hire an assistant district attorney

How to hire an assistant district attorney, step by step

Here's a step-by-step assistant district attorney hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an assistant district attorney job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new assistant district attorney
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an assistant district attorney do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your assistant district attorney job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find an assistant district attorney for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   An assistant district attorney's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, assistant district attorneys from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list presents assistant district attorney salaries for various positions.

   Type of Assistant District Attorney	Description	Hourly rate
   Assistant District Attorney	Lawyers advise and represent individuals, businesses, and government agencies on legal issues and disputes.	$24-51
   General Counsel	A general counsel, also called a chief legal officer, is the chief lawyer in the legal department of an organization. The counsel represents an enterprise for any pending legal matters... Show more	$36-100
   Legal Counsel	A Legal Counsel supervises the legal aspects of a business. They give accurate and timely counsel to executives on a variety of legal topics, such as labor law, partnerships, or international ventures.	$38-103

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Felony Cases
   • Criminal Justice
   • Criminal Cases
   • Litigation
   • Crime Scenes
   • Adas
   • Misdemeanor Cases
   • District Court
   • Appeals
   • Law Enforcement Agencies
   • Child Abuse
   • Defense Counsel
   • Sexual Assault
   • Criminal Law

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Draft search warrants, cell site orders, and subpoenas on a frequent basis as part of developing and managing investigations.
   • Handle all phases of criminal prosecution including witness interviews, grand jury presentations, hearings, trials and appeals.
   • Draft briefs, motions, orders, subpoenas, contracts and other legal documents, as well as correspondence and reports.
   • Research and co-authore multiple briefs for interlocutory appeals regarding suppression of evidence.
   • Provide presentation and legal defense of insure persons in personal injury actions through mediation and/or trial.
   • Review and analyze medical records, permanency evaluations, interrogatories, and transcripts.

   More assistant district attorney duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your assistant district attorney job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. An assistant district attorney can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, assistant district attorneys' average salary in maine is 69% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level assistant district attorneys 54% less than senior-level assistant district attorneys.
   • Certifications. An assistant district attorney with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in an assistant district attorney's salary.

   Average assistant district attorney salary

   $73,970yearly

   $35.56 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level assistant district attorney salary

   $50,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 23, 2025

   Average assistant district attorney salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$125,970	$61
   2	Georgia	$74,700	$36
   3	Massachusetts	$73,973	$36
   4	Texas	$73,871	$36
   5	New York	$70,819	$34
   6	North Carolina	$58,725	$28
   7	Wisconsin	$55,901	$27
   8	Oklahoma	$52,415	$25

   Average assistant district attorney salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Gwinnett Center	$85,423	$41.07
   2	Albany International	$80,324	$38.62
   3	Fort Bend County	$80,157	$38.54	3
   4	Columbus Consolidated Government	$75,950	$36.51
   5	City of Atlanta	$75,143	$36.13
   6	McLennan County	$74,547	$35.84
   7	Wisconsin	$74,095	$35.62
   8	City & County Of San Francisco - Police Department (sfpd)	$74,081	$35.62	4
   9	Fulton County Government Center	$73,527	$35.35	3
   10	Monroe County	$71,627	$34.44
   11	Maine	$71,474	$34.36	8
   12	NC.gov	$70,752	$34.02	41
   13	Harris County Attorney's Office	$65,627	$31.55	3

4. Writing an assistant district attorney job description

   An assistant district attorney job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of an assistant district attorney job description:

   Assistant district attorney job description example

   Future Prosecutors: Fall Class 2023
   
   Nassau County was named the "Safest Community in America" by U.S. News & World Report for the second consecutive year. This distinction is not a coincidence - it is the direct result of the superb work of the talented, well-trained prosecutors at the Nassau County District Attorney's Office.
   
   With more than 200 lawyers and a total staff of nearly 430, the Nassau DA's Office is one of the largest DA's Offices in the country. Because of our proximity to New York City, we enjoy a unique blend of suburban idyll (miles of oceanfront beaches, hundreds of parks and award-winning schools) and easy access to NYC's robust cultural, nightlife and restaurant scenes.
   
   Members of our legal staff are provided with training, mentorship and ongoing opportunities for professional development. In our collegial and collaborative environment, new Assistant District Attorneys will cultivate a professional home within the world of criminal justice and enjoy a rewarding and exciting position. Every Fall, we welcome a diverse class of new Assistant District Attorneys, recruited and selected from a competitive pool of applicants nationwide. These new prosecutors all bring with them passion and talent for courtroom advocacy and litigation, a commitment to pursuing justice and the ability to provide support to crime victims in need. Our Assistants choose to work in Nassau County because of its safety and vibrancy, and their own dedication to preserving that environment for all its residents.
   
   Are you ready to join our pursuit of justice and serve our community as an Assistant District Attorney in the Fall 2023?
   
   Ideal candidates will have:

   • strong academic credentials
   • a demonstrated commitment to public service and criminal law (e.g., Moot Court/Mock Trial, trial advocacy and/or clinical program)
   • excellent verbal, writing and critical thinking skills
   • leadership abilities (e.g., confidence, integrity and ethics, motivation to achieve, time management skills)
   • maturity (e.g., empathy, good judgment, strong work ethic)
   • interpersonal and teamwork skills

   
   Each seat in the Fall class is highly competitive. All applications are thoroughly reviewed, and successful candidates will undergo three rounds of interviews as follows:

   1. Initial Interview with a senior-level Assistant District Attorney from the Hiring Committee.
   2. Panel Interview with two or more supervisory Assistant District Attorneys from the Hiring Committee, to include the delivery of an Opening Statement (fact pattern distributed in advance).
   3. District Attorney Interview with D.A. Donnelly and the Chief Assistant District Attorney.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right assistant district attorney for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your assistant district attorney job on Zippia to find and recruit assistant district attorney candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit assistant district attorneys, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new assistant district attorney

   Once you've selected the best assistant district attorney candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   To prepare for the new assistant district attorney first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire an assistant district attorney?