What does an assistant prosecuting attorney do?
Assistant prosecuting attorney responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real assistant prosecuting attorney resumes:
- Manage, train and mentore newly hire ADA's in courtroom management and trial advocacy.
- Argue motions, take depositions, and prepare briefs, appeals, search warrants and subpoenas.
- Perform all aspects of trial preparation, including issuing subpoenas, witness preparation, and exhibits.
- Issue and enforce investigative subpoenas and review thousands of responsive documents for discovery disclosure.
- Draft dispositive motions, discovery motions, pleadings, initial disclosures, respond to discovery requests and interrogatories.
- Participate in opening and closing argument and direct and cross-examination training.
Assistant prosecuting attorney skills and personality traits
We calculated that 15% of Assistant Prosecuting Attorneys are proficient in Jury Trials, District Court, and Child Support Orders. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Interpersonal skills, and Problem-solving skills.
We break down the percentage of Assistant Prosecuting Attorneys that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Jury Trials, 15%
Conducted dozens of criminal jury trials, and represented the State in numerous pretrial motion hearings and sex offender classification hearings.
- District Court, 8%
Conducted hundreds of preliminary examinations in district courts throughout Wayne County.
- Child Support Orders, 7%
File civil actions for the establishment of Court-originated child support orders.
- Felony Cases, 7%
Prosecuted approximately 150 felony cases per year.
- Appeals, 6%
Represented the State of Ohio on criminal appeals in state and federal court.
- Litigation, 5%
Engaged in litigation, prepared interrogatory request and responses, and conducted depositions.
"jury trials," "district court," and "child support orders" are among the most common skills that assistant prosecuting attorneys use at work. You can find even more assistant prosecuting attorney responsibilities below, including:
Analytical skills. One of the key soft skills for an assistant prosecuting attorney to have is analytical skills. You can see how this relates to what assistant prosecuting attorneys do because "lawyers interpret the law as it applies to their client’s case." Additionally, an assistant prosecuting attorney resume shows how assistant prosecuting attorneys use analytical skills: "provided legal research and case analysis in support of capital case litigation and homicide cases. "
Interpersonal skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling assistant prosecuting attorney duties is interpersonal skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "lawyers must build relationships with current and prospective clients, as well as with their colleagues and other members of the legal community." According to an assistant prosecuting attorney resume, here's how assistant prosecuting attorneys can utilize interpersonal skills in their job responsibilities: "used interpersonal and persuasive skills in mediations, negotiations, and trials provided day-to-day legal advice department of human services"
Problem-solving skills. This is an important skill for assistant prosecuting attorneys to perform their duties. For an example of how assistant prosecuting attorney responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "lawyers must evaluate information to propose viable solutions, mediate disputes, and reach agreements or settlements for their clients." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of an assistant prosecuting attorney: "negotiate early resolutions in the majority of pending cases in lieu of litigation. ".
Research skills. For certain assistant prosecuting attorney responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "research skills." The day-to-day duties of an assistant prosecuting attorney rely on this skill, as "lawyers need to find laws and regulations that apply to a specific matter in order to provide appropriate legal advice for their clients." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what assistant prosecuting attorneys do: "performed litigation preparation and support including initial research, correspondence and drafting of motions and pleadings. "
The three companies that hire the most assistant prosecuting attorneys are:
- Wayne County, Michigan2 assistant prosecuting attorneys jobs
- CSKT Tribal Health1 assistant prosecuting attorneys jobs
- Maricopa County1 assistant prosecuting attorneys jobs
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Assistant prosecuting attorney vs. Bankruptcy specialist
The bankruptcy specialist is responsible for filing and documentation loan bankruptcy materials with the appropriate attorneys. They ensure full compliance with loan bankruptcy regulations and monitor accounts throughout the loan bankruptcy process to contact the appropriate party when necessary. A bankruptcy specialist might be an administrator or lawyer in a bankruptcy office and supports bankruptcy law. They are likely to evaluate state declaration and affidavits for legal progression, interact with customers and outside counsel about bankruptcy proceedings through written and verbal communication, and work with local counsel and upper management in effectively reviewing client's files.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between assistant prosecuting attorneys and bankruptcy specialist. For instance, assistant prosecuting attorney responsibilities require skills such as "jury trials," "district court," "child support orders," and "felony cases." Whereas a bankruptcy specialist is skilled in "relief," "pacer," "foreclosure," and "msp." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Bankruptcy specialists really shine in the finance industry with an average salary of $47,222. Comparatively, assistant prosecuting attorneys tend to make the most money in the pharmaceutical industry with an average salary of $84,549.The education levels that bankruptcy specialists earn slightly differ from assistant prosecuting attorneys. In particular, bankruptcy specialists are 0.5% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than an assistant prosecuting attorney. Additionally, they're 49.4% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Assistant prosecuting attorney vs. Council member
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. They work proactively to lessen possible problems associated with legalities and potential risks. They have to monitor practices and the people within the law firm for misconduct. They also perform dominant roles in regulation, ethics, public affairs, and legislation. It is common for them to serve as the public spokesperson of the company during the publicity of legal matters.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that assistant prosecuting attorney responsibilities requires skills like "jury trials," "district court," "child support orders," and "felony cases." But a council member might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "public policy," "finance committee," "community outreach," and "alumni."
Council members earn higher levels of education than assistant prosecuting attorneys in general. They're 8.7% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 49.4% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Assistant prosecuting attorney vs. General 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.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, assistant prosecuting attorneys are more likely to have skills like "jury trials," "child support orders," "felony cases," and "appeals." But a general counsel is more likely to have skills like "intellectual property," "juris," "risk management," and "ethics."
General counsels make a very good living in the finance industry with an average annual salary of $135,018. On the other hand, assistant prosecuting attorneys are paid the highest salary in the pharmaceutical industry, with average annual pay of $84,549.Most general counsels achieve a similar degree level compared to assistant prosecuting attorneys. For example, they're 2.5% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 7.6% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Assistant prosecuting attorney vs. Legal counsel
Even though a few skill sets overlap between assistant prosecuting attorneys and legal counsels, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, an assistant prosecuting attorney might have more use for skills like "jury trials," "child support orders," "felony cases," and "appeals." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of legal counsels require skills like "legal support," "intellectual property," "legal risks," and "excellent interpersonal. "
The technology industry tends to pay the highest salaries for legal counsels, with average annual pay of $159,575. Comparatively, the highest assistant prosecuting attorney annual salary comes from the pharmaceutical industry.legal counsels reach higher levels of education compared to assistant prosecuting attorneys, in general. The difference is that they're 6.3% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 8.8% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of assistant prosecuting attorney
Updated January 8, 2025











