What does an assistant state attorney do?
An Assistant Staff Attorney performs a wide range of clerical and administrative work that requires knowledge of legal terms, documents, and procedures. They also communicate with clients to keep them informed on case progress.
Assistant state attorney responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real assistant state attorney resumes:
- Manage all phases of criminal investigations including grand jury subpoenas and witness testimony.
- Provide training to other assistant state's attorneys on DUI topics and general trial technique
- Prosecute misdemeanor and felony traffic offenses that include DUI, narcotics, and fleeing/eluding police.
- Draft appellate responses to misdemeanor appeals
- Research and draft several successful appeals.
- Review cases, prepare discovery, and issue subpoenas under statutorily impose deadlines.
- Conduct extensive pretrial litigation including taking and defending depositions, mastering discovery matters, and engaging in motions practice.
- Recognize for ability to integrate sophisticate analytic, investigative, organizational, negotiation, and litigation skills toward case disposition.
- Conduct witness examination and cross-examination.
- Witness preparation and cross-examination of defense witnesses.
- Review and analyze medical records, permanency evaluations, interrogatories, and transcripts.
Assistant state attorney skills and personality traits
We calculated that 16% of Assistant State Attorneys are proficient in Litigation, Criminal Cases, and Appeals. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Interpersonal skills, and Problem-solving skills.
We break down the percentage of Assistant State Attorneys that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Litigation, 16%
Recognized for ability to integrate sophisticated analytic, investigative, organizational, negotiation, and litigation skills toward case disposition.
- Criminal Cases, 10%
Prosecuted felony and misdemeanor criminal cases; supervised the Drug Court program; prosecuted juvenile criminal cases
- Appeals, 7%
Researched and drafted several successful appeals.
- Law Enforcement Agencies, 5%
Worked with various state and local law enforcement agencies to thoroughly investigate and successfully prosecute numerous felony cases.
- Criminal Division, 5%
Intern in Criminal Division *Research, drafting of Motions and pleadings, assisted US Attorneys with evidence review
- District Court, 5%
Review and effectuate mandates from upper review Court (Circuit Court, District Court of Appeal or Florida Supreme Court).
Common skills that an assistant state attorney uses to do their job include "litigation," "criminal cases," and "appeals." You can find details on the most important assistant state attorney responsibilities below.
Analytical skills. The most essential soft skill for an assistant state attorney to carry out their responsibilities is analytical skills. This skill is important for the role because "lawyers interpret the law as it applies to their client’s case." Additionally, an assistant state attorney resume shows how their duties depend on analytical skills: "receive, review and analyze defense counsel's motion to suppress, motions to dismiss (including sworn c4 motions). "
Interpersonal skills. Another essential skill to perform assistant state attorney duties is interpersonal skills. Assistant state attorneys responsibilities require that "lawyers must build relationships with current and prospective clients, as well as with their colleagues and other members of the legal community." Assistant state attorneys also use interpersonal skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "used interpersonal and persuasive skills in mediations, negotiations, and trials provided day-to-day legal advice department of human services"
Problem-solving skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of assistant state attorneys is problem-solving skills. This skill is critical to many everyday assistant state attorney duties, as "lawyers must evaluate information to propose viable solutions, mediate disputes, and reach agreements or settlements for their clients." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "supervised a monthly caseload of 600 misdemeanor cases and 150 felony cases in various stages of litigation/resolution. "
Research skills. For certain assistant state attorney responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "research skills." The day-to-day duties of an assistant state 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 state attorneys do: "gained an impressive track record prosecuting various misdemeanor cases, while obtaining strong research and litigation skills. "
The three companies that hire the most assistant state attorneys are:
- My Florida Regional Mls27 assistant state attorneys jobs
- Florida Department of Transportation23 assistant state attorneys jobs
- FirstEnergy3 assistant state attorneys jobs
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Compare different assistant state attorneys
Assistant state attorney vs. 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. 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.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of an assistant state attorney are more likely to require skills like "criminal cases," "appeals," "rehabilitation," and "law enforcement agencies." On the other hand, a job as a general counsel requires skills like "intellectual property," "risk management," "ethics," and "human resources." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
General counsels tend to make the most money working in the finance industry, where they earn an average salary of $135,018. In contrast, assistant state attorneys make the biggest average salary, $82,456, in the government industry.The education levels that general counsels earn slightly differ from assistant state attorneys. In particular, general counsels are 3.5% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than an assistant state attorney. Additionally, they're 7.5% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Assistant state attorney vs. Lawyer
A lawyer is a legal practitioner who specializes in understanding and interpreting laws and other legal matters. Their responsibilities revolve around providing legal counseling and advice, representing clients in different kinds of court proceedings, conducting research, collecting evidence, and coordinating with various experts. A lawyer must also manage and oversee the performance of assistants, paralegals, and other team members. Furthermore, there are instances when a lawyer must draft or manage documents such as contracts, trusts, deeds, and wills, assisting clients as needed.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, assistant state attorney responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "appeals," "rehabilitation," "law enforcement agencies," and "criminal division." Meanwhile, a lawyer has duties that require skills in areas such as "law firm," "real estate," "civil law," and "intellectual property." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Lawyers earn higher levels of education than assistant state attorneys in general. They're 10.3% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 7.5% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Assistant state attorney vs. Council member
A Housing Counselor works directly with clients and organizations to support moderate and low-income clients in overcoming barriers to housing and financial stability. They represent the homeowner in interventions and/or mediation proceedings with the mortgage servicer, lender, and/or other stakeholders.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from assistant state attorney resumes include skills like "litigation," "criminal cases," "appeals," and "rehabilitation," whereas a council member is more likely to list skills in "public policy," "finance committee," "community outreach," and "alumni. "
Most council members achieve a higher degree level compared to assistant state attorneys. For example, they're 9.7% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 46.8% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Assistant state attorney vs. Housing counselor
Types of assistant state attorney
Updated January 8, 2025
