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District attorney skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
Quoted experts
James Tomaszewski,
James Tomaszewski
Below we've compiled a list of the most critical district attorney skills. We ranked the top skills for district attorneys based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 10.5% of district attorney resumes contained pre-trial conferences as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a district attorney needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 district attorney skills for your resume and career

1. Pre-Trial Conferences

Here's how district attorneys use pre-trial conferences:
  • Handled all aspects of the docket, including court trials, jury trials, sentencing, pre-trial conferences and motions hearings.
  • Assisted the Juvenile Prosecution Unit conducting contests, dispositions, pre-trial conferences, arraignments, restitution hearings, and detention hearings.

3. Law Enforcement Agencies

Here's how district attorneys use law enforcement agencies:
  • Collaborated with law enforcement agencies on numerous investigations and procurement of evidence.
  • Advised various law enforcement agencies on narcotics investigations within the County.

4. Subpoenas

Subpoenas are formal and legal documents issued mostly by a court or some other government agency that demands the presence of the person the document is addressed to, to show up at court. Subpoenas are issued to individuals whom the court wants to appear either as a witness in a particular case in order to testify or to provide any evidence such as an object or a document.

Here's how district attorneys use subpoenas:
  • Perform various complex administrative functions, including preparing subpoenas, maintain daily Calendar for attorneys.
  • Process legal documents and papers, such as summonses, subpoenas, complaints, appeals, motions, and pretrial agreements.

5. Criminal Cases

A criminal case is a court proceeding in which a person is charged with committing a crime against the state or the community. Such individuals are brought for trials, to decide they are guilty or not. There are two kinds of criminal cases misdemeanors and felonies. A misdemeanor is a crime on a lower level like traffic offenses or minor assaults. While felonies are offenses on a higher level.

Here's how district attorneys use criminal cases:
  • Developed and organized criminal cases and prepared prosecution summaries and documents for court use.
  • Prosecuted criminal cases, including those involving child abuse and achieved conviction of perpetrators.

6. Felony Cases

Felony cases are regarded as serious and violent crimes such as murder, rape, kidnapping, burglary, and arson. Compared to misdemeanor and petty crimes, felony cases involve greater punishment such as incarceration and even the death penalty..

Here's how district attorneys use felony cases:
  • Prosecuted hundreds of criminal misdemeanor and felony cases from filing to final disposition.
  • Managed demanding caseload of misdemeanor and felony cases from filing stage through prosecution.

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7. Criminal Law

Here's how district attorneys use criminal law:
  • Research issues of both criminal law and procedure and prepare points and authorities.
  • Research complex issues of state, federal, and tribal criminal law.

8. Misdemeanor Cases

A misdemeanor crime is a type of criminal offense that is more critical than a citation but less serious than a felony charge. In this criminal charge, one can be punished with fines and prison time. Types of misdemeanors include destruction, trespassing, or public intoxication, and other actions that can land you in lawful dispute. Many attribute a misdemeanor as a crime having to do with a failure in one's moral judgment rather than something more serious like killing someone.

Here's how district attorneys use misdemeanor cases:
  • Started out capability for more sophisticated presentations when prosecuting traffic and misdemeanor cases and given needed.
  • Prosecuted felony and misdemeanor cases from arraignment to sentencing while thinking both creatively and analytically.

9. Criminal Justice

Here's how district attorneys use criminal justice:
  • Involved in victim advocacy and community education regarding the intricacies of the criminal justice system.
  • Panel member to provide information about criminal justice system to various community organizations e.g.

10. Crime Scenes

Crime scenes refer to places or locations of an offence where forensic evidence may get gathered.

Here's how district attorneys use crime scenes:
  • Process crime scenes; work with victims and witnesses of crimes, process warrant requests, and subpoena service.
  • Conduct field investigations and search crime scenes with photos for evidence toward a case for trial.

11. Crime Victims

Here's how district attorneys use crime victims:
  • Assisted clients with New York State Crime Victims Board applications and affidavits.
  • Assist victims with Crime Victims Applications and Victim Impact Statements.

13. Police Reports

Police reports, also known as "incident reports," are recorded by members of the police department and detail a (potentially) illegal incident or confrontation. The following information is usually found on a police report: the date and time of the incident, which officers were involved, the address of the incident, what kind of incident (theft, assault, etc.), and how the officers were alerted to the incident.

Here's how district attorneys use police reports:
  • Review police reports for criminal filing or additional investigation.
  • Researched and analyzed statutes, ordinances, court decisions and police reports for use in drafting various legal documents.

14. Homicide

Here's how district attorneys use homicide:
  • Conduct investigations into narcotics related multiple homicides and contract killings as well as other high profile homicide investigations.
  • Drafted sentencing recommendations for homicide convictions.

15. Appeals

Here's how district attorneys use appeals:
  • Succeeded in every appeal case ever brought including oral argument before the Fourth Court of Appeals on a Capital Murder conviction.
  • Drafted and filed motions in Superior Courts, Family Law Courts, Bankruptcy Courts and the Court of Appeals.
top-skills

What skills help District Attorneys find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on district attorney resumes?

James Tomaszewski

Director of the Center for Professional Development, University of Cincinnati

Demonstrated commitment to a particular practice area, especially experiential learning opportunities such as externships and clinics.

What soft skills should all district attorneys possess?

James Tomaszewski

Director of the Center for Professional Development, University of Cincinnati

Engagement, Resilience, Responsiveness, Respectfulness, Integrity.

What hard/technical skills are most important for district attorneys?

James Tomaszewski

Director of the Center for Professional Development, University of Cincinnati

Excellent writing skills.

What district attorney skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Charity Rohlfs J.D.Charity Rohlfs J.D. LinkedIn profile

Associate Professor of Paralegal Studies, Website

GenAI! Which means highlights the importance of skills like organization, communication, and consensus building. The legal field has historically been technology hesitant, but the pandemic and AI have forced the use and adaptation of technology. AI’s exponential growth will require new skills at a lightning fast pace. A bellwether in the legal field is eDiscovery as it requires the ability to organize massive amounts of information as well as clearly and concisely communicate the information. AI is helping paralegals and attorneys do just this! Finally, in a world that often hides behind screens, having the ability to build consensus and connect with others will be invaluable.

List of district attorney skills to add to your resume

District attorney skills

The most important skills for a district attorney resume and required skills for a district attorney to have include:

  • Pre-Trial Conferences
  • Legal Research
  • Law Enforcement Agencies
  • Subpoenas
  • Criminal Cases
  • Felony Cases
  • Criminal Law
  • Misdemeanor Cases
  • Criminal Justice
  • Crime Scenes
  • Crime Victims
  • Legal Issues
  • Police Reports
  • Homicide
  • Appeals
  • District Court
  • Defense Counsel
  • Management System
  • Child Support
  • Defense Attorneys
  • Criminal History
  • Criminal Complaints
  • Child Abuse
  • Sexual Assault
  • Court Appearances
  • Court Proceedings
  • Jury Selection
  • Court Trials
  • Juvenile Court
  • Court Cases
  • County Court
  • Plea Agreements
  • DUI
  • Criminal Investigations
  • Court Orders
  • Cross-Examination
  • Legal Intern
  • Court Dates
  • Pre-Trial Motions
  • Circuit Court
  • Court Hearings
  • Domestic Violence Cases
  • Bench Trials
  • Criminal Charges
  • Criminal Prosecution
  • Motion Hearings
  • Arrest Warrants
  • Legal Memoranda
  • Juvenile Cases
  • Criminal Court

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.