Can you be a prosecuting AND defense attorney?
Only if you need a HELL of a lot of money...Actually, forget that answer...
It would be impossible to be both a prosecutor and defense attorney in the same jurisdiction at the same time. Ethical obligations would not allow it. As a prosecutor you would be privy to information that a defense attorney would not normally be privy to, and vice versa.
Generally, being a prosecutor is a full time job that would not allow you to be a defense attorney as well. However, there are part time prosecutor positions that afford attorney's the opportunity to do private work on the side. Most often, those part time prosecutors practice civil law as well (ex. wills, estates, elder law, etc.).
It is conceivable that one could be a part time prosecutor in one jurisdiction and do some criminal defense work in another jurisdiction. I guess one could work part time as a US attorney, prosecuting federal crimes and still do some private criminal defense at the local level, for example.
The Prosecuting Attorney.
Who Are They? What Do They Eat? Do I Need One?
Here is a great video on the role of a prosecuting attorney. They talk about methamphetamine a lot...They are against it.
General Legal Questions Collated From The Web
Question: I'm in a Criminal Justice class in high school and
at the end of the semester, we are having a court case. We each get a part that
we have to do and I was voted to be the prosecuting attorney. I don't have much
knowledge about being a prosecuting attorney, but I'm determined to win the
court case because my friend is the defence attorney. Any tips?
Answer: It's hard to say which laws would be relevant
because that would depend on the case and on the kind of jurisdiction (federal
or state) meaning there are different laws that apply to different places even
though there are similarities in some states. All I could tell you is to master
the facts of the case and make sure that no argument by defence counsel will be
left unanswered. If a jury will decide the case, then a good presentation of the
case will help a lot.
Do you like edgy videos about George Zimmerman? Enjoy!
Question: I thought you needed to go to college for six
years to get your masters and then two additional years of law school, but
recently someone said to me that only four years of college is required, plus
two years of law school. I'm really confused. How many years of college does it
take to become a prosecuting attorney? I could have sworn that six years of
college and two years of law school was required...
Answer: Here's how it breaks down: 1) Bachelor's
degree - this usually takes 4 years, but can take from 3-? years for some
people. 2) Law school - if you're in a full time program, this will take 3
years. A part time program is usually 4 years. So, on the average track, it's
seven years of school to become an attorney. Good luck!
Question: I was wondering how much a defence attorney makes
a year and how much a prosecuting attorney makes a year.
Answer: It depends on whether they are in public service.
Obviously prosecutors are, and in Massachusetts I think they start around
$35K/yr. VERY little for an attorney. I don't think public defenders make much
more. Private attorneys make significantly more, especially private criminal defence attorneys and patent attorneys, which make upward for $500K plus
depending on the firm and their experience.
Question: Hi There Is there a time limit for the prosecuting
attorney to file charges for a person? If so, how long until it is null and
void? It has been 2 months since the court date and that was canceled. Now we
are waiting for him to file and he has not done so. We are in the great state of
Missouri!
Answer: There is a statute of limitations, but that is
satisfied when you are arraigned or indicted. From your description, statute of
limitations has been satisfied. There's also a right to speedy trial. The length
of time that must elapse before you can claim this right depends on the court
involved, but is almost certainly longer than 2 months. Edit: In Missouri, you
must be brought to trial within 70 days of your first court appearance or 90
days of being brought to custody if you are in custody. If it has been longer
than that, you can move to dismiss the charges, but they can be refiled.
Question: Which Federal , State & local group, Board or
Official is responsible in the State Government to oversee and investigate the
County Prosecuting Attorney for wrong doing in a County?
Answer: In my state, California, the job would go to the
state attorney general unless a federal law was involved then it would be the
FBI and US Attorney.
Question: We're doing a school court case thing tomorrow, and I was elected to
be the prosecuting attorney. What is your job as a prosecuting attorney? Why
would someone want to be a prosecuting attorney? What skills would someone
hoping to be a prosecuting attorney require? What is your goal as a prosecuting
attorney?
Answer: The P.A. is an employee of government who is hired
to bring criminal charges and to try to convict the accused, either by
persuading the accused to plead guilty or by convincing a jury to convict. You
might want to become a prosecutor for any of a number of reason: a desire to see
criminals behind bars and maybe even executed once in a while; maybe a desire to
improve your legal resume, to show that you can do a variety of things in the
legal profession; maybe a desire to appeal to the general public because you
also intend to run for an elected office in the state or federal government. Any
person with a law degree can become a prosecutor; the person in the office of
P.A. probably intends to hire people who have SOME experience with doing
courtroom work, but even those people who are completely inexperienced CAN get
hired too, provided that they "start small," and don't get involved with
prosecuting major crimes at first.
