deputy district attorney Career Path | See the Career Paths People Really Take

counsel

associate

assistant district attorney

director

policy director

deputy district attorney

law clerk

senior investigator

president

communications consultant

chairperson

The Assistant District Attorney is the prosecutor for a local government area.  Their role is presenting the case against an individual suspected of breaking the law, initiating and directing further criminal investigations, guiding and recommending the sentencing of offenders, and participating in grand jury proceedings.  Their responsibilities are to decide what criminal charges to bring, choose when and where a person will answer to those charges, investigate persons, grant immunity to witnesses and accused criminals, and make plea bargains with defendants.

There are many areas of law you can specialize in. This attorney had a love of film and TV and made a legal career out of it. Learn ways to get into Entertainment Law with or without a law degree.

<h2>Why I Chose Entertainment Law</h2><p>Why did I pick entertainment law? Well, you have to have a real love for entertainment and want it to be in movies, TVs, and anything involved with that. Which is, as much fun as it sounds, it's a lot of work. It's a lot of business decisions; it's a lot of legal. But it's fun when you get involved in it. You get to see how the sausage is made.</p><h2><br></h2><h2>Pros and Cons of an Entertainment Law Attorney</h2><p>The pros: you get to work on fun projects. You get to see something from a script to a studio, to actually being on screen or a TV show, whichever version. The cons: sometimes you have fire drills and you're gonna work long hours to get something done. You need something over the finish line—financing, whatever it may be, things happen. It's like any other industry, business. You're gonna have to put out fires sometimes.</p><p>The cons are you might have to work long hours. It's not the end of the world, but the pros are you get to work in a pretty cool industry and see some fun things. Attorneys do make decent money. It takes a while to work up to that. And the reason attorneys make decent money sometimes is because of our law school debts. But usually, anytime you're probably looking around six figures, and that can vary and go up depending on your background, education, and years of experience. Like any job, it really does depend. But usually, you're looking to start&nbsp;</p><h2><br></h2><h2>Job Requirements</h2><p>You need to go to law school. That's kind of the requirement for most legal jobs. You can work as a paralegal or in other situations in legal, but to be an actual entertainment attorney, you have to go to law school and then work your way either through a law firm or go in-house with a studio or production company and really get experience. And that's how you kind of get into entertainment law.</p><h2><br></h2><h2>Paths into Entertainment Law</h2><p>There's a couple of paths a lot of people take. They work for law firms; they did that for a few years and then switch over to the studio side or production house. Or you can go in-house straight out of law school. It's a little harder to do that. And for anyone thinking they're gonna jump straight into being an attorney out of law school for in-house studios... probably not gonna happen unless you're one of the top tier schools. You're gonna have to work your way up.</p><p>You start as an assistant, coordinator, or paralegal, and you eventually will, if you start in-house. If you want to do the law firm route, you can work that for a few years. And that's usually the path a lot of people take. They'll work at a law firm for five to ten years and then switch over to in-house at a studio or production house.</p><h2><br></h2><h2>The Career Path I Took</h2><p>My personal path was I worked at a law firm, decided if I wanted to become an attorney, went to law school, and then really worked the internships. That's my personal path. A lot of people take different ones. They'll do the law firm side of the internships in the studios. But I did in-house right away and just got internships. Internships are key. They give you great experience and get you in the door, which is really one of the hardest things in the entertainment industry: getting your foot in that door.</p><h2><br></h2><h2>Things to Consider</h2><p>First, really ask yourself if you want to be an attorney—that's the first question. If you're on the fence about it, then don't do it. Law school is expensive, it's hard, and it's not easy to pass the bar. If you do want to do that, go to law school or become a paralegal and get internships. Get your foot in the door. You don't always have to start up in the legal side.</p><p>I have a lot of friends and people who start as assistants and work their way up through the studio system or law firm system. It's long, it takes a lot of perseverance, and you really just want to try and get your foot in the door. That's my biggest recommendation. Do whatever you can to get your foot in that door and then see what you want to do from there and work your way up.</p><h2><br></h2><h2>Career Advice - Network</h2><p>Network. Networking is a big thing in the entertainment industry. Not a lot of people like it. I'm not a fan of it. I'm not great at it, but it really is the key. Network and get your foot in the door for internships and find connections. That's my biggest recommendation.</p><p><br></p><h2><br></h2>

An Associate ensures that client needs are being met.  Their role is interacting with customers, using their skills to help with sales, and making sure clients and customers are satisfied.  Their responsibilities are to respond to problems as they arise, keep up-to-date records on products sold, participate in regular meetings to discuss company projects and objectives, help develop and improve company procedures, and conduct regular market research to determine the effectiveness of the company’s sales strategy.

A Chairperson helps ensure the functionality of a management committee.  Thier role is to plan effective and efficient committee meetings.  Their responsibilities are identifying and managing the process for renewal of the committee through the recruitment of new members, reviewing the committee's performance, enacting policies and procedures for the effective management of the organization, and providing leadership.

A Communication Consultant prepares internal and external media releases for an organization.  Their role is to provide advice and recommendations for a company's public relations department, formalize internal communications strategies, and train employees on best practices.  Their responsibilities are to provide superior communication services, collaborate with team members and suggest strategies to achieve client goals, devise procedures to raise cash flow and curb expenses, contribute ideas and expertise in planning and implementing solutions for clients, and cooperate with teams to conform novel communication opportunities and educational trends.

Counsel or legal counsel is a lawyer who provides legal advice "in-house" as an employee of an organization and are often concerned in labor or contract disputes, payment issues, harassment suits, or other workplace conflicts. They also provide general legal advice about corporate decisions regarding corporate growth, mergers, or other practices. Legal counsel duties and responsibilities are to draft and negotiate contracts, ensure compliance with corporate law, and also provides counsel for employee and management conflicts.

There are many areas of law you can specialize in. This in house counsel knew she wanted to work with big tech in Silicon Valley and choose her specialization carefully. Learn about her path and advice working in law. 

<h2><strong>Education Requirements</strong></h2><p>So to get into this role, you need to first get a bachelor's degree and then get your Juris Doctorate, which is usually a three-year degree.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><h2><strong>My Education Path</strong></h2><p>I double majored in international business and anthropology. I knew that I wanted to be in Silicon Valley. I wanted to help tech companies. I knew that some of them had ideas that would change the world, but it wasn't going to be me, so I decided to go into a field that could help enable folks. I used my business degree and went to law school. I majored in high-tech law. And then for a lot of tech companies, you spend a couple of years in a law firm. So I did just over three in a law firm. After that, I transitioned to a role in-house at a tech company.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><h2><strong>Average Day as an Attorney&nbsp;</strong></h2><p>There really is no such thing as an average day when you're in-house counsel because you have to flex what you're doing to the needs of the business. And so, you know, there are really easy times sometimes, and there's really chaotic times most of the time.</p><p><br></p><h2><strong>Workload Challenges</strong></h2><p>And so you have to be prepared to roll with the punches and do what needs to be done. And sometimes that's long days, and sometimes it's really fun ones. So it's a rollercoaster, no doubt. If you're a zero-inbox kind of person or a nothing-left-on-the-checklist kind of person, be ready to be disappointed because there's always something to do. And it's not the worst thing in the world, but it is a lot sometimes.</p><p><br></p><p><br></p>

A Deputy District Attorney leads a staff of prosecutors, who are also known as district attorneys. Their role is to file charges for crimes, oversee the operations of local prosecutors, and prosecute for various offenses.  Their responsibilities are to interview and advise witnesses, analyze and evaluate cases and decide the course of action, provide legal advice and counsel to local government, and act as a chief counsel for city police.

A Director helps a business run smoothly, and ensures that productivity remains high.  Their role is to develop business and marketing strategies to grow the business.  Their responsibilities are to handle business mergers, restructuring or downsizing, meet and network with investors, provide reports of financial investments and stock trading, prepare or approve budgets, and enforce company policies.

A law clerk or a judicial clerk is an individual‚ generally an attorney‚ who provides direct assistance and counsel to a judge in making legal determinations and in writing opinions by researching issues before the court. Law clerks often play significant roles in the formation of case law through their influence upon judges' decisions. A law clerk's responsibilities include prepare dockets or schedules, record case dispositions or court orders, answer inquiries over call or email, prepare documents, guide parties or clients in documentation and processes, collect court fees or fines, fill forms, prepare and collect evidence, record court proceedings, and examine legal documents.

<h2><strong>Education Requirements</strong></h2><p>So to get into this role, you need to first get a bachelor's degree and then get your Juris Doctorate, which is usually a three-year degree.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><h2><strong>My Education Path</strong></h2><p>I double majored in international business and anthropology. I knew that I wanted to be in Silicon Valley. I wanted to help tech companies. I knew that some of them had ideas that would change the world, but it wasn't going to be me, so I decided to go into a field that could help enable folks. I used my business degree and went to law school. I majored in high-tech law. And then for a lot of tech companies, you spend a couple of years in a law firm. So I did just over three in a law firm. After that, I transitioned to a role in-house at a tech company.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><h2><strong>Average Day as Legal Counsel</strong></h2><p>There really is no such thing as an average day when you're in-house counsel because you have to flex what you're doing to the needs of the business. And so, you know, there are really easy times sometimes, and there's really chaotic times most of the time.</p><p><br></p><h2>Workload Challenges</h2><p>And so you have to be prepared to roll with the punches and do what needs to be done. And sometimes that's long days, and sometimes it's really fun ones. So it's a rollercoaster, no doubt. If you're a zero-inbox kind of person or a nothing-left-on-the-checklist kind of person, be ready to be disappointed because there's always something to do. And it's not the worst thing in the world, but it is a lot sometimes.</p><p><br></p><p><br></p>

The Policy Director oversees the execution, development and evaluation of policy work.  Their role is to work closely with member agencies and in numerous strategic collaborations in order to influence legislative and budget outcomes to positively impact vulnerable services.  Their responsibilities are to ensure that priority positions and targeted local, state and national advocacy outcomes are effectively achieved, collaborate and coordinate across the department and the broader organization to ensure policy, build and lead a high impact policy team, define objectives and processes, and conduct independent research and policy analysis.

The President is the head of a company who collaborates with a board of executives to provide strong leadership.  Their role is to establish short and long-term goals and plans, and oversee the complete operation of the company.  Their responsibilities are maintaining awareness and knowledge of the company's daily finances, analyzing financial reports and budgets, encouraging business investments, looking for alliances, mergers, partnerships and investment opportunities, creating and maintaining relationships with community and industry leaders, reviewing and advising on contracts, and updating and revising plans to increase the company's profitability and progress.

Senior Investigators would typically lead a team of investigators or be the leader of a sub team within a larger investigation group depedning upon the scope of the subject of investigation.Their teams would examine and collect information and evidence about legal, criminal, financial matters. They co-ordinate the investigation process for a range of tasks,but not limited to evidence collection,collation, evaluation and analysis of pieces of evidence collected, conducting surveillance, interviewing victims and/or witnesses, interrogating suspects, researching and studying documentary evidence, history or background checks of individuals or organizations. This may necessiate them to work with law enforcement agencies,prepare detailed reports backed by legally admissible evidences to support their findings and results in the court of law if needed.

Deputy District Attorney Career Path