what does the commonwealth attorney do

by Lazaro Ritchie 10 min read

  • Drafting responses to post-conviction relief pleadings filed by defendants, especially inmates;
  • Preparing motions, pleadings, memoranda of law, and other written materials regarding various criminal law issues;
  • Researching various criminal law issues related to the individual cases prior to indictment; and,

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As the elected leader of the criminal justice system, the Commonwealth's Attorney is responsible for making the system transparent and guaranteeing that it works for the community, not just for lawyers. The Commonwealth's Attorney decides which cases get prosecuted and how those cases will be handled.

Full Answer

What does the Commonwealth's Attorney's Office do for the community?

The Commonwealth’s Attorney is the community leader who shapes its justice system. Thousands of cases come through the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office each year and it’s the job of the officeholder to ensure the community’s values are front and center when determining how to treat those cases.

What does the Gloucester County commonwealth's attorney do?

What does a Commonwealth Attorney do? The Commonwealth Attorney prosecutes all felony cases that are committed in his/her circuit. A felony is any crime in which the minimum punishment is one (1) year in prison.

What is the Commonwealth and what does it do?

Aug 18, 2021 · What Does a Commonwealth Attorney Do. There are certain skills that many commonwealth attorneys have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed analytical skills, interpersonal skills ...

How does the Commonwealth's Attorney's office handle gun cases?

Sep 22, 2017 · There are also four commonwealths, of which Virginia is one. Unless you are a student of the land grants of the kings of England, this is a distinction without a difference. However, it does mean that in Virginia we call our elected prosecutors “commonwealth’s attorneys” instead of the more commonly used “state’s attorney” or ...

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What is Va Commonwealth attorney?

The voters of each city and county in Virginia elect a commonwealth's attorney to serve a 4-year term. The primary duty of each commonwealth's attorney is to prosecute all felonies and misdemeanors charged under the Code of Virginia occurring in his or her locality.

Who is the commonwealth attorney in Fredericksburg Virginia?

Jenkins - Biography. Ms. Jenkins has been a resident of the Fredericksburg area for 30 years, and has served as the Commonwealth's Attorney for the City of Fredericksburg since 2008.

Who prosecutes crimes in Virginia?

The attorney for the Commonwealth's and assistant attorney for the Commonwealth's shall be a part of the department of law enforcement of the county or city in which he is elected or appointed, and shall have the duties and powers imposed upon him by general law, including the duty of prosecuting all warrants, ...

Who is Buta Biberaj?

Buta Biberaj (JD '93) Becomes First Elected Female Loudoun County Commonwealth's Attorney. My law school class in the late 1950s numbered over 400; the class included one Black student, and fewer than ten women.

Who is the commonwealth attorney in Spotsylvania VA?

Attorney Travis D. Bird
Commonwealth's Attorney Travis D. Bird and his Chief Deputy Commonwealth's Attorney, two Deputy Commonwealth's Attorneys and eight Assistant Commonwealth's Attorneys prosecute certain misdemeanor and all felony cases in Spotsylvania County.

Who is the US attorney for Virginia?

Jessica D. Aber
Jessica D. Aber is the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia (EDVA). As U.S. Attorney, Ms. Aber supervises the prosecution of all federal crimes and the litigation of all civil matters in which the United States has an interest.

Who prosecutes misdemeanors Virginia?

Virginia statutory law makes it clear that a commonwealth's attorney is not obligated to prosecute misdemeanors. “he may in his discretion, prosecute Class 1, 2 and 3 misdemeanors, or any other violation, the conviction of which carries a penalty of confinement in jail, or a fine of $500 or more . . . .”Nov 21, 2020

How many prosecutors are in Virginia?

120 elected
The Virginia Association of Commonwealth's Attorneys (VACA), which represents all 120 elected prosecutors in the state, has generally opposed the kinds of reforms now under discussion.Jul 20, 2020

Who is Parisa Dehghani?

Dehghani-Tafti was elected in 2019 on a pledge to reform the criminal justice system by reducing racial disparities in prosecution as well as recidivism and incarceration, while investigating wrongful convictions.Mar 25, 2022

Who is Loudoun County Attorney?

Biberaj, Buta
About the Office
Staff
NameTitlePhone
Biberaj, ButaCommonwealth's Attorney703-777-0242

Who is the Loudoun County prosecutor?

Attorney Buta Biberaj
Loudoun Commonwealth's Attorney Buta Biberaj defended her office's work and pushed for more funding from the county Board of Supervisors during a more than two-hour “State of Justice” online presentation Wednesday night.Feb 3, 2022

Commonwealth Attorney Careers

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a commonwealth attorney. For example, did you know that they make an average of $29.4 an hour? That's $61,143 a year!

Average Salary for a Commonwealth Attorney

Commonwealth Attorneys in America make an average salary of $61,143 per year or $29 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $87,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $42,000 per year.

Online Courses For Commonwealth Attorney That You May Like

An in-depth look at criminal law and the real world of prosecutors, defense attorneys, and the paralegals who work closely with them...

Top Skills For a Commonwealth Attorney

The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on.

How Do Commonwealth Attorney Rate Their Jobs?

Rate how you like work as Commonwealth Attorney. It's anonymous and will only take a minute.

Responsibilities & Staff

The Commonwealth's Attorney's Office is responsible for prosecuting all felony, domestic violence, and serious misdemeanor cases in Gloucester County where the Code of Virginia requires.

Victim-Witness Assistance Program

The Victim-Witness Assistance Program is also housed within this office. It is responsible for assisting victims of crimes as their cases proceed through the criminal justice system.

Additional Information

Our website is designed to help you understand the role of our office in the criminal justice system. We hope that the information contained on this site will answer any questions you may have. Please feel free to call our office if you have any additional questions.

What is the job of an assistant Commonwealth's attorney?

The Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney is responsible for all aspects of the prosecution of felony and misdemeanor cases in Jefferson Circuit Court, and in any other jurisdiction when appointed as a Special Prosecutor.

What is the job of a paralegal in the Commonwealth?

The primary functions of the paralegal position in the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney include: Preparing a criminal history conviction report on each felony case. Obtaining records from other criminal justice agencies. Requirements include a paralegal degree.

What is the job of a prosecutor assistant?

The Assistant is responsible for directing the work of the “prosecution team,” consisting of co-counsel, victim advocate, paralegal, detective, law clerk, secretary, and clerical staff.The primary responsibility of the Assistant is to see that justice is accomplished.

What is the job of a legal secretary?

The primary responsibility of the legal secretary is to transcribe, type, and proofread to ensure quality of legal documents. In addition to these duties, the legal secretary performs a variety of secretarial duties including telephone, mail distribution and maintain files.

What is the job of a paralegal?

The primary functions of the paralegal position in the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney include: Preparing a criminal history conviction report on each felony case. Obtaining records from other criminal justice agencies. Preparing and organizing prosecutors case files. Assisting prosecutors with trial preparation.

What is the Commonwealth Secretariat?

The Commonwealth Secretariat is the intergovernmental organisation which co-ordinates and carries out much of the Commonwealth's work, supported by a network of more than 80 organisations.

How many countries are there in the Commonwealth?

The Commonwealth is an association of 54 countries working towards shared goals of prosperity, democracy and peace. The Commonwealth Secretariat is the intergovernmental organisation which co-ordinates and carries out much of the Commonwealth's work, supported by a network of more than 80 organisations.

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