what is the difference between a county attorney and a state district attorney

by Cindy Pacocha PhD 10 min read

A lawyer who represents the state in local criminal cases is usually referred to as the "District Attorney," although, depending on your state, these attorneys can go by other titles such as "Prosecuting Attorney" or "County Attorney." The Attorney General of a state typically represents the state in civil cases, but ...

Are county district attorneys appointed or elected?

Answer (1 of 5): Generally, a district attorney is a county position. They are often elected, sometimes appointed. They are in charge of prosecuting crimes that occur in a given county. The State Attorney (or Attorney General, depending on the …

Who would prosecute a district attorney?

Dec 12, 2003 · Quote: A state attorney acts as a state legal representative while a district attorney is a prosecuting officer of a judicial district, he represent state in a distict level. I'm not sure this is accurate. As I understand it, it's merely a …

Is the prosecutor and the district attorney the same person?

So, as far as the District Attorney’s go, most of the court in Los Angeles County staff the District Attorney’s office and there are about twenty-five different courts now. There’s one main District Attorney’s office which is in downtown Los Angeles actually in the criminal court building at 210 West Temple. The City Attorney’s office ...

Who oversees a Texas County district attorney?

Mar 11, 2022 · Minutes. 5 5. Seconds. By: Corgarashu. In some countries, a county attorney is an elected official that completes the legal work of the residents of the county. By: sepy. A county attorney may work on child custody disputes. By: James Martin. Some county attorneys practice only in county court and may not be involved in criminal cases.

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Is district attorney local or state?

In the United States, a district attorney (DA), state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a local government area, typically a county or a group of counties.

Is the DA and the prosecutor the same thing?

A district attorney is also referred to as a public prosecutor, state's attorney, or prosecuting attorney. The analogous position in the federal system is a United States Attorney.

What is a county attorney in Texas?

The county attorney represents the state in the justice of the peace and county courts, defends suits in which the county is interested, and serves as legal advisor to county and precinct officials. If the county has no district attorney, the county attorney also represents the state in district courts.

Is a district attorney a lawyer?

The D.A. or District Attorney is a lawyer in the U.S. who works for the state and prosecutes people on behalf of it. There are also, of course, defense attorneys in America who act on behalf of their clients.

What is another word for district attorney?

What is another word for district attorney?DAprosecutorprosecuting attorneyjastate attorneylawyercounselattorneyprocurator fiscal2 more rows

What is a district attorney in Texas?

A district attorney in Texas has the following duties: Represents the state in prosecuting felony criminal cases. Works with law enforcement officers in the investigation of criminal cases. Presents cases to the grand jury.

Are county attorneys elected in Texas?

County attorney is an elected position in the state of Texas according to the state's constitution.

Who is above the district attorney?

The state attorney general is the highest law enforcement officer in state government and often has the power to review complaints about unethical and illegal conduct on the part of district attorneys.

What is a district attorney?

In the United States, a district attorney ( DA ), state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a local government area, typically a county. The exact name and scope of the office varies by state.

What is the jurisdiction of a district attorney?

The geographical jurisdiction of a district attorney may be delineated by the boundaries of a county, judicial circuit, or judicial district. Their duties generally include charging crimes through informations and/or grand jury indictments.

What is a prosecutor district?

This term for a prosecutor originates with the traditional use of the term "district" for multi-county prosecutorial jurisdictions in several U.S. states. For example, New York appointed prosecutors to multi-county districts prior to 1813.

What does a county attorney do?

For example, in Arizona, Missouri, Montana, and Minnesota a county attorney represents the county and state within their county, prosecutes all felonies occurring within the county, and prosecutes misdemeanors occurring within unincorporated areas of the county.

What is a county prosecutor in Ohio?

In Ohio a county prosecutor represents the county and state within their county, prosecutes all crimes within the county, and is legal adviser to the board of county commissioners, board of elections, and all other county officers and boards.

What is the role of a prosecutor?

In carrying out their duties, prosecutors have the authority to investigate persons, grant immunity to witnesses and accused criminals, and plea bargain with defendants. A district attorney leads a staff of prosecutors, who are most commonly known as deputy district attorneys (DDAs).

What is a DA?

In the United States, a district attorney ( DA ), state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a local government area, typically a county. The exact name and scope of the office varies by state.

What is the difference between a city attorney and a district attorney?

The City Attorney has the main person. They have an assistant. They have a bunch of Deputies. They have supervising City Attorneys in each of the branches of the courthouses. The District Attorney is like a business. They have a head District Attorney and they have multiple Assistant heads. They’ve got office heads.

Where is the District Attorney's office in Los Angeles?

There’s one main District Attorney’s office which is in downtown Los Angeles actually in the criminal court building at 210 West Temple. The City Attorney’s office has their own offices as well. They’re in most of the courthouses. There are a few examples of courthouses where there’s only District Attorneys and they prosecute both felonies ...

Who prosecutes felonies?

But in most of the courthouses, there’s both City Attorneys and District Attorneys, and again, the District Attorneys are usually prosecuting the felonies – the more serious cases, and the City Attorneys are usually prosecuting the misdemeanors – or the more community-based offenses. So, there’s a head City Attorney.

Do city and district attorneys work together?

Sometimes they have to work together. Sometimes the City Attorneys and District Attorneys have to deal with a case where both a felony and a misdemeanor are filed. Sometimes somebody will be on misdemeanor probation and commit a felony, and then the City Attorney comes in and give their position on how they’re going to deal with their probation violation, for example, so it has to be coordinated between the defense attorney and also the District Attorney. So, a lot of times the City Attorney and District Attorney will work side-by-side on certain cases in certain situations.

What is the job description of a county attorney?

The job description for a county attorney depends on the county where the attorney practices. Generally speaking, county attorneys are public employees who work at the county level, representing the interests of the government in court in addition to advising public officials on legal matters .

What is the role of a county attorney in a criminal case?

Crimes like robbery, murder, and rape are charged as crimes against the government, rather than individual victims, and the county attorney represents the county in the suit, acting as a prosecutor. The county attorney develops a case, assembles witnesses, participates in evidence discovery, and goes to trial with the case if ...

Why do people apply for county attorneys?

People usually apply for positions as county attorneys because they are interested in serving the public interest.

Do county attorneys practice law privately?

They do not practice law privately and the scope of the cases they handle depends on whether there is also a district attorney in the region. If there is no district attorney, county attorneys handle civil and criminal cases all the way to the level of district court. If one is present, county attorneys practice only in county court ...

Do county attorneys work in criminal cases?

Some county attorneys practice only in county court and may not be involved in criminal cases. The structure of a county attorney's office varies. For some county attorneys, the focus of the work is on civil matters like restraining orders, child custody disputes, and so forth, paired with advising county officials by request.

What is a district attorney?

A district attorney typically works for a county or state government and acts as the prosecutor in criminal cases. Each state maintains a justice department responsible for criminal prosecutions. Cities, towns and counties also maintain justice departments responsible for prosecuting crimes against local and state ordinances.

Requirements for a district attorney

Here are the requirements that aspiring district attorneys need to fulfill before finding work in the field:

Top skills for district attorney

Here are the top skills that a district attorney typically needs to succeed:

Work environment for district attorneys

While much of a district attorney's job can take place in a legal office, they can also work in other locations like libraries and courtrooms.

Salary and job outlook for district attorneys

The national average salary for attorneys in the United States, including district attorneys, is currently $94,578 per year, which is a very competitive salary. However, the compensation that a district attorney receives can vary depending on their education level, experience and skills obtained throughout their career.

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Assistant District Attorney

  • Synonyms: ADA, Prosecutor, Prosecuting Attorney, Deputy District Attorney Job Description:An Assistant District Attorney, or ADA, is the individual you probably think of when picturing a courtroom trial. The ADA is the prosecutor who stands before the courtroom presenting evidenc…
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Defense Attorney

  • Synonyms:Public Defender, Defense Lawyer, Defense Counsel, Criminal Defense Attorney, Criminal Trial Lawyer Job Description:A Defense Attorney is the defendant’s legal representative in the courtroom and is responsible for protecting the defendant’s rights. A Defense Attorney provides legal defense for the accused by guiding clients through the legal process, seeking bail …
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State’S Attorney General

  • Synonyms:Attorney General, State Attorney General, Attorneys General Job Description:Each of the 50 states, as well as the U.S. territories, have an Attorney General serving as chief legal officer to work on criminal, civil, and consumer protection cases. These State Attorney Generals work under the leadership of the U.S. Attorney General. According to the National Association of Attor…
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U.S. Attorney

  • Synonyms:United States Attorney, USA Job Description:Appointed by the President of the United States, U.S. Attorneys prosecute federal crimes, rather than state crimes. In addition to prosecuting federal crimes, U.S. Attorneys prosecute and defend civil cases for the United States, as well as collect outstanding debts to the Federal Government. Just as District Attorneys have …
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Assistant United States Attorney

  • Synonyms: Federal Prosecutor, AUSA, Assistant U.S. Attorney Job Description:An Assistant U.S. Attorney represents the federal government by prosecuting federal criminal charges. In federal civil cases, a U.S. Attorney can serve as the prosecutor, or as the defense on behalf of the federal government. The AUSA is appointed to try individual cases at the discretion of the U.S. Attorney …
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U.S. Attorney General

  • Synonyms: Attorney General, United States Attorney General Job Description: The unique role of U.S. Attorney General applies to the individual who has been appointed by the President of the United States and leads the United States Department of Justice. The current Attorney General is Merrick Garland, who was sworn-in in March of 2021. Attorney General Garland directs approxi…
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Overview

In the United States, a district attorney (DA), state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a local government area, typically a countyor a group of counties. The exact name and scope of the office varies by state. Alternative titles for the office include coun…

History

This term for a prosecutor originates with the traditional use of the term "district" for multi-county prosecutorial jurisdictions in several U.S. states. For example, New York appointed prosecutors to multi-county districts prior to 1813. Even after those states broke up such districts and started appointing or electing prosecutors for individual counties, they continued to use the title "district attorney" for the most senior prosecutor in a county rather than switch to "county attorney".

Role

The principal duties of the district attorney are usually mandated by law and include representing the State in all criminal trials for crimes which occurred in the district attorney's geographical jurisdiction. The geographical jurisdiction of a district attorney may be delineated by the boundaries of a county, judicial circuit, or judicial district.
Their duties generally include charging crimes through informationsand/or grand jury indictment…

Departments

The district attorney usually divides their services into several departments that handle different areas of criminal law. Each department is staffed by several duly appointed and sworn ASAs. The departments of a large district attorney's office may include but are not limited to: felony, misdemeanor, domestic violence, traffic, juvenile, charging (or case filing), drug prosecution, forfeitures, civil affairs such as eminent domain, child advocacy, child support, victim assistance…

Nomenclature

The name of the role of local prosecutor may vary by state or jurisdiction based on whether they serve a county or a multi-county district, the responsibility to represent the state or county in addition to prosecution, or local historical customs.
District attorney and assistant district attorney are the most common titles for state prosecutors, and are used by jurisdictions within the United States including California, Delaware, Georgia, Mas…

Assistant district attorney

The assistant district attorney (assistant DA, ADA) (or state prosecutor or assistant state's attorney) is a law enforcement official who represents the state government on behalf of the district attorney in investigating and prosecuting individuals alleged to have committed a crime. In carrying out their duties to enforce state and local laws, ADA have the authority to investigate persons, is…

Appeals

Depending on state law, appeals are moved to appellate courts (also called appeals courts, courts of appeals, superior courts, or supreme courts in some states). During the appeals process district attorneys, in many cases, hands all relative prosecutorial materials to a state appellate prosecutor who in turn will represent the state in appellate courts with the advice and consent of the district attorney.

District attorney investigators

Some district attorneys maintain their own law enforcement arm whose members are sworn peace officers. Depending on the jurisdiction, they are referred to as district attorney investigators or county detectives.