Assistant District Attorney - Civil/Criminal

Appointment Type:   Permanent-Exempt (PEX) Appointment.  Pursuant to the City & County of San Francisco Charter, Section 10.104.13. Any person occupying a position under exempt appointment shall not be subject to civil service selection, appointment, and removal procedures. Exempt employees shall serve at the pleasure of the appointing officer.

The San Francisco District Attorney's Office is one of the most respected and innovative prosecutor’s offices in the United States. Our mission is to promote justice by fostering accountability and repairing harms by using data-driven, evidence-based approaches.  In addition, what sets our office apart is our dedication to addressing root causes of crime and preventing recidivism; our centering of crime victim and survivors; and our commitment to eliminating racial and class inequities in the criminal legal system—including through reduced reliance on incarceration.  Our office engages in public education and crime prevention efforts while maintaining the traditional role of investigating, charging, and prosecuting all criminal violations occurring within the City and County of San Francisco.  The unparalleled opportunities for challenging, meaningful, and sophisticated work have consistently drawn top candidates to our office over the years.

Assistant District Attorneys are given substantial responsibility early in their careers and generally start in the Criminal Division handling various cases.  Opportunities to handle more serious and complex cases are afforded as more experience is gained.  Additionally, unique opportunities are afforded to Assistant District Attorneys who show great interest or possess the specialized experience to work within the Office’s White-Collar Criminal Division.  This Division is comprised of experienced attorneys who prosecute white collar crime such as economic fraud, public corruption, consumer and environmental crimes. 

With the diverse nature of our community, the ability to work with people of different backgrounds is critical in the work we do.  Also critical is an interest to developing new responses to promote public safety that foster a more just and equitable society. The Office of the District Attorney proactively seeks to recruit, retain and promote legal staff that reflect the diversity of the community served.

Assistant District Attorneys are given substantial responsibility early in their careers and generally start in the Criminal Division handling various cases.  Opportunities to handle more serious and complex cases are afforded as more experience is gained.  Additionally, unique opportunities are afforded to Assistant District Attorneys who show great interest or possess the specialized experience to work within the Office’s White-Collar Criminal Division.  This Division is comprised of experienced attorneys who prosecute white collar crime such as economic fraud, public corruption, consumer and environmental crimes. 

With the diverse nature of our community, the ability to work with people of different backgrounds is critical in the work we do.  Also critical is an interest to developing new responses to promote public safety that foster a more just and equitable society. The Office of the District Attorney proactively seeks to recruit, retain and promote legal staff that reflect the diversity of the community served.

Essential functions include but are not limited to:

• Tries jury and bench criminal cases and litigates evidentiary and other hearings in the San Francisco Superior Court;
• Represents the People of the State of California in person via court appearances and in written petitions, motions, appeals, and/or other court documents.  Includes the preparation (word processing/database management) of such court documents. May require being placed in a high-stress environment and/or exposure to complex and challenging cases;
• Dedicates role to the pursuit of justice by exercising fair and ethical prosecution practices and respecting the humanity and dignity of everyone involved in a criminal case—whether a victim, witness, or defendant;
• Interviews witnesses; conducts and or supervises investigations and writes legal briefs in conjunction with assigned cases and trials. 
• Prepares daily court calendar and maintains various records of warrants and citations issued. 
• Maintains files, including, but not limited to: accurate recording of the status of work product, filing of memos on the disposition of cases, running law enforcement database checks on criminal backgrounds such as rap sheets, and transporting relevant files and/or file materials to court for appearances. 
• Receives and investigates complaints from the general public and representatives of the police department to determine the necessity for issuing of citations or warrants; interviews witnesses and issues citations; conducts citation hearings and determines the necessity for issuing warrants.
• Performs research manually and via computer for the purpose of performing all other duties related to the prosecution of criminal cases.
• May represent the District Attorney to other law enforcement agencies, community-based organizations, neighborhood/citizen meetings.
• Performs related duties and responsibilities as assigned.

License or certificate:

Requires membership in the State Bar Association and license to practice in all state courts.

Desired Qualifications:

The candidate should have a comprehensive knowledge of state and federal and municipal codes, laws, and ordinances, particularly as applied to civil and criminal laws; legal processes and techniques of courtroom and jury trial work; administrative techniques and methods, particularly as they relate to the activities of the District Attorney's Office.

The candidate should have the ability to: speak and write effectively in the preparation and presentation of assigned legal cases; exercise considerable judgment and tact in dealing with court officials, juries, law enforcement agencies, and other governmental agencies in connection with legal assignments.

Applications will be screened for relevant qualifying experience.  Additional screening mechanisms may be implemented in order to determine candidates’ qualifications.  Only those applicants who most closely meet the needs of the Agency will be invited to participate in the selection process.  Applicants meeting the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed advancement to the process.

Salary Range commensurates with experience: $131,144 - $229,736 annually

This is a continuous recruitment

Contact: Shavaun Tolliver, Senior Human Resources Analyst (628) 652-4040

CONDITION OF EMPLOYMENT:  All City and County of San Francisco employees are required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment.  For details on how it is applicable to your employment, please click here.

The City and County of San Francisco encourages women, minorities and persons with disabilities to apply. Applicants will be considered regardless of their sex, race, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition (associated with cancer, a history of cancer, or genetic characteristics), HIV/AIDS status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, military and veteran status, or other protected category under the law.

Carol Isen - Human Resources Director