Trial Bureaus

The Trial Division comprises six large trial bureaus. Approximately 45 attorneys of varying levels of experience staff each of the bureaus. In addition to the legal staff, each bureau has a bureau administrator, paralegals, and secretaries.

Assistants in these trial bureaus, which are on intake in the Complaint Room on a rotating basis, evaluate felony and misdemeanor arrests and draft complaints. Felony cases are generally assigned to an Assistant District Attorney at the time a complaint is drawn up in the Complaint Room. The majority of misdemeanor cases are assigned after arraignment. The assigned attorney then handles the case from that point until the final disposition of the case. For more information on the criminal justice process, see Arrest to Sentence.

The type of case that an Assistant District Attorney handles is commensurate with his or her level of experience. Junior attorneys begin by handling misdemeanor cases and then advance to felony cases. The most senior attorneys are responsible for homicide and other major felony cases.