Dealing with Young People
 

I have recently had my assignment at the DA's office changed. After being in the homicide unit for about 18 years (10 as the supervisor) I have been moved to supervising the misdemeanor team. This is the entry level for attornies ina DA's office.

I now have nine new attornies to mentor.

I have to admit that my time chatting with the members of gd has actually been of some use in allowing me to communicate with young people.

This could be your chance to influence the lives of others.

Give me advice on how to deal with supervising people who are much nearer to your age than they are to mine.

Any do's or don'ts?

Any tips on what they will actually be thinking when they are smiling at me and saying "Yes sir" after I have given them some inane direction just to screw with their impressionable young minds?

Should I put all managerial decisions uip to gd and see what as a collective group we can do to the criminal justice system in central California?

Re: Dealing with Young People
 

The people here are to nerdy to do anything criminal atleast.
You do have wannabes like Gordon and Dace, but they are all pimple, no action.

Re: Dealing with Young People
 

Now you got me scared. :(

Re: Dealing with Young People
 

Treat them how you would older people and they will be grateful and like you :)

Unless they take the piss, in which case fire them immediately.

Re: Dealing with Young People
 

Some of them probably think the world evolves around them. If so is the case, you might want to put them down to earth sooner than later.

Re: Dealing with Young People
 

I do not really get it, have you been demoted?

Re: Dealing with Young People
 

They're attorneys. I think we can assume that's a given*. ;)






*Assuming you meant revolves.

Re: Dealing with Young People
 

thanks, tac, ofc I ment revolves.

Re: Dealing with Young People
 

Re: Dealing with Young People
 

I am NOT a manager; btw.

Re: Dealing with Young People
 

Seeing as you are a lot older and have a lot more experience than them I assume that they will expect you to know what you`re talking about. So on the plus side they`ll listen to you and probably do what you tell them to do.

As long as you don`t try and act their age (e.g. saying "Yo dudes, I bought Timbaland`s new track the other day, it`s super phat!") then I don`t see any real problems arising.

By the sounds of it you`re already a supervisor so Just treat them like you treated the people you supervised in the past.

Re: Dealing with Young People
 

Despite what they say, secure people ultimately want a mentor they can look up to rather than someone that engages with them on their own level. If youre effortlessly competent and show it then those that are driven are going to respect you, regardless of whether you go out of your way to learn da lingo of da kids.

Re: Dealing with Young People
 

No. The position of supervising the homicide unit is very easy and has little impact as you are supervising people who need no supervision. They are among the most competent people in the office and thus supervision of them usually consists of handing them cases and then listening to them when they wish to rant about what some judge or defense attorney has done that didn't quite suit them.

Being the supervisor of the misdemeanor team is much more demanding in that you need to teach them most of the fundementals of how to actually function as an attorney in an all-too-real courtroom.

There are so many things which new attorneys need to know which I take for granted. I forget so many of the basics which someone had to teach me when I first began.

I keep telling them that my job is to teach them to make proper decisions, not to make those decisions for them. I also feel responsible for teaching them a higher standard of ethics than they would get from watching television or motion picture depictions of prosecutors.

Re: Dealing with Young People
 

Not true. We aren't doctors you know.

Re: Dealing with Young People
 

I'd say to be patient and understanding with the newbies (everyone will commit at least one ****up). At the same time, as Deepflow said, treat them like any other attorney and they'll be grateful to have a boss that doesn't treat them like shit. Earn their respect, not through showing off your record but through your actions - demonstrating how to win. They should be fairly reverent of you anyway, given that you're the DDA, but there's nothing like seeing you do your stuff.

Re: Dealing with Young People
 

This is a mistake I can probably avoid as I was never much for lingo, dude.

Re: Dealing with Young People
 

Show em that you post on this forum, and they should be in awe of your youthfullness!

Re: Dealing with Young People
 

You shold take them to some remote desert area.

Once there, you should ask them a series of questions (legal or otherwise, I'll leave that to your discretion).

the first one to get a question wrong, you kill them (gun is easiest, but again whateever you feel most comfortable with)

Get the rest to bury the body by digging the grave with their bare hands.

You will permantly gain the full attention.

Re: Dealing with Young People
 

Group motivation! Excellent! I knew that consulting PA was the right decision.

Re: Dealing with Young People
 

[quote=dda
There are so many things which new attorneys need to know which I take for granted. I forget so many of the basics which someone had to teach me when I first began.
[/QUOTE]

you know what they say, once you get to a certain point to expand your own skills you have to teach them to others so that you can learn your own shortcomings