Biggest Challenges Faced By A Deputy District Attorney In Trial Litigation
The biggest challenge for this Deputy District Attorney in Trial Litigation is navigating the inherently adversarial nature of criminal law, where "I can't make everybody happy," as decisions that benefit victims and uphold the prosecution's interests often lead to dissatisfaction from defendants, their lawyers, and those connected to them. Though the professional values doing "the right thing" over being liked, it is still an adjustment to accept that not everyone will be appreciative of the decisions that must be made.
Ethical Dilemmas, Adversarial Relationships, Victim Advocacy, Decision-Making, Interpersonal Skills
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Lance Cotton
Deputy District Attorney
Trial Litigation
California State University: Long Beach
Chapman University, School of Law
Criminal Justice
Law
Legal
Scholarship Recipient, Pell Grant Recipient, Took Out Loans, Greek Life Member, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. Navigating the adversarial nature of criminal law where making everyone happy is impossible due to conflicting interests of victims and defendants.
2. Balancing the desire to be liked with the necessity of making difficult decisions that may upset or disappoint others involved in a case.
3. Prioritizing the best interests of their employer (the prosecution) even when it leads to dissatisfaction from the opposing side.
Transcript
What is your biggest challenge in your role?
The biggest challenge, I would say, is that I've always been more of a people pleaser. I think I've generally gone about life making people happy or appreciative of my life choices and the things I decide to do.
In the realm of criminal law, because it's adversarial, sometimes, or a lot of times, I can't make everybody happy. You have some cases with victims and real-life consequences for what has happened to them.
Making the victim happy is not necessarily going to make the defendant, or the individual charged with the crime, happy. It's not going to make their lawyer happy. So sometimes I'm not the most liked person in a situation.
It's taken some getting used to. I value the role that I have and I'll never not do the right thing for the sake of being liked or well-received. But it's still unfortunate sometimes when people are upset or disappointed at how I'm going about doing my job or the decisions that I'm making.
This never really comes from within my employer; it's generally always in the best interest of my employer. So, sometimes what's in the best interest for the prosecution of a case is not necessarily going to make the other side happy.
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