Bernalillo County DA’s office looks to hire more prosecutors
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BERNALILLO COUNTY, N.M. – These days it seems like everyone has a “We’re hiring” sign out front, from local restaurants, all the way up to the District Attorney’s Office.
KOB 4 learned Wednesday the Bernalillo County district attorney is looking to hire 40 more prosecutors.
“If you’re a lawyer, and you want to get immediate trial experience and understand the ins and outs of a courtroom right away this is the place to work,” District Attorney Sam Bregman says in a new commercial you may have seen on your TV, or in your Facebook feed recently.
“When I came into the office in early January, we had less than 80 lawyers. It’s natural some lawyers left with Raúl when he became the attorney general and I have no problem with that, but at the same time we have a lot of work to do here,” Bregman added.
Currently, there are 87 prosecutors at the Bernalillo County DA’s office, but they have funding to employ 126.
Spencer Schact: “Do you know the last time the DA’s office was fully-staffed?”
“No. I don’t,” Bregman answered, “It’s no secret there is a shortage of lawyers in the criminal justice system right now. I would respectfully say to anyone looking to work in the criminal justice system this is the place to be, you can really make a difference to your community right off the bat.”
They are casting a wide net as they look to fill 40 more positions.
“From people who just became lawyers to seasoned lawyers, we have a job for you,” Bregman said.
Bregman says making these hires is about more than just filling positions, it’s about fighting crime.
“It’s no secret we have a crime issue in New Mexico, and we need to be fully-staffed to do our job the best that we can. We have some great prosecutors in this office, I’m thrilled to work with all of them, but they need help, and we need to hire,” Bregman said.
The DA’s office says pay will start around $71,000 and go up depending on experience.
For more information, visit the Bernalillo County District Attorney’s Office website.