Deputy District Attorney I

Salary : $140,024.88 - $170,183.76 Annually
Location : Santa Rosa, CA
Job Type: Full-Time
Job Number: 26/07-4005-OC
Department: District Attorney's Office (DAO)
Opening Date: 07/31/2026
Closing Date: Continuous
Bargaining Unit: 45

Position Information
Are you scheduled to take the California (CA) Bar exam or awaiting your California Bar results? We encourage you to apply!
The Sonoma County District Attorney's Office is seeking experienced and passionate attorneys to join their team!
Starting salary up to $81.54/hourly ($170,183/annually) and a competitive total compensation package!
The District Attorney's Office is currently recruiting to fill two Deputy District Attorney positions at either the Deputy District Attorney I, II, III, or IV levels depending on qualifications. If you are interested in being considered at the different levels of this opportunity, you must apply to the separate concurrent recruitments being conducted for those levels.

The Positions
As a Deputy District Attorney I, you will be responsible for all phases of criminal prosecution as a member of the Misdemeanor Team. This position will review police reports to determine whether the District Attorney's Office should file criminal charges, will prosecute criminal cases from initial arraignment through completion, including jury trials. and will be responsible for a high volume of cases and must actively engage with other attorneys on the Misdemeanor Team.
This position will also be expected to routinely make independent decisions while exercising sound discretion. Due to the high volume of work, an attorney in this position cannot possibly consult with others before making every decision. However, the attorney in this position should consult with colleagues to ensure that all attorneys are consistently achieving uniform and just outcomes. For more serious cases involving vulnerable victims, this position is expected to consult with a Chief Deputy District Attorney.

The Ideal Candidates

In addition to holding a Juris Doctorate degree and being admitted to the California Bar, the ideal candidates will also possess experience that demonstrates an interest in practicing criminal prosecution. They will have some experience with court appearances, arguing legal motions, conducting legal research and writing, and handling daily court calendars. They will be selflessly committed to handling challenging work for the betterment of the community and be dedicated to ensuring equal justice and equal access to the criminal justice system for all citizens of Sonoma County regardless of race, gender, sexual identity, ethnic origin, or nationality. The ideal candidate will also possess many of the following:

• Training in trial advocacy or other aspects of California criminal law
• Excellent written and oral communication skills including the ability to communicate effectively in a public setting
• Effective negotiation skills when interacting with opposing attorneys
• Some experience using an electronic case management system
• The ability to empathetically communicate with victims of crimes and other members of the public
• A team player mindset to actively engage with all members of the office
• The ability to thrive in a high demand, difficult decision-making environment

Please note: A current, active member of the State Bar of California is required by date of hire, please see Questions 4 and 5.

Minimum Qualifications

Experience: Completion of a law clerk program in a District Attorney's office is highly desirable.

Professional License: Current active membership in the State Bar of California.

License: Possession of a valid driver's license at the appropriate level including special endorsements as required by the State of California to perform the essential job functions of the position. The positions advertised on this announcement do not require possession of a valid California Driver's License.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Knowledge of: the duties, powers, limitations, and authorities of the Office of the District Attorney; the principles of civil or criminal law, principles of trial procedure, and rules of evidence; legal research methods and judicial procedures; written and oral communications, including language mechanics, syntax and English composition.

Ability to: research, analyze and apply legal principles, facts, evidence and precedents to legal problems; establish and maintain effective working relationships with staff members, departmental representatives, county officials, the courts, law enforcement agency officials, and the general public; understand and accept differences in human behavior, and cultural and ethnic backgrounds.

Selection Procedure & Some Helpful Tips When Applying

• Your application information and your responses to the supplemental questions are evaluated and taken into consideration throughout the entire selection process.
• You should list all employers and positions held within the last ten years in the work history section of your application. Be as thorough as possible when responding to the supplemental questions.
• You may include history beyond ten years if related to the position for which you are applying. If you held multiple positions with one employer, list out each position separately.
• Failure to follow these instructions may impact your competitiveness in this process or may result in disqualification.

Please visit to review more detailed information about the hiring process, including the application process, examination steps, and department selection process.

Application submissions require the Supplemental Questionnaire be completed.

Responses to supplemental questions will be used in assessing minimum qualifications. Please provide specific and detailed responses of a reasonable length to allow for a thorough assessment of your qualifications. Responses that state, "See Resume" or "See Application" may be considered insufficient.

The selection procedure will consist of the following examination:

An Application and Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination (weight 100%). Each application and supplemental questionnaire will be thoroughly evaluated for satisfaction of minimum qualifications and relevance of educational coursework, training, experience, knowledge, and abilities that relate to this position. Candidates possessing the most appropriate job-related qualifications will be placed on an employment list and referred to the department for selection interviews.

Additional Information

It is the policy of law enforcement and legal offices and departments, in the County of Sonoma, that candidates complete a thorough background investigation process prior to employment. This policy is imperative in order to keep the department's employees and the public safe and to maintain high standards in the law enforcement community. Candidates referred to departments for a selection interview are typically required to sign authorization and release forms enabling such an investigation. Failure to sign prescribed forms will result in the candidate not being considered further for that vacancy. Reference information will not be made available to candidates.

The background investigation will include a thorough assessment of a candidate's personal, employment, educational, criminal, and credit history. The investigation may include but is not necessarily limited to: use of prescription and/or other drugs, reports from former employers, friends, family members, educational institutions, law enforcement agencies, credit reports, court reports, public records search, and/or other relevant sources. Candidates must be honest and forthcoming about information that may arise during the background process. Deception during any portion of this process is grounds for disqualification, even after employment.

Depending on the assignment, candidates may be required to take a pre-employment medical examination and may be required to take a polygraph examination. All candidates for law enforcement positions are required to undergo drug testing as part of the selection process. Additionally, candidates may be required to take a pre-employment psychological and physical abilities examination. The results of these examinations and the background investigation shall be confidential and shall not be available to the candidate for review. Failure to pass the background investigation will eliminate a candidate from the employment process. You may also review the to determine the requirements for this position.

Issues that arise during the investigation process will be assessed and judgment and discretion will be used to determine the employability of the candidate. Where there is evidence of a candidate's past use of controlled substances, many factors shall be used to determine the employability of the individual such as a pattern of use, kind of drug used, circumstances of the start of the drug use, treatment, behavior and attitude since discontinuance, etc. Please note that a history of using controlled substances does not result in automatic disqualification from the selection process. Prior to disqualifying any candidate whose profile falls within the provisions of the policy, the candidate shall be given the opportunity to present any and all evidence of mitigating facts that the candidate feels s