Sean McCauley (’17) Joins the Bronx County District Attorney Office
As an assistant district attorney, this Altarescu Public Interest Fellowship recipient seeks justice for survivors of domestic violence.
To get some experience before law school, he worked as a defense investigator at the Georgetown University Law Center. His job, which involved tasks like inspecting crime scenes and canvassing for and interviewing witnesses, deepened his belief that criminal law was the right path for him.
When it was time for law school, McCauley came to BU Law because of its “incredibly robust” criminal procedure faculty, clinical programs, and internship opportunities. He spent his first summer interning at the Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project, a nonprofit organization that provides appellate legal services and advocacy to people who have been convicted and incarcerated for a crime of which they claim innocence, supported by an Altarescu Public Interest Summer Fellowship.
As he investigated cold cases, McCauley discovered a surprising career interest: prosecution. “I saw how I could address deficits in the prosecution of crimes by working as a prosecutor,” he explains. “I wanted to represent constituents and victims, and make sure cases are prosecuted ethically with respect to the constitutional rights of the accused.”
A Semester-in-Practice with National Public Radio reinforced this interest even more. At NPR, McCauley worked with Legal Affairs Correspondent Nina Totenberg to report on cases being considered for argument and being argued at the US Supreme Court. “Working at NPR gave me a unique opportunity to observe lawyers at the Supreme Court in action. It was fascinating to watch them litigate and I knew I wanted to work in court.”
Back at BU Law, he continued exploring criminal law with courses like Criminal Procedure with David Rossman, director of the Criminal Law Clinical Program, Federal Habeas Corpus with Professor Emeritus Larry Yackle, and a Supreme Court Seminar with Professor Tracey Maclin. “Those all have reputations as rigorous classes, and they were absolutely worth taking,” he says.
McCauley gained even more hands-on experience in the school’s Criminal Law Clinical Program, spending a summer as a student attorney in the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office. Both experiences gave him a taste of what it’s like to have a caseload and argue on behalf of both defendants and victims, which reinforced his decision to become a prosecutor. “The weekend after my internship ended at the DA’s office, I began applying to DA offices for jobs after graduation,” he says, noting that he also served as an intern in the US Attorney’s Office in Boston.
Now an assistant district attorney at the Bronx County District Attorney’s Office in New York, McCauley serves in the Domestic Violence Bureau. “I wanted to advocate on behalf of victims and see that justice is done for someone who has been hurt. The best way to assure that I had cases with a victim attached was by working in this bureau,” he explains.
As for his job responsibilities, McCauley notes that he works on a three-day rotation. The first day is for receiving new cases, so those days are spent writing up complaints, interviewing witnesses and officers, and sending cases to arraignment. On a typical day, he “catches” up to four cases. Since he works in a vertical prosecution system, he continues handling every case he “catches” throughout its lifecycle.
The second day is spent in a court dedicated to domestic violence cases in the Bronx. The third day is for responding to motions and conducting trial preparation.
“When I stand up and say, ‘Sean McCauley for the People,’ it’s exhilarating,” he says. “Every day brings new issues. My job is very challenging, but I never get bored. I credit BU Law with helping me to refine my interests and gain the knowledge and experience needed for this career path.”