Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg visits WCL for a Fireside Chat
As the District Attorney for Manhattan, Alvin Bragg oversees a jurisdiction that deals with crime on the streets and Wall Street.
Bragg visited Washington College of Law in September for a Fireside Chat with Dean Roger Fairfax, Jr., and to meet with students considering careers as prosecutors.
Before being elected as District Attorney in 2021, Bragg served as an Assistant Attorney General at the New York State Attorney General’s Office and as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. But, in private practice, he has also represented the families of Eric Garner and Ramarley Graham in wrongful death lawsuits against New York City after each man was killed by police.
During his Fireside Chat, Bragg discussed how that range of experiences prepared him to lead his office, saying his role is to bridge the law with the community.
He also described his office’s expanded commitment to prosecuting hate crimes, increasing alternative sentencing options to incarceration, and the new landscape for prosecuting gun crimes.
Bragg also offered advice for students who will soon be taking the bar: Get as much experiential work as you can while in law school, and then don’t let being a lawyer define your entire life.