Home > Training > Mentoring
The Transition Into Prosecution Program is the prosecution-based educational program for assistant district attorneys, assistant solicitors-general and other prosecutors who are admitted to the practice of law on or after July 1, 2005. The Transition Into Prosecution Program was approved by the Commission on Continuing Legal Competency of the State Bar of Georgia on September 1, 2005 pursuant to Rule 8-104 of the Rules of the State Bar of Georgia (hereafter St. Bar. R.) for use by state and local prosecutors in the State of Georgia to meet the requirements of the Transition Into Law Practice Program of the State Bar of Georgia.
The purpose of Transition Into Prosecution is to take newly admitted attorneys who enter prosecution and develop them fully into functional prosecutors with the practical skills, judgment and professional values to enable them to prosecute in a highly competent manner.
For newly admitted prosecuting attorneys, registering for the Transition Into Prosecution Program is a three-step process.
The newly admitted prosecuting attorney must complete and submit to the State Bar's TILPP office the "Compliance Checklist." (see http://www.gabar.org/membership/tilpp/beginning-lawyers.cfm) Newly admitted prosecuting attorneys should leave Section 3, Mentor Nomination, blank. In section 5, the newly admitted prosecuting attorney should initial part C "I AM EMPLOYED WITH AN ORGANIZATION WITH A MASTER MENTORING PLAN APPROVED BY TILPP."
The newly admitted prosecuting attorney requests that the head of the office (district attorney, solicitor-general or chief municipal prosecuting attorney) designate a senior assistant as his or her mentor. (In larger prosecutor's offices a mentoring program coordinator may have been appointed to handling this responsibility.) Unlike the TILPP program for lawyers in private practice, the beginning lawyer cannot nominate her or his mentor. See OCGA §§ 15-18-21(b); 15-18-72(a).
After the mentor has been designated, the mentor and the newly admitted prosecuting attorney ("mentee"), complete the Transition Into Prosecution Mentoring Plan Registration form.
The completed form is sent by fax or email it to:
Prosecuting Attorneys' Council of Georgia
1590 Adamson Parkway, 4th Floor
Morrow, Georgia 30260
email: info@pacga.org
The Council will notify the State Bar Transition Into Law Practice Program that the beginning prosecutor is registered in TILPP.
If the newly admitted prosecuting attorney was admitted to practice in another jurisdiction and was admitted on motion without taking the Georgia Bar Examination, took the "1-Day Attorney Examination" or were attorney admitted to practice in Georgia but practiced law outside the state of Georgia, he or she may be eligible to apply for exemption from the TILPP requirements. Only the TILPP office can approve a request for exemption.
Transition Into Prosecution consists of two components: a one-year mentoring period and the Fundamentals of Prosecution Course.
During the first year following admission to the Bar, the new prosecutor is assigned an experienced prosecutor from his or her office who will guide them through a series of activities and experiences contained in the Model Mentoring Plan of Activities and Experiences For State and Local Prosecuting Attorneys. Each mentor is an experienced prosecutor who has been a member of the Bar for at least 5 years and meets the highest professional and ethical standards. Prosecution mentors are nominated by the elected head of the office and appointed by the Supreme Court of Georgia. The elected head of the office has the option to adopt the Model Mentoring Plan as approved or may modify the plan to develop a specific plan of activities to be completed over the course of the twelve months of mentoring which is tailored to meet the specific needs of the office. If your office elects to develop a modified plan, it must be submitted through the Training Division of the Prosecuting Attorneys' Council to the Program Administrator of the Transition Into Law Practice Program of the State Bar of Georgia for approval prior to the start of the mentoring year.
The Fundamentals of Prosecution Course is a 20 hour continuing legal education program conducted annually at PAC in Morrow, Georgia. The Course has been approved by the Commission on Continuing Legal Competency as a substitute for Enhanced Bridge the Gap and Fundamentals of Law Practice Programs that newly admitted attorneys are required to attend as part of the Transition Into Law Practice Program.
State Bar Requirements on Transition into Prosecution
Model Mentoring Plan of Activities and Experiences for State and Local Prosecuting Attorneys
Transition Into Prosecution Mentoring Registration Form
Transition Into Prosecution Mentor Volunteer Form
Transition Into Prosecution Mentoring Completion Certification