Profession: prosecutor's assistant

The best part of working as a prosecutor's assistant is that at the start of the day, you never know what will happen. No two workdays are the same, and I feel that the work is nicely challenging.

A prosecutor's assistant assists prosecutors in the different phases of consideration of charges

The prosecutor's assistant plays an important role in the processing of a criminal matter. When the pre-trial investigation authority has completed the pre-trial investigation, the authority sends the pre-trial investigation material to the prosecutor. The assistant registers the receipt of documents, runs register checks, adds other parties to criminal matters to various information systems and processes electronic documents.

Once the prosecutor has completed the consideration of charges, the assistant helps with transferring the case further. If the case goes to the District Court, the assistant compiles the material for a court session for the prosecutor. After the processing of the case in court has ended, the assistant verifies that the case is legally valid and archives the documents.

The prosecutor's assistant also takes care of customer service and is in contact with interest groups during the process, such as the police, the District Court, the Court of Appeal, the Criminal Sanctions Agency, the Finnish Immigration Service as well as the Digital and Population Data Services Agency. 

We have a great team spirit and wonderful colleagues. Sometimes it's just routine work, but the workdays vary.

At some offices, the prosecutor's assistants can expand their job description and specialise as an ICT expert or team leader of the organisation, for instance. 

The training of a prosecutor's assistant

Many prosecutor's assistants have a either a basic degree of Bachelor of Business Administration or one specialised in law. You can also work as a prosecutor's assistant with a different degree, if you are otherwise qualified for the job. 

Law students may also work as a prosecutor's assistant during their studies; usually their duties involve the preparations for prosecution. After graduating, they often apply for the post of a junior prosecutor.

The work of a prosecutor's assistant requires precision, good IT skills and the ability to work in a team. 

When working as a prosecutor's assistant, you need to be independent, patient and always willing to help. You also need to be able to jump straight from one task to another, because the situation may sometimes change quickly.

The quotes are from an interview with the prosecutor's assistants in the Prosecution District of Southern Finland.