Assistant Dakota County Attorney

Name: Don Bruce

Major: Poli Sci/Economics

Law School: University of Minnesota

Description of your job: I am an Assistant Dakota County Attorney, supervising the areas of juvenile delinquency prosecution, child protection, commitments and adult protection.

Do you have any advice for students who are considering going to the same law school you did? I really enjoyed my time at the University and consider it one of the best schools around.

Is there anything in particular that you did during your undergrad that benefited you more than anything else in getting through law school and/or transitioning into the legal profession? 2 things‑establishing good study habits and participating in student government.

If you had a chance to go through law school all over again, is there anything you would do differently? I would have concentrated more on the public law classes had I known what a regarding field that has turned out to be.

Is being a lawyer what you expected it would be? Why or why not? It is in the sense that I am in court a lot and enjoy the challenge.

What is it like transitioning from being a law student to being a lawyer? It is entering the real world from the theoretical one. It is a huge change and a difficult one.

Is there anything students should know about the legal profession before they decide to commit their life to it? That there are easier ways to make money.

What does a typical day look like for you as a lawyer? Appearing in court, answering questions from clients, attending meetings to work on policy issues, lots of mundane business type things that you do not learn in law school.