The first time Allanté Rowe considered a job with the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office was when she received an email about an opening from the Office’s Human Resources Department about 10 years ago. The email came nearly two years after she had taken the civil service exam in hopes of landing a position anywhere within the City of Philadelphia.
So she decided to interview for the position. “It was like ‘OK, that must be where I’m supposed to be.’ And once I had the interview, it seemed like something I wanted to do.”
The role was as a secretary in the Family Violence and Sexual Assault Unit, which handles domestic violence, child abuse, neglect and exploitation, and human trafficking, among other things. As a secretary, Rowe was often the first line of communication with victims and survivors, reaching out to them about their cases and directing them to the prosecuting attorney.
“Even though you’re a secretary, you still end up being an advocate for them,” said Rowe, 37, who grew up in Germantown and graduated from Northeast High. “You listen to what they have to say and give them advice and then direct them where they need to go.”
Rowe later moved to the position of legal services clerk before accepting a role as a paralegal. Her daily responsibilities include building case files for attorneys, passing discovery evidence to the defense, and requesting information from survivors and witnesses. She also accompanies prosecutors to court as needed.
Rowe takes pride in preparing case files and knowing them inside and out so that the prosecutors are armed for success.
“I enjoy being a small part of the system that is designed to help victims and the community, and helping to make sure the system is working,” she said. “The attorneys do their best to get justice.”
While she may not be the one trying the case and arguing before a jury, Rowe’s role is integral to the team’s success. She’s confident in her work and not afraid to challenge defense attorneys when they question if discovery has been properly shared.
“The process in real life is much more tedious,” she noted, “and it doesn’t always result in wins, no matter how hard the people are actually working.”
See more about the DAO’s Family Violence and Sexual Assault (FVSA) Unit here.