On a recent Thursday morning in Howard County District Court, prosecutor Maurice Frazier worked through a lengthy traffic docket, clearing out about 15 cases before lunch.

Wearing a conservative gray suit and riffling through a pile of pages on his desk, he disposed of a variety of traffic cases -- driving under the influence of alcohol, driving on a suspended license -- quickly, recommending plea deals to Judge Pamila Brown.

His interaction with the judge was courteous and precise, his manner relaxed and professional. Brown listened attentively and took his recommendation on most of the sentences.

Frazier, 28, has just finished his first year as a prosecutor with the Howard County State's Attorney's Office, and is working on the smaller, less-serious crimes that most young prosecutors do.

He routinely handles 80 cases a week in Howard County District Court, he said. And on the days he's not in court, he starts preparing for his upcoming court dates at 8:30 a.m. and sometimes stays at it until 8 p.m.

But while the workload is heavy, Frazier is not complaining. Not at all.

He loves being a prosecutor -- "the greatest job in the world," he called it -- and he has worked hard to get there.

A native of northeast Baltimore, Frazier grew up surrounded by drug dealers and crime.

"You've got to learn how to be a little tough," he said of his background, "and learn how to take care of yourself."

His father was out of the picture -- he left his wife and son, Frazier said, when Frazier was six years old.

"He chose the streets over my mother and me," Frazier said of his father. "Watching my father's life ... it put me in a position where I wanted to explain to people you didn't have to choose that life."

Night school

To get to where he is, Frazier put himself through night school at the University of Baltimore, working a variety of day jobs.

He graduated in 2006, and his job at the Howard County State's Attorney's office is his first as a lawyer.

Frazier is one of 10 prosecutors assigned to Howard County District Court. More experienced prosecutors typically are assigned to Circuit Court, where the more serious crimes are heard.

Frazier and his colleagues in District Court handle more cases than others in the state's attorney's office, said Senior Assistant State's Attorney Brendan Clary, Frazier's supervisor.

"The District Court handles probably 80 percent of the prosecutions in the county," Clary said.

The job is considered a stepping stone to other jobs in the office. Prosecutors start off in District Court, learning how to manage a docket, talk to judges and present their cases, before moving up to circuit court, Clary said.

"District court is where you learn your craft, and it's very important that the fundamentals that you learn in District Court you can carry with you," Clary said.

Clary mentors Frazier and describes him as an excellent pupil.

"Maurice has a great yearning to excel," he said. "He is very good with people. He's a very grounded individual ... and he has a very good sense of justice."

Frazier, who is engaged to be married and lives in Randallstown, said he wanted to be a lawyer from a very young age -- and wanted to be a prosecutor since he was about 13.

He also said he would never consider being a defense attorney, because he believes he has the better chance of finding justice as a prosecutor.

"You're the good guy," he explained. "You're that guy that sends bad guys to jail. You're a protector."

He said he also likes the fact that he tries cases, something many of his lawyer friends don't do.

"If a case is weak you don't bring it. If you believe a guy's innocent you don't bring it," he said. "You can give a first-time offender a break. You can find alternative ways of sentencing.

"Or, you can really send a bad guy away for a long time."

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