It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s the tri-county district attorney! Or something like that.

Andrew Robinson is not your average superhero — there’s no cape involved — but as the new district attorney for the tri-county area, he works to uphold justice. Fights to put criminals in jail. Looks out for children and animals.

And the fact no one ran against him in his first election as D.A.?

He says it proves he’s a political genius . . . or that no one else wanted the job.

Definitely one of those.

Name: Andrew S. Robinson

Age: 44

Town: Farmington

Married/single/relationship: Married (23 years and three kids)

Job: District attorney for Prosecutorial District III (Androscoggin, Franklin and Oxford counties)

What made you want to become a lawyer? I consider law school to be the trade school for liberal arts majors. I was a liberal arts major and I needed a trade.

Why a prosecutor? There is no better job in the world. As a prosecutor you are responsible for holding criminals accountable and working for justice . . . which is also what superheroes do. So being a prosecutor is the best way to make a living and the closest I could get to being a superhero.

I hear you were elected DA in a landslide! Political genius? I was very proud to have the endorsements of District Attorney [Norm] Croteau (who was my boss), the attorney general, the District III Chief’s Association, all three sheriffs of Androscoggin, Franklin and Oxford Counties and the Maine State Troopers Association. No one else ran. Sometimes I think this makes me a political genius with a lot of support, but sometimes I wonder if it means no one else is crazy enough to want the job.

So you’re D.A. Now what? We are entering a new era in the criminal justice system. The criminal court is moving to a Unified Criminal Docket. This means that there will be a great amount of change within our office and the way we organize our work responsibilities. It requires a lot of planning and organizing. The crazy part is that we are still handling our normal workload while we make the changes. It is exciting and stressful for the staff. I just keep reminding everyone to focus on doing justice and we will figure out the rest.

How do you handle covering such a vast area? I have to rely on my staff a great deal because it is impossible to keep tabs on everything that is happening in all three counties. I work primarily out of the Auburn office, but I enjoy being able to travel to the different courts in all three counties to handle specific cases.

What’s the most unusual courtroom situation you’ve ever been in?: During a cruelty to animals trial, I once witnessed a defense attorney cross-exam a state veterinarian about the trajectory of falling horse poop. That was a weird cross-examination!

How does it feel to argue a case in front of a judge? We are fortunate to have very good judges in our area. When you know that the judge is only interested in ensuring that justice is done and you are arguing for justice, then it usually is a good place to be.

Ever get emotional about a case? When the cases involve crimes against children, I sometimes get choked up during the argument, especially since my kids were born. It usually catches me by surprise. I think it is the combination of having a young victim who is innocent and defenseless and then having to describe the conduct that he or she was subjected to.

Which legal show would win a spot on your DVR: “Law & Order,” “Perry Mason” or “Night Court”? Before I went to law school I always watched “Law & Order.” I always pictured myself like Jack McCoy (played by Sam Waterston). Now, I guess most people would say that I am closer to D.A. Adam Schiff, which is far less cool! I hadn’t thought about that before your question.

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