It hasn’t always been smooth sailing, but Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg says his biggest lesson during a sometimes tumultuous first year in office has been adjusting to life as a more visible figure—and letting the work speak for itself in the face of criticism.

“In this new role as the principal, the outward-facing role of contextualizing, talking about what we’re doing, is really something that I’ve spent more and more focus on,” Bragg shared. “You learn some things and apply lessons forward.”