Criminal Lawyer Career

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The principle of freedom which Americans highly prize is demonstrated in this nation’s commitment to the presumption of innocence in a criminal trial. In many other nations, the accused is presumed guilty until he proves his innocence or the government inadequately proves its case. Yet in the United States of America, the presumption of innocence requires the prosecution to prove its case against the defendant beyond a reasonable doubt before he would be pronounced guilty.

Under the U.S. Constitution, everyone accused of a crime has the right to a lawyer’s defense. It is criminal lawyers who represent defendants in and out of court. They make several attempts to settle the case outside of court but occasionally, they must go to trial.

Educational Requirements

A criminal lawyer is a type of lawyer who must hold a juris doctorate and an attorney’s license in order to practice criminal law. Experience in criminal law is advisable before obtaining a position as a criminal lawyer. However, significant clinical experience may be equated with some criminal law experience for a recent graduate. Or, participation in internships, volunteer positions or part-time jobs with public defenders and criminal prosecutor offices can be the necessary work experience required.

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Job Description

The primary role of a criminal lawyer is to represent their defendant in the criminal court system. This encompasses arraignments, pretrial hearings, settlement conferences, trials and sentence hearings. They defend adults and juveniles at the federal, state and local level. In order to represent clients in federal courts, a criminal lawyer must first apply for admission to practice in that court.

Typically, criminal lawyers are working on several cases at one time, each at different stages in the criminal process. Throughout the criminal process, criminal lawyers offer legal counsel to their clients that would be in their best interests. Criminal lawyers’ extensive knowledge of the law helps them safeguard their client’s constitutional rights.

There is a vast amount of time spent gathering evidence like police reports, eyewitness testimonies and any other information pertinent to the case. As a result, criminal lawyers utilize the expertise of paralegals, private investigators, litigation consultants and others to assist them.

The following tasks are characteristic of a criminal lawyer’s occupation:

Interviewing witnesses
Performing legal research
Creating exhibits for demonstrations in court
Accruing additional evidence in support of their case or for arguments against the prosecution’s charges
Examining the crime scene
Gathering expert witnesses to testify in court

Salary & Job Outlook

The average salary of a criminal lawyer is $77,200. However, the salary can range from $38,950 to $148,910, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Interestingly, private criminal lawyers make the lowest earnings among lawyers. Experience and rising to the top of the career ladder however increases a criminal lawyer’s pay scale.

Traditionally, a criminal lawyer begins as a junior associate at a law firm, a prosecutor, or a public defender. Next, a criminal lawyer can advance to senior associate at a law firm or as a solo practitioner who is essentially self-employed. The ultimate aspiration for a criminal lawyer may be as a partner in a law firm.

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