Criminal Law: Determination and Hard Work as Requirements

Whether defending or prosecuting, criminal lawyers play a redound role in society. “Criminal Law” is defined as a system of laws concerned with the punishment of individuals who commit crimes (“Criminal Law”). There are two types of criminal lawyers: prosecutors, and defenders. Criminal law prosecutors work to find the defendant guilty; criminal law defenders work to keep the defendant from any jail time. Criminal lawyers must be able to analyze and interpret difficult information in order to succeed. Law school typically takes three to four years to complete the basic Juris Doctor (JD) degree. However, many criminal law attorneys pursue multiple degrees, therefore, law school can take longer than three to four years. First-year criminal law attorneys will be assigned legal research to work their way up to become a senior attorney. Hard work and dedication as a first-year attorney pays off quickly as the best cases will be assigned based on briefs. Criminal law differs from the other fields of law based on education courses, day-to-day work, and analytical skills. With a criminal law degree, there is a wide range of ways to engage in this particular career path.

There are five different degrees criminal attorneys can attain: Master of Legal Studies (MLS), Master of Dispute Resolution (MDR), Juris Doctor (JD), Master of Laws (LLM), and the Doctor of Juridical Science (SJD). The MLS is a law degree designed for people who want to comprehend the study of law but do not want to practice as an attorney. To be admitted into the MLS program, applicants must have their bachelor’s degree from a university or college and the program may require standardized test scores. In addition, a personal statement, resume, and letters of recommendation, could also be required. The MLS program allows students to experience all specializations in law and gain an education in all different aspects of the law. Students are typically required to do on-site training in both law offices and courtrooms. The estimated time to complete the MLS program is 16 to 18 months.

The MDR is a degree best fit for people who want to learn how to negotiate difficult situations. Similar to the MLS program, the MLD program requires a bachelor’s degree from a university or college, and it may require standardized test scores, a personal statement, resume, and letters of recommendation. The MLD program covers negotiation and strategies on how to handle difficult mediation between clients. Some course requirements include conflict management, arbitration practice, and mediation therapy. MDR programs also take 16 to 28 months to complete; if students wanted to expedite the program, they could take the program full-time. The JD is the required degree for people who plan to pursue a career as a practicing attorney. For the JD degree, students are required to send in their GRE or LSAT scores. The Law School Admission Test (LSAT) measures the student’s strength in verbal reasoning, analytical thinking, and critical reading. It is important for students to score high on the LSAT as it is their best chance of getting into law school.

The LSAT and bar exam are known to include a lot of questions based on criminal law; therefore, it is important for students to know information specifically on criminal law before taking the LSAT (Dash). Once admitted into the JD program, students learn strategies used in the courtroom and how to conduct difficult research on compound laws. The main courses in the JD program include civil law, contract law, torts, and constitutional law. Students typically graduate from the JD program in three to four years and then begin preparing for the bar examination. Students must pass the bar examination to begin practicing law in the United States. The LLM is a degree for individuals who already have a law degree and want to specialize in a specific area of law. To enter the LLM degree program students must have already earned their JD degree and passed the bar examination. In the LLM program, students will examine the different specializations of law in order to choose a specialized area. There are sixteen different specializations of law including: animal law, civil rights law, corporate law, criminal law, education law, employment and labor law, environmental and natural resources law, family and juvenile law, health law, immigration law, intellectual property law, international law, municipal law, real estate law, securities law, sports and entertainment law, and tax law (“Fields”).

The LLM degree is typically obtained within a year if the student takes the full-time program. After graduating from the LLM program, attorneys will begin practicing law in a specialized field with select clients. The last degree, the SJD, is the most rigorous law degree for attorneys to obtain. To enter the SJD program students must have already earned their JD and an LLM degree from an accredited law school. Unlike previous degrees, the SJD allows students to participate in seminars and one-on-one discussions with law professors. In addition, the SJD degree allows lawyers with their JD and LLM to become professors of law. The SJD degree takes full-time students two to three years to earn (“Different”). These five degrees are specific to all fields of law. As for criminal law, certain education courses are recommended for attorneys to succeed after they obtain their entry degree. Some recommended courses for criminal law are National Security Law, Trial Advocacy Practicum, Death Penalty Seminar, and Securities Regulation. Criminal Law Society is a recommended club to be in during college. The national bar association is now sponsoring students to take these courses in preparation for a career in criminal law. Criminal law was once a neglected field for young lawyers but it has recently become very active in the Bar’s national program (Dash).

Preparation for day-to-day life as a criminal law attorney is important to analyze before going into the field. It is also important for new lawyers to understand that the best cases will not be given to them immediately. Huge law firms typically recruit new lawyers right out of law school and put them to work quickly. New attorneys typically write briefs and handle the paperwork for the senior associates. New attorneys will spend many hours post office hours to complete the briefs. Senior attorneys give new lawyers these writing briefs to see how they handle the basic paperwork. Once a senior attorney establishes that the new attorney is ready for a case, the new lawyer will begin their first case. Many new attorneys are accompanied by a senior attorney on their first case; the senior attorney will help guide them through the full process. When seniority is earned, there will be more of a say in which cases will be assigned. Most of the time criminal attorneys are employed by private law firms. In private firms, these attorneys are always going to be defense attorneys. Prosecutors have to be hired by the government. Private law firms may have multiple attorneys at one law firm or attorneys located at different law firms nationally. The best decision for a new attorney to make is to join a smaller firm because it will provide a new attorney with clients from the start. Private law firms are statistically show to provide higher annual incomes for new attorneys. The median salary for graduates in 2011 with a full-time job lasting over a year and reporting a salary was $60,000; the average salary was $78,600. For jobs in private practice, the overall average salary was a great deal higher, $85,000, and the average was almost $98,000 (“Starting Salaries”).Private law offices are located in both big and small cities. Big cities do provide more opportunities for attorneys because there are more people. Since there are more opportunities in big cities, it is wise for new attorneys to start their careers in a big city to learn the trade. Since there are so many law offices it makes it easier for new attorneys to find an office to start their career. Smaller cities are certainly still possible to work in as a criminal lawyer, however, most smaller cities are dominated by family law firms. Many criminal law attorneys eventually open their own private law firm in which they would be a partner along with a few other law attorneys. There are 1,352,027 active lawyers in the United States as of January 2019. This is a 0.7 percent increase since 2018; the number of lawyers has increased by 12.4 percent since the year 2010 (Victor). The average salary for a criminal lawyer is $78,500. However, a criminal law attorney’s salary can range from $45,000 to $130,000. Typically attorneys working as a partner in a law firm make around $130,000 (“Criminal Lawyer Career”).

Criminal law attorneys see extremely difficult cases throughout their career, being able to analyze and interpret harsh situations is a key part of the job. Criminal law also demands the attorney to put emotions aside and see every single crime as a crime against society. Boston Professor Victor Hansen stated, “The conduct you engaged in was outside of what we as a society approve, and therefore you should receive our societal condemnation.” (“Everything”). Hansen explains how the criminal may be committing a crime against an individual, but the crime is technically against the state. Whether prosecuting or defending the supposed criminal, attorneys must remain respectful in court and not let emotions get in the way of their career. If an irascible attorney becomes disrespectful in court, they can be charged for contempt of court.

Attorneys take an oath during the bar examination to do every possible challenge in order to defend their clients. This oath is especially important in criminal law because the clients are typically facing jail time. The hardest part about taking the oath is realizing that many attorneys are threatened multiple times during their careers. Nearly half of all prosecutors' offices reported that they had a fellow staff member threatened in 1996. For offices serving populations over 1,000,000, it was closer to 75% (“Stats”). One of the toughest parts about being a criminal lawyer is that attorneys have to defend people they find disreputable and attorneys have to prosecute people they may feel are innocent. However, attorneys often are rewarded when they defend the innocent or prosecute the guilty (Institute for Career Research 3). Hansen adds that criminal lawyers need to have critical thinking and written and verbal communication skills.

The ability to analyze difficult information is also a necessity, as disturbing situations will be very common in criminal law. Analyzing and critical thinking are so keen for criminal law attorneys because the cases can be a matter of life or death. “Criminal law made me feel like a detective, and that’s why it really resonated with me,'' says Assistant District Attorney of Boston, Teniola Adeyemi (Institute for Career Research 3). Criminal lawyers feel like detectives because in order to know all the information necessary for a case, they must investigate the crime themselves. Criminal law is all about determining the right punishment for the crime; punishments include house arrest, probation, parole, fines, restitution, volunteer work, and jail time. Attorneys will pursue certain punishments or argue against certain punishments.

Keith White has been a licensed family, personal injury, and general practice lawyer for 34 years located in Anderson, South Carolina. White graduated from Furman University with a bachelor's degree in english and got his Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law. When asked what some of the advantages are for a career as a criminal lawyer White stated, “There is something new to deal with everyday. The stakes are high for adrenaline junkies. There is always a lot of press attention, so one-high profile criminal case can be worth thousands in free advertising.” (White) Free advertising can be crucial for a criminal lawyer. Once people hear how good an attorney is, they are more likely to pick that attorney if charged for a crime.

Media coverage is to be expected when crime provides the clients names. In the vast majority of criminal cases, overbearing media attention is not an issue. A high profile case involving a well-known defendant or a particularly newsworthy crime, however, will receive often over-the-top media coverage. As for day-to-day work as a criminal lawyer, White stated, “If you are a sole practitioner, you spend most of your time talking to your clients. About half of your typical day you are in your office or on the phone with clients. The rest of the time you are drafting pleadings and affidavits, writing motions, and doing research. If you are a trial lawyer, you will be in court or in mediation maybe two days of each week on average.” (White). A typical day in the life of a criminal lawyer is a lot of paperwork and dealing with clients. However in court their practice includes bail bond hearings, plea bargains, trial, revocation hearings, appeals and post-conviction remedies.

Criminal law is significantly different from other branches of law; it requires thinking on an advanced level as well as hard work and determination. Both defenders and prosecutors play an important role in criminal justice, as they are either trying to plead a person guilty or defend a person. There are many requirements to become eligible to practice law. A variety of degrees can be obtained; lawyers can spend a minimum of four years in college. Each of these degrees provide the student to gain many essential skills such as on-site training, how to handle difficult situations properly, and many different strategies needed for examinations. On the other hand, certain degrees are needed for going into a specific part of criminal law. These basic skills, education requirements, and day-to-day situations make criminal law unique. Preparation for going into this field is important; it is a long process and many are not given the best cases starting off. Prosecutors and defendants can also experience themselves going against their own emotions for the sake of the law while trying to determine the best punishment for the victim. Some situations can be more difficult than others, that is why it is extremely important to have advanced communication, verbal, and writing skills.