So, do you want to be a criminal lawyer?
We have all seen the various incarnations of law and order. Countless other television shows and movies portray the life of a criminal defense attorney as glamorous, rewarding, and exciting. Of course, you know that just because he’s on TV doesn’t necessarily mean it’s true. This profession can be exhausting and tedious at times. It is often consumed with research, paperwork, and routine procedure. Also, when you first start out, you won’t make a lot of money. After reading the above, if you are still interested in being a criminal defense attorney, go for it. Read on below to see what you’ll need to do.
In the field of law, choosing the path of a criminal defense attorney can be the most challenging and rewarding. Do not fool yourself. It’s a long road, but if you have the strength to stay the course, you can earn the opportunity to defend or prosecute criminals or even become a judge. However, you should be prepared for a modest start. This will likely include working for a small town public defender’s office for a modest income of $25,000 to $50,000 per year. Of course, this is after the massive amounts of time and money you’ve spent in law school, but that’s all part of staying the course.
If you’re seriously considering a career as a criminal attorney, make sure you’re serious about your education. When law schools accept students, they have been known to research a potential student’s transcripts dating back to high school to determine whether or not this individual has the necessary study habits and aptitude to be successful as a lawyer.
While earning your college degree, you can use almost any area of study as a major and still get invited to law school as long as your grades are impeccable. However, even with this in mind, it should be noted that students majoring in criminal justice will have a significant advantage in terms of coursework and professional ideology if they concentrate on the criminal defense profession.
After your bachelor’s degree, the next step you need to take to enter a law career is to take the Law School Admissions Test, or LSAT. This comprehensive exam will test your aptitude to practice law and is used as a benchmark by law schools across the country in choosing whether or not to accept prospective students.
If you can do well on the LSAT and get into law school, this next endeavor will take about three years to complete. Be prepared to research, study, make many arguments, do more research, and write countless essays about the court system, laws, and regulations. Once you pass this step, you’ll probably want to gain paralegal experience while preparing for the bar exam, which you must pass to become a licensed attorney.
The bar exam is unequivocally the most difficult test you will ever take. Each state has its own variation, so you’ll need to pass the exam in the state where you want to be a lawyer. You may need to take the exam several times before you can pass it, but once you do, you’ll be ready for a career in law.