Criminal Law...

Graduate School Law School
1

<p>Well, I've always found Criminal Law interesting for some reason. Maybe it's because of the crazy amount of it you see on television (although I am doubting the careers of those lawyers are that exciting), but whatever the reason, I definetly want to do that later on.</p>

<p>However, I'm not sure where exactly criminal lawyers get their jobs and well they do, etc. Everyone always hears about lawyers in general, but never about the specific fields. I just don't want to be stuck without a job or something because there are too many criminal lawyers. So, how is it for them?</p>

<p>Another thing I'd like to ask... if I go to law school with this in mind, will I only be a defense lawyer? Or can I always be a prosecutor as well (I guess it'd mainly be for the government though?)? </p>

<p>And lastly, I'm an psychology/english major because they are two things I really enjoy, but how much will either of these things help me for law school or law in general? I also have taken a few philosophy classes, because they also interest me, but not sure what to do for law school. I'm more interested in social aspects of psychology and for english more so creative writing. I guess it doesn't really matter that much what you major in (just your GPA and LSAT scores), but I'm hoping these majors could help me as a lawyer and not be completely useless.</p>

<p>If anyone could help me out I'd be really grateful, thanks!</p>

2

<p>Get into a law school and go from there -- you don't really specialize in LS. After you graduate (preferably during LS), you'll see what fields you want to work in. You do NOT major in LS (i.e. criminal or immigration or whatever.) </p>

<p>Go to a good LS and you won't be without job opportunities; there are myriad opportunities, not only practicing. </p>

<p>Your majors are fine -- study something you enjoy. There is no pre-law curriculum and/or something that will prepare you for LS. Nonetheless, taking courses in the areas you may want to practice after LS is always a good idea (e.g. Enviro-science for, well, enviro law or Economics for Corporate, etc). Having said that, try and have some breadth in your undergraduate education; it will serve you best in LS and life. Hope this helps.</p>

3

<p>The career placement office at whatever law school you go to will have tons of information about job opportunities and career paths. For now, just do well in college.</p>

4

<p>A warning:</p>

<p>Criminal law is certainly a lot more sexy than sitting in a room negotiating over a divorce settlement. However, don't just pursue it because it's sexy. There are some people who LOVE what they do... but there are some people who hate it with a passion. First of all, consider which side you want to be on. Prosecutors tend to make very little, if any, money (my state is an exception, but the very rare one). Could you handle the moral issues of defending someone? What about the feeling that someone's life is in your hands? 95% of cases are pleaded out -which makes criminal law a lot like contracts law - you need a good plea bargain.</p>

<p>Just pointing a few things out.</p>

5

<p>Thanks for the replies... </p>

<p>I guess I might figure it out once I get to law school and everything. I was assuming prosecutors made very little money, which definitely makes it less attractive, but I dunno. In general I just love reasoning, questioning, and arguing with people (although my friends hate it because I always strive to be right lol), I have yet to go to law school and know the in and outs to see if I truly will love (or like it), but I'm crossing my fingers that I will. </p>

<p>It's been hard for me to decide exactly what I want to do. Other than being naturally competitive and arguementative (which was originally sparked my interest in law back in high school), I do love to write, but it's more of a hobby really (couldn't see myself doing just that).</p>

<p>Anyway, I know I'll major in English (creative writing focus) and well other than that, I don't know what I'm sure about. I do really love psychology and was hoping it could help me understand people and their emotions. In all honesty I wanted to use that grasp of human emotions and personalities for my writing really, although I thought it could help in the law field as well. </p>

<p>Other than that I have a passion for philosophy (logic and such) and enjoy math (physics too actually), but haven't taken any of that since HS calc and physics--pretty good at them as well. I stopped taking them in college because I didn't need them for my majors.</p>

<p>I'm curious though, what about IP law? It seems that is the one type of law I can't do with my undergrad majors. What would people suggest if (to keep options open) I wanted to at least have the option of being a IP lawyer (no idea if I'd enjoy the patent thing, but who knows)?? I hear you need some type of math/science backround, but I don't have room for it really. I guess I could like umm get an associates degree or something in math if I decided I wanted to be an IP lawyer?</p>

<p>I just don't know what I'll do exactly, but I have a obsession with getting things neatly planned and organized. I feel all out of whack when I don't know (more or less) the exact direction I'm heading.</p>

<p>So anyway, help would be really appreciated here, because I'm slightly confused.</p>

<p>Thanks again for the above replies and hopefully more will help.</p>

6

<p>Both the district attorney and public defender's office in most major cities hire freshly minted lawyers right out of law school. As Aries points out, criminal law -- on either side of the case -- is generally not very lucrative. Yes, you have your "talking-head" lawyers on national television that have gotten rich, but that is very much the exception, not the rule.</p>

<p>It many ways, it really is a valued laden and very personal decision each person has to make for themselves. Can you represent a child molester? Can you prosecute a prostitute or pot smoker? How you answer these types of questions will tell you which side of the case you should be on -- or even if criminal law is really for you.</p>

<p>And, please do not think it is all about trials. Yes, criminal lawyers on both sides of the case litigate more than in just about another other field of law. Yes, as Aries points out, the vast majority of cases are disposed of without trial (pleaded out). If that were not the case, there would never be a civil trial held in the US again.</p>

7

<p>I've been hesitant to join this discussion because I'm not a criminal law lawyer and it's been 30 years since I graduated from law school. Times have probably changed, but then again I suspect some things don't change that much. When I went to law school, many of the entering first year law students thought they wanted to be criminal law lawyers. I think you are right, CollegeKid, when you speculate that your interest in criminal law might be based on watching TV, reading books, and hearing about famous trials. Most of the public knows about law through criminal law cases and it looks exciting. I felt the same way as an entering law student.</p>

<p>I see a recurring theme in your comments regarding money. Earning a living is important and I see nothing wrong with planning a career that will provide a good living. Some lawyers earn very lucrative incomes but many don't. All the money in the world won't make your job interesting if that is all that attracts you. Fortunately, you also like to think, reason, and argue. Those are qualities that are relevant to most legal jobs, but it's not enough. Lawyers don't randomly lecture other people (except on CC!) and get paid for it. They have to research, investigate, and prepare their case. It is time-consuming and detailed work. </p>

<p>You have a choice when it comes to lawyering: You can do a good job, and much of the time you won't get paid for all the work you put into doing that job. Or you can do only what you get paid to do, in which case much of the time you won't do a very good job. I hope you will decide to be the first kind of lawyer. We have enough of the second kind to make us all look bad. In other words, I hope you refocus your concept of lawyers and money so that you plan to earn a good living and work hard, but realize that it's not only about money.</p>

<p>As to criminal law work, back in my day most new lawyers started off in a prosecutor's office. You get exposed to hundreds of cases - far more than you would ever see in a law firm or on your own. You learn how the police and prosecutor's office work and you see how defense attorneys practice. It is hard but invaluable experience. Maybe you will decide you like work as a prosecutor, or perhaps you will venture out as a defense attorney, or you might even decide you prefer another area of the law. Thus, criminal law offers a slightly different path than civil lawyers typically choose (where joining a top law firm is usually the goal).</p>

<p>May I offer one more word of advice? It actually sounds to me like you might be interested in trial work. You don't have to be a criminal law lawyer to be a trial lawyer. In fact, most lawyers who go to court and try cases are trying civil cases. Civil trial work offers much of the same excitement as criminal law work, but is often more lucrative and easier on the psyche.</p>

8

<p>I handled a few criminal cases a couple of decades ago. The reality of practicing in that area is bleak. Most criminal defendants are poor; most are represented by overworked public defenders, and prosecuted by overworked D.A.'s. Most of the time, plea bargaining consists of a ten minute discussion with someone who has spent ten minutes looking at the file. I once had a client who was clearly arrested as a result of a false accusation (it was a citizen's arrest), and I had to go to court five times before an assistant D.A. took enough time to read the file, and agree to dismiss.</p>