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This article is meant to give you an overview of how long it takes to become a criminal lawyer, the salary you can expect, and everything else you need to know about this career path.
There is no denying the fact that criminal law is challenging, but if you are willing to meet the obstacles, you will be hard-pressed to find a more satisfying, diverse, and in-depth career in law.
How Long Does it Take to Become a Criminal Lawyer?
The role of criminal defense attorneys is to represent those who have been accused of committing crimes.
These lawyers represent individuals and organizations who have been convicted of crimes.
You become a public defender when the government contracts you to defend criminal cases.
Therefore, in order to become a criminal defense lawyer, you need to earn a bachelor’s degree, attend law school (with a specialization in criminal law), then take the state bar exam.
In order to be qualified, you must earn a bachelor’s degree in any field with high grades. Additionally, you need to possess good analytical, computational, and research skills as well as good communication skills.
It usually takes four (4) years for a bachelor’s degree to be completed.
After earning your bachelor’s degree, you can apply to law school by taking the Law School Admission Test.
In order to graduate from a law school, you will be required to complete a three (3) year program, during which you will specialize in criminal defense law education.
In total, you have about seven (7) years to become a criminal defense lawyer if you combine all of these factors.
It is however necessary to obtain a license in order to practice law in any state of the United States.
What is the average salary for a criminal lawyer?
It is estimated that lawyers in the USA earn an annual salary of $120,910, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
Approximately 823,900 jobs were available for lawyers in the United States as of 2018.
BLS predicts that the number of jobs in this field will grow by 6% between 2018 and 2028.
As a result, there will be an additional 50,100 jobs for lawyers in the next few years.
This rate of increase is twice the rate of average job growth for other occupations.
Lawyers in Melbourne, Australia earn $85,000 per year, according to Glassdoor, and attorneys in London, the UK earn £68,171 per year.
