What does it take to be a criminal lawyer?

Question

How much schooling, and is it hard?

Answer 1

In Calif.(and I would assume in most other states)a bachelors degree in law from college plus four years at an accredited law school, then you must pass the state B.A.R. exam. So there is quite a bit of school involved. Hope this helps.

Answer 2

First you need to go to college for a Bachelors. While in College I recommend participating in your school's AMTA (American Mock Trial Asociation) Team. This can help you make connections in law schools and law firms. It can also help you win scholarships to various law schools. During your senior year of college you need to take the LSAT tests. These tests are hard, so study and take a prep class if your school offers one.

Then you have law school. This is like any other grad school in that it will be very difficult and very intense. After graduation you have to take the bar exam for any state you intend to practice in. If you pass you can begin practice. Most lawyers begin in a firm belonging to another lawyer. It's nearly impossible to start out on your own fresh from law school and have any real success. Too much competition and when people need a lawyer, they prefer a firm with experience. When you work with these firms you get that experience as second or third chair long before you handle a case on your own. This gives you the credentials you will need later on your own or when you go for a partnership.

Becoming a lawyer isn't easy, but the pay is good and it can be rewarding.

Answer 3

A law degree and a desire to deal with the scum of society.

That's a 4-year BS/BA followed by a few years of law school. All for an underwhelming salary.

Or maybe you meant the other kind of criminal lawyer as in criminal-lawyer. Same amount of effort but greater income.

Answer 4

In the U.S., it takes four years of college and three years of law school (which can sometimes be combined into a six-year program) to get a law degree. In almost all of the states, you can't join the bar without a law degree. Even with a law degree, you still must pass a state bar exam and pass a character check. This requirement is the same for any type of legal practice.

Technically, anyone who passes the bar can be a criminal lawyer. However, it takes more to be a good criminal lawyer.

First, as with any type of trial attorney, it is absolutely necessary to be aware of the constantly changing statutes and case law in your specialty. Any individual case always turns on a combination of facts and law. You need to be generally familiar with new cases (and amendments to statutes) that may change what facts matter most.

Second, you need to know the tendencies of judges, jurors, and prosecutors in the jurisdictions in which you practice. For example, the experiences of potential jurors with police are going to be dramatically different in downtown Los Angeles than in Simi Valley. As such, a defense based on police misconduct in downtown Los Angeles can get a criminal defendant acquitted despite overwhelming physical evidence. However, in Simi Valley, the police are seen as the good guys even when engaged in police brutality. Likewise, different judges and prosecutors have different beliefs about appropriate sentences. What would be a bad deal for a defendant in one jurisdiction might be a great deal for a defendant with similar facts in another jurisdiction.

Third, you have to be comfortable talking in front of strangers. A criminal defense attorney has to be willing to try cases. (The same is true for prosecutors). If you aren't willing to go to trial, the opposing attorneys will soon recognize this fact and it will influence plea negotiations. (Not necessarily by a lot, but, when you know that the other attorney is willing to try a case, you take a lot closer look at the weaknesses in your case in deciding how much of a discount you will give to get a plea.)

Fourth, you have to be able to maintain detachment from your clients. Some of your clients will lie to you. Some of them will be stubborn people who will not listen to the advice that you give them. Some of them will get lengthy sentences (and in some cases lengthier than they deserve). If you get too attached, these things will quickly tear you up inside -- as opposed to slowly tearing you up inside. (Prosecutor's go through the same thing with victims).

In short, the schooling to get to be a lawyer is not hard. The career of a criminal lawyer (either defense or prosecution) is very hard but can be very rewarding.

Answer 5

normally 6 years. 4 years of college and 2 years of law school.

Answer 6

your not cut out for it. too tough for you. sorry

Answer 7

ALOT