Criminal Lawyers Job Description, Duties & Salary

Employment Prospects

Employers

There are 859,000 lawyers employed in the United States, according to the Department of Labor. Prosecutors are government employees at the local, state, or federal level. Criminal lawyers are employed by law firms that provide criminal defense services to clients. Others own their own firms. Public defenders work at the local, state, and federal level. As employees of the government of a county or state, they work out of a designated public defender’s office, often handling 100 or more cases at a time. Those working at the federal level handle about 30 to 50 cases at a time. Though federal public defenders are responsible for fewer clients at time, their cases are often more complex. Public defenders can also find employment at nonprofit agencies, such as the Legal Aid Society. These holistic or community-based agencies offer legal representation and other services including social service and education.

Starting Out

Job seekers can learn about employment opportunities via their law school’s career services office, networking events, membership in professional bar associations, legal industry job sites, and by visiting the Web sites of court systems, law firms, public defender offices, and nonprofit organizations that employ criminal lawyers.

Local and state prosecutor offices seek experienced attorneys, but may consider new graduates with extensive clerkship or internship experience. The District of Columbia’s Office of the Attorney General, for example, has positions available for those completing honors programs at Washington, D.C., law schools or clerkships at the local or federal level. The U.S. Department of Justice seeks experienced attorneys, especially those with extensive courtroom experience. Some positions also demand specialized experience or knowledge. For example, the U.S. Department of Justice’s intellectual property division may require its attorneys to have expertise regarding information technology. Visit http://www.usdoj.gov/oarm and https://www.justice.gov/usao/career-center for more information on employment with the U.S. Department of Justice.

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