INTRODUCTION

Criminal defense lawyers represent persons charged with crimes. Many are employed by the government as public defenders, providing defense counsel to indigent defendants. Others work for private law firms, representing defendants who do not qualify as indigents or accepting representation for indigent defendants through contracts with local governments. Private criminal defense lawyers typically work at small and medium-size firms, though some large firms represent individual and institutional clients in regulatory investigations, criminal prosecutions, and internal investigations, covering subjects ranging from securities fraud inquiries and bank regulatory investigations to state and federal grand jury probes. Lawyers who do criminal defense work in private firms often come to private practice after having had government experience.

Lawyers work in many other areas within the criminal justice as well. Lawyers may represent the interests of criminal justice agencies, such as law enforcement or corrections; serve as counsel for organizations that promote criminal justice system reform; work as legislative aides; or serve directly as law enforcement officers or investigators.

Those interested in criminal law need to have strong written and oral communication skills, be able to handle multiple tasks and be well-organized, and adapt to a sometimes hectic and unpredictable workload. For many direct advocacy positions, it is also important to enjoy litigation and excel at negotiation. Criminal lawyers also need to be good listeners, be able to deal with people from different backgrounds, and be prepared to deal with stressful situations.