A criminal lawyer focuses solely on a criminal case and represents either the state or the party accused of the crime. A criminal lawyer’s responsibility is to advocate for their client’s legal rights, regardless of their side. Depending on your specialisation and region, a career in criminal law can offer you excellent compensation. In this post, we’ll look at how to become a criminal lawyer, as well as the skills and qualifications required, work positions, obligations, and duties.
What Is A Criminal Lawyer’s Role?
An attorney who defends or prosecutes persons or organisations in criminal situations is known as a criminal lawyer. Criminal law covers conduct that is regarded to be hurtful or dangerous to others. This could be in relation to property safety or moral well-being. To control people’s actions and help them comprehend the consequences, governments define and apply penalties for illegal activity.
Criminal Lawyers’ Roles And Duties
Criminal lawyers are frequently required to execute the following tasks:
- Identifying and enlisting the help of witnesses
- Conducting witness interviews
- Making case-specific tactics
- Investigating crime sites and forensic evidence
- Appeals are written, filed, and contested.
- Creating effective defences
Criminal defence attorneys may also take on ‘pro bono’ cases, in which they fight for the public benefit without receiving compensation. Dealing with high-profile cases can place criminal lawyers in the spotlight and expose them to media scrutiny. They may be required to provide interviews and statements on behalf of their clients in connection with a case.
How To Become A Criminal Lawyer Perth
If you’re wondering how to become a criminal lawyer, here are the steps you’ll need to do to get started:
1. Finish Your Secondary Education And Take The Entrance Examinations.
You must prepare for and sit for law entrance examinations around the end of your 10+2 schooling or shortly afterwards. To be qualified for undergraduate studies, you must have an overall score of 50-60% on your board exams.
2. Take A Law Course As An Undergraduate.
A bachelor’s degree in law from an approved university or college is required. This can be accomplished in two ways. An LLB degree is solely focused on legal studies, but a BA LLB degree is a combination of a bachelor’s degree and art classes. You may start your own practice or work for a legal firm after finishing a bachelor’s degree program.
3. Pass The Bar Examination
You must take and pass the bar council exam of the jurisdiction in which you desire to practice after getting your bachelor’s degree in order to be eligible to participate in high court or supreme court issues.
4. Pursue A Law Degree At The Post-Graduate Level.
You can further your legal education by enrolling in a master’s program in criminal law, which leads to an LLM (Master of Law) degree. Master’s degree programs in criminal law provide opportunities for specialisation.
5. Pursue A Law Doctoral Degree
You can seek PhD. or Doctorate in Law if you desire to continue your legal studies. The completion of a dissertation is usually required for this.
6. Get Hands-On Experience
Work experience under an established criminal lawyer or in a legal business should be sought concurrently with or after your study. Field experience and specialisation are critical components of a successful criminal law career.
What Is The Time It Takes To Become A Criminal Lawyer?
After completing upper secondary school from a recognized board, legal study might take anywhere from 3 to 13 years. You’ll also need to make time to prepare for the bar exam and get some employment experience. The academic journey of a criminal lawyer Perth can be broken down into the following sections:
- A bachelor’s degree in legislative law, sometimes known as an LLB, takes three years to accomplish.
- A BA LLB or an integrated arts study takes five years to finish.
- A PhD takes about six years to finish.
- The Postgraduate law courses take 1-2 years to finish.
Skills And Abilities Of A Criminal Lawyer
To pursue a profession in criminal law, you may need to obtain the following skills:
Skills In Analysis And Research
A lawyer’s practice includes extensive research. You should be able to conduct both textbook and field research. In addition, the legal profession requires the capacity to analyse details, gather information, and deduce contexts from clients and witnesses.
Integrity
Whether you’re on the defence or the prosecution side of a case, you must be dedicated to your client’s representation in court. Building relationships and trust by acting with honesty will help you attract and retain clients.
Good Communication
One of the key roles of a lawyer is to negotiate in and out of court. Thus, you should be competent at persuasion and negotiation. Effective negotiating requires the ability to demonstrate your point of view to others and arrange for a situation that favours the client.
Determination
Because the legal procedure can be long and drawn out, a criminal lawyer must remain focused at all times. When working on difficult instances, you need to be motivated. You should be able to sort through a lot of evidence, question witnesses, and keep looking for details that could help them prove their case.