So, do you want to be a criminal lawyer?

We have all seen the various incarnations of law and order. Countless other television shows and movies portray the life of a criminal attorney as glamorous, rewarding, and exciting. Of course, you know that just because he’s on TV doesn’t necessarily mean it’s true. This profession can be exhausting and tedious at times. It is often consumed with routine research, paperwork, and procedure. Also, when you first start, you won’t make a lot of money. After reading the above, if you are still interested in being a criminal lawyer, go for it. Read on below to see what you’ll need to do.

In the field of law, choosing the path of a criminal lawyer can be the most challenging and rewarding. Do not fool yourself. It’s a long road, but if you have the strength to stay the course, you may win the chance to defend or prosecute criminals or even become a judge. However, you should be prepared for a modest start. This will likely include working for a small town public defender’s office for a modest income of $25,000 to $50,000 per year. Of course, this is after the enormous amounts of time and money you’ve spent in law school, but that’s all part of staying the course.

If you are seriously considering a career as a criminal attorney, be sure to take your education seriously. When law schools accept students, they have been known to investigate a potential student’s transcripts going back to high school to determine whether or not this individual has the necessary study habits and aptitude to succeed as a lawyer.

While earning your undergraduate degree, you can use almost any area of ​​study as a major and still be invited to law school as long as your grades are impeccable. However, even with this in mind, it should be noted that students majoring in criminal justice will have a significant advantage in terms of coursework and professional ideology if they concentrate on the profession of criminal lawyer.

After your undergraduate degree, the next step you need to take to enter a law career is to take the Law School Admissions Test, or LSAT. This comprehensive exam will test your aptitude to practice law and is used as a benchmark by law schools across the country in deciding whether or not to accept prospective students.

If you can do well on the LSAT and get into law school, this next endeavor will take about three years to complete. Be prepared to do research, study, give a lot of arguments, do more research, and write countless essays on the court system, laws, and regulations. Once you pass this step, you’ll probably want to gain experience as a paralegal while preparing for the bar exam, which you must pass to become a licensed attorney.

The bar exam is unequivocally the most difficult test you will ever take. Each state has its own variation, so you will need to pass the exam in the state where you want to become a lawyer. You may need to take the exam several times before you can pass it, but once you do, you’ll be ready for a career in law.