A person must typically complete high school, college, and law school before becoming an assault defense attorney. In most cases, she must also pass the legal bar examination in the jurisdiction where she wishes to practice law. It may also be beneficial to look for a criminal defense internship while in law school and to take any criminal law classes that are available. When looking for a job, it’s important to consider a variety of options, including private criminal defense firms, government-run public defenders, and non-profit criminal defense organizations.
Although a good high school and college education is required to work as an assault defense lawyer, most people will not concentrate on criminal law until they enter law school. It may be beneficial to take classes during high school or college if they are offered. Many law schools offer a variety of classes that may be useful to those interested in pursuing a career as an assault defense attorney. These classes may cover broad topics such as criminal law and juvenile law, or they may focus on tips and techniques that can be useful when defending a client accused of a crime such as assault.
A person cannot practice law or become an assault defense attorney in many areas unless she has passed the bar examination in the area where she wishes to work. Many people begin looking for work before taking the bar exam; however, it is common for employers to hold off on making a final job offer until the bar examination results are released. Criminal defense law firms frequently prefer that their employees have prior criminal law experience. As a result, volunteering or working in a criminal defense law firm during law school may be advantageous.
Finding a job in the non-profit sector or with the public defender’s office are two other options for becoming an assault defense attorney. It can be difficult to find work in criminal defense on occasion. In that case, looking for jobs prosecuting criminals may be beneficial. Employers frequently value lawyers with experience on both sides of a case who want to practice as assault defense attorneys. Such experience may not only make a lawyer stronger and better prepared, but it may also provide a valuable network of contacts that can be useful when working on a criminal law case.