Prospective law school students eager to practice criminal law can look forward to entering a dynamic field, experts say.
Criminal law can be understood as the “substantive and procedural laws related to crimes,” says Gabriel Kuris, a graduate of Harvard Law School in Massachusetts and author of U.S. News’ Law Admissions Lowdown blog. Criminal laws are defined at both the federal and state levels and cover a host of crimes including white-collar offenses like fraud, as well as environmental, drug, property and violent crimes.
The main roles in a criminal proceeding include the prosecutor, who presents the case against the accused person or organization — the defendant — and the defense attorney, who represents the accused.
Criminal law is intended to protect society by penalizing harmful behavior. So in prosecuting crimes, criminal prosecutors aim to uphold justice for victims while keeping individuals and property safe. Meanwhile, lawyers who defend people or organizations accused of crime try to ensure their clients’ rights are protected throughout resolution of the accusations.
Whichever side of the courtroom you want to be on, here are some tips on choosing a law school with a strong criminal law program.
Look for Program Strengths
For aspiring criminal lawyers, there are several indications of strength to look out for. Experts say programs that connect students with hands-on experience through clerking, internships and externships will better prepare you for a successful career in criminal law.
Kuris, founder of Top Law Coach law school admissions consultancy, highlights the importance of legal clinics in providing hands-on legal experience, describing them as “courses that allow students to practice assisting with both criminal defense and prosecution under supervision.” That supervision comes with receiving expert advice and learning professional expectations while exploring topics of criminal law that most interest students.
[READ: How to Gauge the Strength of Law School Clinics.]
While experience engaging with criminal law practice can indicate strength in the field, you should look for law school programs that allow you to observe the institutions your future clients would interact with, says Susan Rozelle, a professor at Stetson University College of Law in Florida.
“Can you get a jail tour? Can you get a tour of a diversion facility or a residential treatment facility?” Rozelle asks, suggesting that criminal law programs that provide tours of detention facilities, drug courts and similar institutions allow you to better understand the circumstances of the types of people you may one day prosecute or defend.
Programs that offer not only practical legal exercises, but avenues to engage with a range of institutions that intersect with the criminal justice system, better prepare students to succeed in criminal law careers, experts say.
Rozelle, chair of the Teaching Materials Network of the Association of American Law Schools’ Section on New Law Professors, encourages students to find law schools whose catalogs offer breadth and depth in criminal law courses, clinics and seminars. Colleges with advanced courses in interview and counseling, negotiation, oral advocacy, and legal writing at the trial and appellate levels help students sharpen the skills needed to be a successful criminal lawyer.
Criminal law programs may also set themselves apart with offering seminar courses that allow students to grapple with intended effects and fairness of laws and help them learn to become thought leaders in the criminal law field. It’s also valuable to consider a law school’s legal journals, which allow students to contribute to the discussion and development of important legal topics.
[READ: How to Become a Lawyer: A Step-by-Step Guide.]
Assessing course catalogs and internship opportunities is easier to do if you have an idea of what type of criminal law you want to practice. If you’re unsure, experts recommend looking for a program that has a wide breadth of elective and clinical options to explore.
If a school has limited clinical offerings, Kuris suggests seeking out legal journals and campus organizations to join.
Ask Yourself Key Questions
There are questions you can ask yourself to find clarity in deciding what criminal law program will work best for you, experts say.
For instance, you can consider what populations you want to serve and work with. If you care about the elderly, for example, you should try to find elective courses on elder justice.
You should also reflect on whether you may want to work at the state or federal level, Kuris says, and whether you want to be a prosecutor or defense attorney.
“You will be expected to choose a side,” Kuris says. “You don’t have to choose it right away, people do switch, but there are pretty different qualities and traits involved whether you are working on the prosecution or defense.”
[Read: How to Figure Out Which Area of Law Fits Your Career Goals]
Consider Your Personal Qualities
Despite the expansiveness of criminal law, there are a few key shared qualities among its successful attorneys.
Criminal lawyers must be resourceful and detail-oriented, experts say, but the circumstances and the extent to which the prosecution and defense use these skills vary.
Criminal prosecutors have to be meticulous in building their case, using interviews and skillful legal research, as any mistake could be costly, Kuris says. Prosecutors also must be able to demonstrate discernment, as they consistently handle sensitive information and situations, while wielding the considerable power of what sentencing to pursue in a case.
Meanwhile, Kuris adds, the defense “is often about seeing the full picture of a (legal) situation and understanding the complexities” through all available resources, though these are often fewer than those available to their prosecutorial counterparts.
Criminal defense lawyers must be resourceful and able to balance their clients’ expectations with their own. For defense attorneys practicing in the U.S., Kuris says, “the defense side usually loses” so “defense attorneys should be comfortable with that. If you go in with the expectation that you will win every case, you’ll get burnt out.”
Kuris and Rozelle emphasize the significance of empathy in criminal legal work.
“I recommend that students interested in criminal work be the kind of people who can lead with empathy,” Rozelle says. “And I mean lead with empathy for everyone — defense, defendants, witnesses, opposing counsel, literally everyone.”
Often the attorneys, judges, defendants, witnesses and even experts in a district are repeat players, she adds, so students can look for law school programs that value and cultivate these relationships.
More from U.S. News
How to Choose a Law School Specialization
7 Things I Wish I Knew When I Applied to Law School
Questions to Ask Before Heading to Law School
How to Pick The Right Law School For Criminal Law Practice originally appeared on usnews.com
