Average Salary for a Criminal Defense Attorney – Does it Pay Well?

The legal profession is a thousand-year-old vocation that is considered one of the noblest occupations along with medicine and education. Many people aspire to be lawyers because they are considered advocates of the law, but also because it is also considered a very lucrative job. This is especially true especially in a subspecialty of the profession that is criminal defense. Due to the emotional, psychological, and moral risks that a criminal defense attorney faces, they are believed to receive an above-average salary.

Criminal defense

Criminal defense is basically a branch of law that deals with crimes, and it is the criminal defense attorney’s job to represent the parties accused of crimes to prevent their conviction and avoid the dreaded penalties imposed by law on criminal acts. The criminal defense attorney’s job is difficult because it is your responsibility to handle sensitive matters. Defending a crime is not an easy thing to do. It is not like defending an evil, where the accused crime is committed only against an individual. With a crime, the evil is against the general public. Thus, the defense attorney faces not only a victim, but the entire community. For average people, the challenge of criminal defense might be motivation enough to pursue that profession, yet many things also go along with it due to the promise of a great salary.

Criminal defense procedure

The average criminal process in the country undergoes basically the same procedure. The individual or group suspected of a crime is arrested by the police. Serious cases are presented to the grand jury, which will decide whether or not there is sufficient evidence to proceed with a trial. Although it is not yet the trial itself, the criminal lawyer has an important role at this stage because there is a possibility that the defendant will be released at this point, and that could be a breakthrough. While the jury’s decision has yet to be approved, the attorney could work towards the release of the accused party on bail. If the jury decides that the evidence is sufficient to proceed with the case, a trial will be called. This is the part where criminal defense attorneys really work for your pay. The trial will be by jury or before a single judge, if the jury is not really necessary or if the defendant gives his consent.

The trial will be done by jury or before a solitary judge if there is no need for a jury or if the consent of the accused approves it. First, the government would present its case through a district attorney, also known as a prosecutor. The district attorney would prove that the allegations in the indication are true. However, the defense attorney would prove that the defendant is not guilty. This is what most court dramas portray, as well as showing the comfortable life of the lawyer due to a gigantic implicit salary. But the criminal defense attorney’s job is not all fame and glory. It takes a better-than-average critical mind to know what to do or say, and to come up with a solid strategy to defend your client’s innocence. A great moral burden is placed on the defense attorney because there are indeed chances that the suspect he defends is actually guilty, and whatever happens, it is his duty to prove that the suspect is innocent. This is not something the average person can do.

Law is a very difficult profession, but for some people, its advantages, having a high salary and earning great respect, are enough to pursue that career. But aside from the benefits, the important thing is to have a passion for it.