Whether you’ve grown up knowing you wanted to be a lawyer or it is something you have recently decided on, one of the hardest parts is yet to come – choosing just which area of law you want to practice.
The Options Are Endless
Of course, many students struggle to decide which area of law they wish to pursue. This can be for many reasons, including the overwhelming number of potential paths available, but can also be because students are not properly informed on the different options available to them.
Many law students believe they have two or maybe three viable options, from what they have been exposed to during their studies and from their career counselors, but that couldn’t be more wrong! Studying law goes way beyond litigation, corporate, or general practice… one specialization that many students are uncertain of, for example, is criminal law.
So…
Why Choose Criminal Law?
Just by the sounds of it, criminal law can seem intimidating or unwelcoming – but there are plenty of reasons why anyone studying law should considering specializing in criminal law.
The Perks of Criminal Law
Being able to help others
In fact, playing any part in law enforcement allows you to use your education and your skills to help individuals in need. Being a criminal lawyer, specifically, allows you to use your education, skills, and passion to help those who have been victims of crime.
If you are looking for a fulfilling career, helping those in crisis through criminal law may just be what you’re looking for.
Job stability
As unfortunate as it may be, there will always be crime – and this means that there will always be a need for criminal justice workers, such as criminal lawyers.
Additionally, as criminal lawyers are a part of the public sector versus the private sector, your career will be a lot less vulnerable to the ups and downs commonly seen within the private sectors.
Engaging your brain
Working as a criminal lawyer is an incredibly intellectually stimulating profession. You need to be a quick thinker and a problem solver, you need to be able to piece together messy puzzles, and you need to be strong in your arguments.
It’s a career where everyday in the office is different, bringing new challenges, new questions, new cases, and new problems to solve – some people crave a challenging career, and with criminal law everyday will keep them on their toes.
Health and retirement benefits
On the more practical end of things, those employed in criminal justice typically enjoy health and retirement benefits that those from other fields of employment can only dream of. This is largely due to the fact that they are working in the public sector in a position that requires such a high level of education.
What Are You Waiting For?
If these aren’t enough reasons to give criminal law a second glance, go speak with your career counselor, reach out to criminal lawyers in your community, or do some more research on your own.
You’ll realize quickly how engaging, fulfilling, and satisfactory a career in criminal law can really be!
