What is the career path in criminal justice?

The career path in criminal justice includes jobs as a criminal investigator, a forensic psychologist, and a lawyer. Criminal justice lends itself to many different careers with many different educational requirements, so there are many different paths to take depending on personal interests and skill sets. Detectives gather facts and collect evidence to help solve crimes. Detectives were once police officers, and they will often work with police officers to solve these crimes. A degree in criminal justice will aid them in this and give them the tools necessary to solve crimes. Detectives are able to have a practical implementation of their criminal justice degrees. Similar to a detective, a private investigator works to solve crimes. They often hold degrees in criminal justice. Unlike a detective, they do not work for a specific agency, which gives them more independence. Most private investigators worked as detectives for the police before becoming private investigators. Prospective lawyers often earn undergraduate degrees in law or criminal justice before attending and completing law school. Criminal justice is a great undergraduate degree for prospective lawyers as law school builds upon the principles taught in criminal justice. Lawyers must have a solid understanding of criminal justice to be successful lawyers. Forensic psychologists will generally hold a degree in psychology as well as criminal justice or a related field. Forensic psychology is where psychology and criminology meet, as you will try to understand the reason and motive behind a criminal's actions and activities. Criminal justice will give them the tools necessary to successfully do this.

How To Become A Criminal Justice Lawyer: What It Is and Career Path

What is a criminal justice lawyer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Shelley Sadin

Criminal justice lawyers provide legal representation for people accused of a crime. They research the cases they take on to build viable defense strategies. They advise their defendants on the best course of action, navigating plea bargains and settlements as well as fighting for their defendants' rights in court.

You will need a law degree specializing in criminal law if you want to consider this career option. Your job will be to interpret legal regulations and find the interpretation that best suits your client. Informing your clients about their rights and options is a big part of your responsibilities.

Being passionate about criminal justice will play an important role in your success in this profession. You will also need superb public speaking skills, as your presentation may very well make or break your case. Being professional and compassionate will make you popular among your clients as people deserve respect regardless of the crime they were accused of.

What general advice would you give to a criminal justice lawyer?

Shelley Sadin

Associate Dean of Professional and Career Development, Quinnipiac University

Communicating clearly, both orally and in writing.

It is identifying and analyzing legal and factual issues with an open, thoughtful, and creative mind.

Working collaboratively with clients, colleagues, opponents, and others involved in a case to solve problems.

Being meticulously ethical and professional in all interactions. This includes treating everyone involved in a matter with respect; recognizing and honoring their different backgrounds and perspectives.

Being self-disciplined, motivated, resilient, courageous, kind, and flexible.

ScoreCriminal Justice LawyerUS Average

Salary

3.9

Avg. Salary $49,977

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

10.0

Growth rate 10%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

2.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.31%

Asian 6.48%

Black or African American 5.66%

Hispanic or Latino 7.89%

Unknown 4.39%

White 75.26%

Gender

female 51.08%

male 48.92%

Age - 45

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 45

Stress level

10.0

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

10.0

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.9

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a criminal justice lawyer

Explore criminal justice lawyer education requirements

Most common criminal justice lawyer degrees

Bachelor's

53.3 %

Associate

19.0 %

Master's

13.3 %

Start to develop specific criminal justice lawyer skills

Skills	Percentages
Criminal Justice	45.40%
Semester	10.80%
Public Safety	4.96%
Syllabus	2.83%
Law Enforcement Agencies	2.81%

Complete relevant criminal justice lawyer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New criminal justice lawyers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a criminal justice lawyer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real criminal justice lawyer resumes.

Research criminal justice lawyer duties and responsibilities

Manage and maintain CJ laboratory and supplies in accordance with curriculum needs and OSHA regulations.
Establish a working forensics' lab.
Train in ecollege, blackboard and moodle
Advise clients of their rights and file appeals.

Prepare your criminal justice lawyer resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your criminal justice lawyer resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a criminal justice lawyer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable criminal justice lawyer resume templates

Build a professional criminal justice lawyer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your criminal justice lawyer resume.