Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between criminal justice lawyers and contract attorneys can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a criminal justice lawyer and a contract attorney. Additionally, a contract attorney has an average salary of $97,474, which is higher than the $49,977 average annual salary of a criminal justice lawyer.
The top three skills for a criminal justice lawyer include criminal justice, semester and public safety. The most important skills for a contract attorney are litigation, e-discovery, and legal research.
| Criminal Justice Lawyer | Contract Attorney | |
| Yearly salary | $49,977 | $97,474 |
| Hourly rate | $24.03 | $46.86 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 824 | 13,592 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Doctoral Degree, 57% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A criminal justice lawyer is responsible for representing clients in court with criminal charges and defends them according to legal requirements and procedures. Criminal justice lawyers analyze the case by undergoing in-depth research and investigation that would support settlement claims. They reference laws and state regulations to identify the clients' options for case resolution. A criminal justice lawyer must have extensive knowledge of the legal industry, as well as possessing excellent critical-thinking skills to strategize appeals and negotiate pleas on trials.
A contract attorney is responsible for handling their clients' legal issues and settling cases by researching, analyzing, and collecting essential files that would support the clients' claims. Contract attorneys usually work for private clients without being permanently employed in a law firm or government agency. Contract attorneys represent clients at court, assist with law proceedings, and advise clients for the necessary legal procedures. A contract attorney must have excellent communication and critical-thinking skills to manage client legal matters and expertise in traditional disciplines and processes.
Criminal justice lawyers and contract attorneys have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Criminal Justice Lawyer | Contract Attorney | |
| Average salary | $49,977 | $97,474 |
| Salary range | Between $32,000 And $76,000 | Between $60,000 And $158,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Ramon, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Indiana University of Pennsylvania | Perkins Coie |
| Best paying industry | Professional | - |
There are a few differences between a criminal justice lawyer and a contract attorney in terms of educational background:
| Criminal Justice Lawyer | Contract Attorney | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Doctoral Degree, 57% |
| Most common major | Criminal Justice | Law |
| Most common college | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between criminal justice lawyers' and contract attorneys' demographics:
| Criminal Justice Lawyer | Contract Attorney | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 48.9% Female, 51.1% | Male, 50.9% Female, 49.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 5.7% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 6.5% White, 75.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 5.5% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.7% Asian, 6.3% White, 75.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |