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The differences between criminal justice lawyers and legal externs 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 legal extern. Additionally, a criminal justice lawyer has an average salary of $49,977, which is higher than the $47,238 average annual salary of a legal extern.
The top three skills for a criminal justice lawyer include criminal justice, semester and public safety. The most important skills for a legal extern are litigation, legal intern, and legal issues.
| Criminal Justice Lawyer | Legal Extern | |
| Yearly salary | $49,977 | $47,238 |
| Hourly rate | $24.03 | $22.71 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 824 | 10,986 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| 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.
Legal externs are law students who took the opportunity to do on-the-job training at a law firm. Instead of monetary compensation, they receive academic credits. Legal externs primarily engage in job shadowing. They are usually assigned mentors in the law firm, and they would shadow their mentors in their daily routines. Legal externs are exposed to the actual work done by lawyers. Legal externs are involved in cases, providing insights while building a solid case for their client, giving advice to clients, and representing clients under the supervision of the actual lawyers in the firm. They are usually not given administrative or clerical tasks since they are expected to do more tasks directly related to being a lawyer.
Criminal justice lawyers and legal externs have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Criminal Justice Lawyer | Legal Extern | |
| Average salary | $49,977 | $47,238 |
| Salary range | Between $32,000 And $76,000 | Between $23,000 And $93,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | California | New York |
| Best paying company | Indiana University of Pennsylvania | Jones Day |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Professional |
There are a few differences between a criminal justice lawyer and a legal extern in terms of educational background:
| Criminal Justice Lawyer | Legal Extern | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| 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 legal externs' demographics:
| Criminal Justice Lawyer | Legal Extern | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 48.9% Female, 51.1% | Male, 46.0% Female, 54.0% |
| 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, 5.6% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 6.4% White, 75.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |