What does a criminal justice lawyer do?
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.
Criminal justice lawyer responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real criminal justice lawyer resumes:
- 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.
- Coach first and second semester students in research writing.
- Create class objectives, syllabus, assignments, exercises and exams.
- Examine doors, windows, and gates to ensure they are secure.
- Conduct security checks of locks, doors, bars & windows, etc.
- Review and verify locals, draft invoices, final USAID invoices, and subcontractor invoices.
- Prepare and review expense reports and display information by navigating PowerPoint; create and produce presentations.
- Develop and supervise a wide variety of latent evidence/crime scene processing/ investigative techniques labs for FTCC CJ students.
- Aid in the response to critical, life threatening situations utilizing the appropriate first aid and CPR techniques.
- Assist attorney in litigation support, transcription, calendaring court deadlines, detail evidence and exhibit notebook tabbing.
- Screen cases, prepare for trial, try cases to court or jury, and respond to appeals.
- Invite several guest speakers from the field to add current interest other than the material present in the syllabus.
Criminal justice lawyer skills and personality traits
We calculated that 45% of Criminal Justice Lawyers are proficient in Criminal Justice, Semester, and Public Safety. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Problem-solving skills, and Research skills.
We break down the percentage of Criminal Justice Lawyers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Criminal Justice, 45%
Researched, developed, implemented and evaluated criminal justice agency programs and services for six-jurisdiction Colonial Community Criminal Justice Board.
- Semester, 11%
Selected by student-athletes and Academic Advisors as Most Valuable Tutor following 1st semester of employment.
- Public Safety, 5%
Performed criminal information searches and retrieval using Texas Department of Public Safety criminal history system access and other databases.
- Syllabus, 3%
Invited several guest speakers from the field to add current interest other than the material presented in the syllabus.
- Law Enforcement Agencies, 3%
Certified and released information to local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies.
- Sociology, 3%
Major focus in Sociology includes experience in Social Problems, Behavioral Sciences, and crime related Sociology.
"criminal justice," "semester," and "public safety" are among the most common skills that criminal justice lawyers use at work. You can find even more criminal justice lawyer responsibilities below, including:
Analytical skills. The most essential soft skill for a criminal justice lawyer to carry out their responsibilities is analytical skills. This skill is important for the role because "lawyers interpret the law as it applies to their client’s case." Additionally, a criminal justice lawyer resume shows how their duties depend on analytical skills: "research assistant, teaching assistant/ sociology department involved with the gathering, organization, and analysis of data. "
Problem-solving skills. Another essential skill to perform criminal justice lawyer duties is problem-solving skills. Criminal justice lawyers responsibilities require that "lawyers must evaluate information to propose viable solutions, mediate disputes, and reach agreements or settlements for their clients." Criminal justice lawyers also use problem-solving skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "mediated disputes; explored problem-solving techniques and performed crisis intervention as appropriate. "
Research skills. criminal justice lawyers are also known for research skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to criminal justice lawyer responsibilities, because "lawyers need to find laws and regulations that apply to a specific matter in order to provide appropriate legal advice for their clients." A criminal justice lawyer resume example shows how research skills is used in the workplace: "research assistant selected for position by chairman of the sociology department and other faculty members based on scholastic achievement. "
Interpersonal skills. For certain criminal justice lawyer responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "interpersonal skills." The day-to-day duties of a criminal justice lawyer rely on this skill, as "lawyers must build relationships with current and prospective clients, as well as with their colleagues and other members of the legal community." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what criminal justice lawyers do: "assisted customers with merchandise questions, and frequently promoted customer service and interpersonal skills to all customers. "
The three companies that hire the most criminal justice lawyers are:
- Alaska State Library2 criminal justice lawyers jobs
- Kansas City Kansas Community College2 criminal justice lawyers jobs
- Gannett1 criminal justice lawyers jobs
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Compare different criminal justice lawyers
Criminal justice lawyer vs. Housing counselor
A Housing Counselor works directly with clients and organizations to support moderate and low-income clients in overcoming barriers to housing and financial stability. They represent the homeowner in interventions and/or mediation proceedings with the mortgage servicer, lender, and/or other stakeholders.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, criminal justice lawyer responsibilities require skills like "criminal justice," "semester," "public safety," and "syllabus." Meanwhile a typical housing counselor has skills in areas such as "litigation," "in-house counsel," "social work," and "regulatory compliance." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Housing counselors earn the highest salaries when working in the manufacturing industry, with an average yearly salary of $91,338. On the other hand, criminal justice lawyers are paid more in the professional industry with an average salary of $50,030.On average, housing counselors reach similar levels of education than criminal justice lawyers. Housing counselors are 4.6% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 22.4% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Criminal justice lawyer vs. Assistant counsel
Assistant counsels are legal professionals who research and analyze various laws so they can apply them to the different legal issues that arose in a corporation. These counsels must develop an agency-wide client privacy policy and manage responses to all matters involving subpoenas and warrants. They advise other departments for legal claims related to the right of privacy and publicity as well as defamation. Assistant counsels are also required to act as labor attorneys for employees facing internal discrimination suits while dealing with FMLA, ERISA, and HIPAA issues.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, criminal justice lawyer responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "criminal justice," "semester," "public safety," and "syllabus." Meanwhile, an assistant counsel has duties that require skills in areas such as "litigation," "legal issues," "strong work ethic," and "legal advice." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Assistant counsels earn a higher average salary than criminal justice lawyers. But assistant counsels earn the highest pay in the government industry, with an average salary of $70,495. Additionally, criminal justice lawyers earn the highest salaries in the professional with average pay of $50,030 annually.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Assistant counsels tend to reach similar levels of education than criminal justice lawyers. In fact, they're 5.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 22.4% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Criminal justice lawyer vs. Student attorney
Staff Attorneys are legal employees who work for a variety of organizations, often as full-time employees. They use their legal expertise to help deal with day-to-day legal issues with which their organization needs regular assistance.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a criminal justice lawyer is likely to be skilled in "criminal justice," "semester," "public safety," and "syllabus," while a typical student attorney is skilled in "legal issues," "legal memoranda," "social security," and "probate."
When it comes to education, student attorneys tend to earn lower degree levels compared to criminal justice lawyers. In fact, they're 7.6% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 22.5% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Criminal justice lawyer vs. Staff attorney
Even though a few skill sets overlap between criminal justice lawyers and staff attorneys, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a criminal justice lawyer might have more use for skills like "criminal justice," "semester," "public safety," and "syllabus." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of staff attorneys require skills like "litigation," "legal services," "juris," and "legal advice. "
The professional industry tends to pay the highest salaries for staff attorneys, with average annual pay of $113,835. Comparatively, the highest criminal justice lawyer annual salary comes from the professional industry.The average resume of staff attorneys showed that they earn lower levels of education compared to criminal justice lawyers. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 8.8% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 51.6%.Types of criminal justice lawyer
Updated January 8, 2025
