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The differences between lawyers and criminal justice lawyers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a lawyer and a criminal justice lawyer. Additionally, a lawyer has an average salary of $115,808, which is higher than the $49,977 average annual salary of a criminal justice lawyer.
The top three skills for a lawyer include litigation, law firm and legal issues. The most important skills for a criminal justice lawyer are criminal justice, semester, and public safety.
| Lawyer | Criminal Justice Lawyer | |
| Yearly salary | $115,808 | $49,977 |
| Hourly rate | $55.68 | $24.03 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 2,897 | 824 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 53% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A lawyer is a legal practitioner who specializes in understanding and interpreting laws and other legal matters. Their responsibilities revolve around providing legal counseling and advice, representing clients in different kinds of court proceedings, conducting research, collecting evidence, and coordinating with various experts. A lawyer must also manage and oversee the performance of assistants, paralegals, and other team members. Furthermore, there are instances when a lawyer must draft or manage documents such as contracts, trusts, deeds, and wills, assisting clients as needed.
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.
Lawyers and criminal justice lawyers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lawyer | Criminal Justice Lawyer | |
| Average salary | $115,808 | $49,977 |
| Salary range | Between $64,000 And $208,000 | Between $32,000 And $76,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | California |
| Best paying company | Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough | Indiana University of Pennsylvania |
| Best paying industry | - | Professional |
There are a few differences between a lawyer and a criminal justice lawyer in terms of educational background:
| Lawyer | Criminal Justice Lawyer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 53% |
| Most common major | Law | Criminal Justice |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
Here are the differences between lawyers' and criminal justice lawyers' demographics:
| Lawyer | Criminal Justice Lawyer | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 48.5% Female, 51.5% | Male, 48.9% Female, 51.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 5.4% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.7% Asian, 6.3% White, 76.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |