Criminal Law

Overview

Criminal lawyers may either prosecute or defend those accused of committing crimes. Prosecutors work for the government whereas defense attorneys may either work for the government or in private practice. In addition to being skilled trial lawyers, criminal lawyers must be good negotiators, investigators, counselors, and even social workers. Criminal defense attorneys in particular must be prepared to deal with all of the stressful aspects in a client’s life at the moment, not just the accused crime.

Some of the types of cases handled by criminal lawyers are rape, murder, and domestic/child abuse, drug crimes, organized crime, economic crimes such as tax fraud or counterfeiting, and public corruption.

Skills/Personality Characteristics

  • Confidence in public speaking: Criminal law attorneys spend a good portion of their time in the courtroom, and they need to be excellent public speakers who are quick on their feet. To develop these skills, participate in moot court and trial advocacy classes, and go to court to observe experienced and successful attorneys.
  • A high energy level: Criminal law practice is fast-paced and requires attorneys who can make quick decisions and adjust expectations at a moments’ notice.
  • A strong understanding of the rules of evidence in your jurisdiction
  • Ability to read and analyze vast quantities of information. A staggering amount of written information is handled, sometimes many versions of the same story from different sources
  • Negotiation skills: Such skills come in handy both in persuading the court or jury and in settling cases outside of court.
  • Analytical skills: The attorney must be able to perform legal analysis and think through investigative and trial strategies.
  • Ability to build relationships and develop a rapport with clients, juries, and opposing counsel
  • Organizational skills
  • Empathy, whether for victims or for defendants
  • Emotional resiliency: Criminal lawyers may handle cases that show them the worst in humanity. They deal with very high stakes – sometimes lives literally depend on the outcome of a case.

Where do criminal lawyers practice?

Prosecutors are government lawyers and may work at either the state or federal level as U.S. Attorneys or Commonwealth Attorneys. The U.S. Military also has attorneys who are prosecutors. Prosecutors often specialize in certain types of crime and are assigned to units such as murder, sex crimes, or narcotics.

Defense attorneys may also work for the state or federal government in Public Defenders offices. They may also work in private practice.

Selected Related Courses at Brandeis School of Law

These courses have been taught in the last two years and may or may not be on the schedule for the next academic year. If you are interested in a course listed here, but the course is not on the schedule, please see the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.

  • Criminal Law
  • Criminal Procedure: Constitutional Issues
  • Criminal Procedure: Judicial Process
  • Evidence
  • Advanced Criminal Law

Selected Faculty Who Teach in This Area

Les Abramson
Sam Marcosson
Luke Milligan
Cedric Powell
Russell Weaver

Student Organizations

  • Moot Court Board
  • Student Trial Lawyers Association

Externship/Public Service Placement Opportunities

Externships

  • Criminal Justice Externship I & II
  • Kentucky Innocence Project I & II
  • Public Service Placement Opportunities
  • Attorney General’s Office - Office of Criminal Appeals
  • Attorney General’s Office – Victim Advocacy
  • Clark County (IN) Prosecutor’s Office
  • Commonwealth Attorney’s Office – (all offices)
  • County Attorney’s Office (Jefferson County)
  • Department for Juvenile Justice
  • KY Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty
  • KY Department of Public Advocacy (all offices)
  • Public Defenders Offices (All KY offices, plus Nashville, Brevard County, Fla, and Clark and Floyd Counties in Indiana).

Professional Associations

  • Kentucky Bar Association Criminal Law Section
  • Louisville Bar Association Criminal Law Section
  • National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
  • National District Attorneys Association

Further suggested reading, Careers in Criminal Law. Brotman, E. & ABA (2010), is available at the Law Library.