Criminal Lawyers' Salaries
In the U.S. criminal justice system, criminal lawyers include the federal and state attorneys who prosecute suspected criminals and the defense counselors who represent the accused. The latter include lawyers in private practices and law firms, as well as government-paid attorneys known as public defenders, who represent indigent defendants. Salaries for criminal lawyers vary depending on whether an attorney works as a prosecutor or defense lawyer.
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Prosecutors' Salaries
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Prosecutors in the criminal justice system include attorneys employed by local district attorneys’ offices, as well as federal prosecutors who bring cases against individuals accused of federal crimes. Local prosecutors often hold the job title of assistant district attorney. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported in 2008 that lawyers employed by local government units earned a median annual salary of $82,590 a year, while attorneys in state government agencies earned an average of $78,540 a year. Attorneys in the federal government earned much more, with salaries averaging more than $125,000 a year. The bureau did not distinguish local, state and federal prosecutors from other types of government lawyers.
Geography
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Data on prosecutors' salaries in 2000 from Law.com illustrate the variation in salary by geography, as well as by experience level. In Albuquerque, New Mexico, for example, salaries ranged from $33,300 a year for beginning prosecutors to $78,400 a year for district attorney, as of November 2010. In Alameda County, California, salaries ranged from $52,224 for entry-level lawyers to more than $168,000 a year for the district attorney. In Suffolk County, Massachusetts, salaries ranged from $30,000 to $80,000 a year, Law.com reports.
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Defense Lawyers
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Criminal defense attorneys may work in law firms and specialize in criminal cases, or they may operate their own law practices, handling a wide range of civil and criminal matters. Attorneys in private practice may specialize in representing criminal defendants. Data from the PayScale website indicates that the salaries received by criminal lawyers vary widely. The website reported in 2010 that attorneys’ salaries ranged from $56,303 to $105,767 a year.
Considerations
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Salary data reported by PayScale didn't distinguish between lawyers who focus mainly or exclusively on criminal law and those who handle civil law cases.
Identification
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American law guarantees all criminal defendants the right to legal representation in court, regardless of their ability to pay. Defense lawyers may represent defendants who can't afford to hire attorneys themselves. These lawyers are known as public defenders. Generally, public defenders earn less money per year than prosecutors and defense attorneys in private practice. PayScale estimated in 2010 that public defenders’ annual salaries ranged from $41,425 to $70,318 a year.
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References
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