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The landmark 1963 Supreme Court case Gideon v. Wainright established that state courts must provide an attorney to criminal defendants who otherwise could not afford one. Courts refer to those who cannot afford attorneys as "indigent defendants." Gideon led to the further expansion of the public defender service. Criminal defendants who can afford to retain an attorney usually hire private counsel and pay a fee for the lawyer's services. As a result, a large number of criminal justice lawyers exist on the defense and prosecution side.
The road to being a successful criminal justice lawyer is long and hard. The average lawyer must complete at least seven years of advanced education and pass a difficult bar examination before he or she can even begin to practice law. Still, most criminal justice lawyers can expect a decent salary to compensate for their arduous journey; of course, this salary will depend heavily on exactly how they decide to use their law degrees.
