Q: Hello my name is Erik, I’m 16 years old and I’m thinking about becoming criminal lawyer. I wanted to know steps

A: The steps to becoming a criminal lawyer are the same as the steps to become any other type of lawyer. You need to go to law school. Depending on your state and your goals, there are many avenues to get there. For instance, I went to graduate school and got my masters degree prior to going to law school. I went to law school online, graduated and passed the bar.

You did not differentiate your preference between prosecution or defense. I highly recommend either applying to be a public defender or a deputy DA if you are interested in criminal law. I spent a year as a DA and I feel it was some of the most valuable legal experience I gained.

A: Dear Erik: It is better to become a "Criminal DEFENSE Lawyer." (mostly when people speak about practicing Criminal Law, they are talking about defense not prosecution) We are seeing all kinds of Criminal Lawyers in the news today being prosecuted for committing numerous crimes of fraud, treason and embezzlement. Terminology is very important to attorneys, even though they sometimes use shortcuts, such as calling themselves "Criminal Lawyers" to other members of the profession. Since you are only 16, you will need to attend college first (a law degree is a Doctorate) and I would suggest that you put a strong emphasis on writing and logic courses. In this day you need to be a great typist also because you will most likely be typing your essay exams. Almost all important exams are essay exams, designed to demonstrate your ability to apply legal knowledge to a set of facts to reach an analysis, not a conclusion. There is no right or wrong in law exams, there is a failure to identify and discuss issues. You need to learn to discuss a subject VERY BRIEFLY, meaning that all the fluff that you get taught to put into your writing in HS and College goes right out the window. You have to use specific BUZZ words in your legal analysis, this is what the readers are looking for. You need to be ready to really structure your time in order to get through the massive reading assignments (at lest 100 pg per course per week) and to read supplemental materials, AND to do practice writing exams. I found that the practice exams were one of the most important things that I did. I attended an in person school. Sleep is also a very important factor. During your law school career it will be very important to do work as an intern in a law firm. The difference between what you do in Law School and what you actually do in the real world, is HUGE. Good luck to you.

A: DO WELL IN HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE AND GET INTO A GOOD LAW SCHOOL.

DO WELL IN LAW SCHOOL AND APPLY FOR A JOB WITH THE DA OR PUBLIC DEFENDER OR ALTERNATE PUBLIC DEFENDER.