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What To Learn

High School

What high school courses should you take if you're interested in this career? Get your answers from the Law, Public Safety, Corrections and Security cluster Legal Services pathway.

Insider Info

Additional Information

Criminal defense lawyers go through training just like any other lawyer. That means they have to complete at least 10 undergraduate courses or, in some cases, a full degree -- it depends on the entrance requirements of the law school they want to attend.

Then, they must write an aptitude test (LSAT) to get into a three-year law degree program. At law school, they may attend specialized clinics or courses pertaining to corporate law.

They also have to write the bar exam.

Wade Jensen, a criminal defense lawyer, strongly advises that anyone interested in criminal defense law should tag along with someone in the field for a few days. He suspects that there are many illusions about what his job is like and that a person should get a sense of what the "real world is like and not what the TV world is like."

Contact

  • Email Support
  • 1-800-GO-TO-XAP (1-800-468-6927)
    From outside the U.S., please call +1 (424) 750-3900
  • North Dakota Career Resource Network
    ndcrn@nd.gov | (701) 328-9733

Support