Career: Government Lawyers
One type of government lawyer, the public defender, works on behalf of underprivileged people convicted of crimes.
Will Maas, a lawyer with the Office of the Public Defender in San Francisco, is a shining example. This Vietnam vet, once profiled by PBS, feels driven to defend his clients as a way to heal from having killed during the war. Maas sums up his hard-earned compassion for humanity in this way: "All of us have been mad enough to murder."
Government lawyers work for state attorneys general, public defenders, district attorneys, and the courts. At the federal level, they investigate cases for the U.S. Department of Justice and other agencies.
Did You Know?
- District attorneys prosecute people accused of crimes on behalf of the government. They work for city or county courts.
Are You Ready To...?
- Interpret the law
- Write clearly about complex issues
- Keep up with changes in the law
- Defend or prosecute clients in court
- Possibly write laws, if you work at the federal level
It Helps to Be...
Able to inspire confidence and respect. You'll need good communication, reasoning, and analytical skills, as well as a willingness to put in long hours. Finally, you'll need a strong sense of ethics and responsibility.
Make High School Count
- Build excellent reading, writing, and speaking skills. You’ll need them in your work, and you won’t get into law school without them.
- Do your best in all your classes. Getting good grades and having a well-rounded academic background will help you get into law school.
- Join the debate team and sign up for speech.
- Read the news to keep up with legal issues.
- Visit, or even intern with, government lawyers, such as local district attorneys. Ask them to tell you about their careers.
Did You Know?
- Law-school graduates have to pass a test, called a bar exam, before practicing law.
Outlook
Government economists expect job growth for lawyers to be as fast as the average for all careers through 2014.
However, be prepared for a lot of competition. Many new lawyers graduate from law school each year. Those who graduate from top schools with good grades will do best in the job hunt.
Compensation
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates the following average salaries in 2006 for lawyers employed by the various levels of government:
- Federal executive branch: $116,700
- Local government: $84,570
- State government: $77,970
