
The aim of this article is to explain the details related to the duties and salary of a public defender.
Under the judicial system, every person charged with any crimes have the right to defend themselves in the court. In order to put forth their side, the people accused of crime would need a lawyer. However, not all can afford to hire a lawyer and that is why the task of the public defenders is very important. They are lawyers who are appointed by the court to represent the cases of the people who are not able to hire a lawyer for themselves. Who pays the public defender’s salary?. These are state or federal government employees and receive a lawyer’s salary for doing their job, based on the performance and experience.
In order to become a public defender, you should secure admission in a reputed law school and complete the four-year course with good score. You will also have to clear the bar exam to become a lawyer legally. By selecting the criminal defense lawyer specialization, you can become a criminal defense lawyer. Before we talk about the average salary, let us first discuss the responsibilities and duties.
Duties and Responsibilities
The public defenders try their level best to represent the people charged with crimes in a systematic way in the courts. The challenge before them is to understand the circumstances of their clients, give legal advice and chalk out strategies to defend them effectively. The importance of these attorneys increases to a great extent when the clients are illiterate and are not aware of the provisions for them in the law. Even if, the clients are literate, there might be some people who are not aware of all the facts related to the judicial process. They personally meets with his clients and tell them all the aspects of their case. They explain to their clients, how strong or weak their case is and how they can get justice from the court. They have to study the past as well as the present of their clients very well, to, put forth a solid defense for them in the court room. Profound knowledge of his subject, ability to interpret information in the right sense, good communication skills, hard work and perseverance are the qualities which are a must to become a successful public defender. Thus, we conclude that hard work and consistency are the highlights of lawyer job description.
Salary Details
The earnings of a public defender depend on different factors such as the educational qualifications, the several years of experience and the place of the job. Those, who have completed their education in law from reputed law schools, can expect better salaries than their counterparts in this field. The salaries might be less at the beginning of their career, but will definitely pick up fast after gaining the requisite skills, knowledge and experience. The salary for those with less than two years of practical experience can be about USD 35,000 to USD 50,000 per year. In some cases, the salaries can even be around USD 30,000. The earnings are believed to be more for those, who are paid by the federal government. For those who have around two years of experience, the salary can be around USD 40,000 per year. With around four years of experience, this figure can go up to USD 52,000 per year. The salary for the ones with around eight to ten years of experience can be anything about USD 60,000 to USD 80,000 per year. These earnings can easily be in excess of USD 100,000 for those who are in the field for more than fifteen years.
Thus we conclude that this is a good career for those interested in law. Youngsters should try to explore these career opportunities and secure their future.