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CAREERS IN LAW AND ORDER Welcome to the Saludos Law and Order Career Guide. Please select one of the following job categories, or scroll down to browse the job descriptions. LEGAL PROFESSIONS POLICE, DETECTIVES, AND SPECIAL AGENTS POLICE, DETECTIVES, AND SPECIAL AGENTS "Bad boys, bad boys, Whatcha gonna do?" A career in law enforcement may not always be as dramatic as it seems in the movies and on TV, but if you can responsibly handle unusual situations and the potential for danger it may be the job for you. If you want to have a direct impact on the safety and quality of life in your community, a career in law and order may be the best way to give back to your community while making a good living. Protecting and serving the public can provide you with a genuine feeling of accomplishment. There is a wide variety of different jobs associated with enforcing our laws and keeping order. Responsibilities can range from controlling traffic to investigating federal crimes. Law enforcement can be imposed by someone like the U.S. Marshal who escorts jurors to court. Law may be kept by the local police force whose goals are fighting crime and enhancing community relations. Or the authority of the law may be enforced by the FBI or DEA at the federal level. All these public servants have one thing in common; they are committed, concerned citizens who like to help others. Police Control traffic, investigate crimes, and give first-aid at accident scenes. Work at city police departments, sheriff's offices, and state police departments. Common specializations in metropolitan police departments include patrol, traffic, chemical analysis, and handwriting or fingerprint identification. Sheriffs and deputy sheriffs enforce the law in rural areas and other places which do not have a local police department. State police, highway patrol, and state troopers patrol highways, aiding motorists, and issuing traffic citations to law-breaking motorists. Write reports and maintain police records, and may be called upon to testify in court. Detectives and Special Agents Conduct interviews, examine records, observe activities of suspects. Can participate in raids or arrests. Plainclothes investigators gather facts and collect evidence for criminal cases. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agents Investigate violations of federal laws in connection with bank robberies, theft of government property, organized crime, espionage, sabotage, kidnapping, and terrorism. Agents with specialized training usually work on cases related to their background. (For example, agents with an accounting background may investigate crimes such as bank embezzlements or fraudulent bankruptcies and land deals.) Agents frequently testify in court about cases that they investigate. Special agents employed by the U.S. Department of Treasury work for the U.S. Customs Service; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms; the U.S. Secret Service; and the Internal Revenue Service. Customs agents enforce laws which prevent the smuggling of goods across U.S. borders. Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms agents might investigate suspected illegal sales of guns or the underpayment of taxes by a liquor or cigarette manufacturer. U.S. Secret Service agents protect the President, Vice President, and their immediate families, presidential candidates, ex-presidents, and foreign dignitaries visiting the United States. Also investigate counterfeiting, forgery of government checks or bonds, and the fraudulent use of credit cards. Internal Revenue Service special agents collect evidence against individuals and companies that are evading the payment of federal taxes. Federal drug enforcement agents conduct criminal investigations of illicit drug activity. Compile evidence and arrest individuals who violate federal drug laws. May prepare reports that are used in criminal proceedings. Give testimony in court. Develop evidence that justifies the seizure of financial assets gained from illegal activity. WORKING CONDITIONS Over-time is common. Average work week for police officers is 40 hours, with some night, holiday, and weekend work. Work outside even in bad weather. Injury and stress rates much higher in this profession than in others. Job applicants must be at least 20 years old, and must meet strict personal and physical requirements. Lie detector and drug tests are common screening tools in hiring procedure. (Many departments are now requiring psychological testing or counseling.) A high school degree is the minimum education requirement. College degree is often required for officers in managerial positions, or for general advancement in the force. Job growth in this field will mostly result from early retirement of current police officers. SALARY Salaries in 1992 ranged from $18,400 to $51,00 for non-supervisory officers. Supervisors earned between $23,200 and $58,400. Urban police departments pay officers the most, but most departments offer salaries which increase with time on the force. Return to the Law and Order Careers menu. Legal Professions How would you like to be part of a "Dream Team"? The legal profession has been getting a lot of attention over the past couple of years, not only because of fictional hit TV shows like L.A. Law, but also because of strange high profile cases in the news like the Menendez trials, and of course the O.J. Simpson "trial of the century." Trials are rarely that sensational or dramatic on a day to day basis, but for those with a passion for the law, legal work can be tremendously challenging and fulfilling. There are two main divisions within law; civil and criminal. Civil law has several subdivisions including corporate law, communications law, entertainment law, labor law, real estate law, and tax law. Criminal cases involve either misdemeanor or felony offenses. There are many different jobs associated with protecting our rights and serving justice. In order to operate smoothly, the legal profession needs various professionals to keep the system moving, including lawyers, judges, paralegals, court reporters, legal secretaries, administrators and support staff. These jobs are open to people with diverse backgrounds and various levels of education. For people who want their work to have a direct impact on their community, these jobs can provide you with a genuine feeling of accomplishment. LAWYERS Represent their clients in legal matters and draw up and/or interpret legal documents Present evidence in support of a client in both criminal and civil trials. Advise clients of their legal right and obligations in social, business, and financial situations. Common specializations include trial, divorce, bankruptcy, probate, and environmental law. In 1992, four-fifths of all lawyers worked in private practice. WORKING CONDITIONS Irregular work hours are common when doing research for a case. Long hours are common, with more than half of all lawyers working 50 or more hours per week. Private practice lawyers can spend a lot of time traveling while working on a case. JOB OUTLOOK Increasing competition for good jobs. Short term cutbacks, but government predicts a 24% increase in jobs through the year 2005. Strongest growth areas--tax law, international law, and possibly entertainment law and environmental law. Other good specialty areas: health care, international trade, intellectual property, and white-collar crime. SALARY Starting salaries for lawyers average $37,000 per year, but graduates from the top law schools can start at $80,000 per year. The federal government starts lawyers at $27,800 or $33,000, depending on academic record. The type, size and location of employer are major salary factors, as is any specialized education the applicant brings into the position. Law firms in large metropolitan areas are generally the sources of the largest starting salaries. Experienced lawyers can earn from $134,000 per year if they are on salary, to $1 million per year as partners. EDUCATION/TRAINING Requires graduate or professional degree. To practice law, you must be admitted to the bar of the state in which you wish to work. Admission to the bar is granted after completing and passing a written exam and an ethics exam. Before taking these tests, applicants must have spent three years in and graduated from an American Bar Association (ABA)-approved law school. Admission to law school requires an undergraduate degree and is very competitive, with many more students applying each year than can be accepted into the programs. Far more trained applicants than there are job openings. Education does not stop after completing law school in this field; 37 states require lawyers to keep abreast of the latest legal happenings and rulings by taking continuing education courses each year. JUDGES Apply the law to citizens and corporations across our country. Oversee legal processes in courts of law. Sentence convicted criminals. Are responsible for managing all those who work in the court room. Manage all paperwork required by the court. WORKING CONDITIONS Work either on the federal or state level. Deal only with laws on that specific level. Preside over courtrooms in small, local geographic areas. Typical work week is 40 hours. One-third of all judges, however, work 50 hours per week. EDUCATION/TRAINING Most judges were previously employed as lawyers. Law degree is NOT required to hold a limited jurisdiction judgeship in 40 states. Graduate degrees generally required. Cannot directly apply for a judgeship. Federal judges are appointed for life by the President. State and local judges are usually elected. State and local judges serve from four to six years in limited jurisdiction position; fourteen years in an appellate court. JOB OUTLOOK As of 1992, there were 90,000 judges employed in the U.S., most on the state level. In general, job opportunities for judges come slowly. Tightening of public funding may inhibit number of new courts. Must have political support to be elected or appointed to a judgeship. May need to spend a considerable amount of money to garner necessary political support. SALARY Federal judges earned from $96,800 to $145,700 in 1995. State judges earned from $62,500 to $121,207 per year. Location and size of the jurisdiction are major factors in judge salaries. Judges in major cities, or who preside over appellate courts, earn much more than their rural counterparts. The best paying, and most prestigious judgeships are those of the U.S. Supreme Court. In 1993, the Chief Justice earned $171,500, while other justices earned $164,100. PARALEGAL/LEGAL ASSISTANTS Perform many of the same duties as lawyers, but without a law degree. Do background research to help prepare a case by identifying all applicable laws and previous court cases and documents that might be relevant. Organize and analyze information, and then present a written advising report which is then used by the lawyer to decide how to organize the case. May help with the preparation of legal arguments, draft pleadings, obtain affidavits, and assist the lawyer during the course of the trial. Responsible for files of all documents that are associated with the case. WORKING CONDITIONS Employers are private law firms, corporations, government, and community legal service projects. Computer literacy is becoming mandatory. Paralegals generally work a 40-hour week, but may work overtime when meeting a deadline for a case going to trial. JOB OUTLOOK One of the fastest growing occupations in the U.S. through the next ten years--a growth rate of 86% is expected. 95,000 paralegals were employed in 1992, mostly by private law firms and the government. Growing trend for paralegal firms made up of independent paralegals who can offer legal services at lower cost than lawyers. SALARY Salaries vary greatly, with education, training, experience, and location of employer being a major factor. Large law firms in major cities pay the most. A $28,300 salary was the average for experienced legal assistants in 1993 according to the National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA). Starting salaries averaged $23,400. In addition to salary, most legal assistant receive bonuses for putting in long hours of hard work, which averaged $1,700 in 1993 according to NALA. Supervisors or specialists may earn $45,000 and up. EDUCATION/TRAINING Paralegal education can vary from two months to four years. Certification is not required, but it increases job prospects. Some firms prefer to promote experienced legal secretaries, or new college grads, into paralegal positions, and then train them to their own specifications. Training and certification programs are found at both two- and four-year colleges, law schools, and business schools. An internship is the best way to receive on-the-job-training and a good shot at employment. Demands use of logic, written and oral communication, good research and investigation skills. Internet Resources: General Law & Order Resources: Court TV Federal Law Enforcement Careers Employment Guide--information on how to purchase this booklet, and selected application details. Vera Institute of Justice Lawyers, Judges, Paralegals/Legal Assistants: Federal Judicial Center Law Employment Center Law School Admission Council National Association of Legal Assistants National Federation of Paralegal Associations, Inc. (NFPA) Police, Detectives, and Special Agents: CIA CopNet FBI International Police Association Montgomery County Department of Police National Sheriffs' Association The Police Officer's Internet Directory Saint Mary's University Criminal Justice page Return to the Law and Order Careers menu. No part of this article may be reproduced without permission of the author. HTML links to this document are allowed, but please let us know via email so we can keep you informed of URL changes.