Due to the fact that more students are graduating from law school than ever before, the legal profession is facing a surplus of trained and certified attorneys. Recent statistical analyses indicate that although the demand for lawyers in America continues to rise, only 85% of law school graduates in any given year can expect to find employment in the field. In the next five years, that figure is expected to drop to just over 60%
College students with an aptitude for logic, math, and grammar may find themselves
wondering how to become a criminal defense attorney. Law school admission remains extremely competitive, particularly at the upper echelons, but many undergraduates are surprised to find that a baccalaureate in a related field is not required.
Although studying history or government at the undergraduate level can give law students a solid introduction to critical thinking and political dynamics, part of the discipline of legal study rests in mathematics and the English language. Undergraduate students who pursue linguistic studies, English, and math have as much chance of success of succeeding in law school as students who choose to major in geopolitics, government, and history.
Criminal defense firms often represent an extremely varied demographic and may look for attorneys who are fluent in one or several foreign languages, depending upon the location of the firm. Bilingual lawyers may find that their chances of employment increase with their linguistic versatility and, of course, fluency. Learning how to become a criminal defense attorney — or any other legal professional — rests increasingly on targeted niche marketing of specialized knowledge.
International recruitment of American lawyers, especially in the fields of intellectual property, continues to increase, and tech-savvy law school graduates may find their services at a premium in the next several years. Statistically speaking, even the best criminal defense attorney may have to take a new marketing approach in the coming decades in order to stand out among an ever-increasing field of qualified lawyers.
