Can you be both a prosecuting and defense lawyer?

8 Comments

1. jurydoc says:

   January 11, 2009 at 5:47 am

   Well, not at the same time, but certainly successively over a career you can be both.
2. inappropriatus says:

   January 13, 2009 at 11:22 pm

   There is a way to find out.
   While you are in law school, there is a program with the bar to be a certified law clerk. Which means that you can practice law with the direct supervision of a licensed attorney. I worked as both a prosecutor and in public defense.
   Check your local bar website to find out what it takes to qualify.
3. RevSphynx says:

   January 16, 2009 at 8:17 am

   Many lawyers will work for the district attorney’s office (or county attorney depending on where you are), then later go into private practice as defense attorneys.

   You can’t do both at once.

   You don’t have to be either one, though. Most industries, and many charities have legal departments.
4. Bankykun says:

   January 17, 2009 at 11:59 pm

   Basically you would have to choose one or the other.
5. crystal d says:

   January 21, 2009 at 12:12 am

   Create a video blog

   Yes. You can be in both. This is usually the case with most independent attorneys in their own practice. Then, not only do you have the freedom to choose “which side of the fence you are on”, you also have the freedom to choose which cases you would prefer to take.

   In a large firm, you do not have that freedom, well, most of the time anyway!
6. Beth says:

   January 22, 2009 at 12:54 pm

   Caffeinated Content

   You can, but even more important you should decide if you want to be a criminal or civil attorney, for example criminal attorneys work on murders while civil attorneys work on case like divorces etc. I would like to be civil, but until you are actualy go through a case you wont know.
7. MLaw says:

   January 25, 2009 at 2:47 pm

   Caffeinated Content

   In the UK, yes. In the US, the answer is also, yes, but it is relatively rare. In the US most criminal prosecutorial offices are full time. But not always. When I first became an attorney I worked for a Criminal Defense attorney who also worked part time prosecuting misdemeanors in the municipal court of the small town in which he lived. Sometimes state prosecutors will have a conflict of interest in prosecuting political officials and a “special prosecutor” will be appointed from among experienced defense attoneys. Remember Ken Starr & the Whitewater prosecutions under the Clinton Adminsitration? He was a private attorney appointed under a special Federal Statute (now lapsed) to investigate & prosecute offenses committed by Federal officials.
8. Heather V says:

   January 26, 2009 at 4:28 pm

   Create a video blog…instantly.

   you could but not at the same time. Many lawyers start out doing one then switch to the other