7 Educational Courses That Are Helpful For Aspiring Criminal Lawyers

Many requirements come if you wish to become a lawyer. From educational background to personal skills and talents, lawyers have the knowledge and skills needed to ace their profession. Learning does not stop once you complete a bachelor’s degree. As they say, that’s the phase where real education truly starts.

There are many types of practises aspiring lawyers can choose from. Some are family, divorce, real estate, intellectual, and criminal lawyers. Aside from these, more kinds are knowledgeable in various fields to help people needing assistance and protection in diverse issues.

Criminal law is one of the most challenging practice areas in law. Many criminal lawyers undergo immense emotional tolls when dealing with criminal cases. It’s not a walk in the park to defend and seek justice for people related to criminal cases that are sensitive, controversial, and dramatic. Because of that, aspiring criminal lawyers need to broaden their knowledge, perspective, and skills to handle such cases confidently and wisely.

If you’re an aspiring criminal lawyer, this post is for you. Here are educational courses you can take that are helpful for your law career.

1 - English or communication courses

One of the responsibilities of criminal lawyers is to defend and represent clients in court. Because of that, having exceptional communication skills is critical for people aspiring to become lawyers, specifically defence attorneys. Criminal lawyers will also interact and communicate with diverse people from different backgrounds aside from court representation.

It’s essential to have a broad vocabulary that will help you deliver your points accurately and smartly if you represent clients in court. Moreover, you must also be able to communicate with clients who are unfamiliar with law jargon and help them understand how you can help them. If you have extra time or are having difficulty communicating, an English or communication course would help.

2 - Social studies

If you haven’t taken ‘Political Science’ as your pre-law course, I recommend considering taking classes in social studies. Social studies covers multiple social science and humanities fields, including history, culture, geography, and political science. It tackles the study of social relationships and the functioning of society.

If you wish to become a criminal lawyer, this is undoubtedly one of the courses you’ll eventually take because of its relevance to law and your profession. Aside from the subjects I mentioned, social studies will also cover the elements of ethics, psychology, philosophy, anthropology, arts, literature, and more.

3 - Psychology

Psychology is the study of the human mind and its functions. It tackles the mental and emotional factors governing a situation or activity. The role of psychologists is to help understand and study clients’ brain processes, functions, and behaviour. Since criminology studies deviant behaviour relating to crimes, psychology is essential. 

Even though you have no plans to pursue a career related to Psychology, being knowledgeable about it is essential to your profession as a lawyer. As a defence attorney, you need to learn how to read people. Since you’ll manage sensitive and controversial cases, deciphering human behaviour and choices will help accelerate your career.

4 - Philosophy

Philosophy, by definition, is the study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence. It tackles the study of the theoretical basis of a particular branch of knowledge or experience. It is an essential topic in law that tackles criminal justice and philosophy in law schools.

Learning philosophical teachings, theories, and concepts will help the moral decisions you suggest, make, and recommend in your profession. It also serves as a governing reference for judges and other legal professionals in the decisions they’ll make and sentences they’ll give to offenders. 

5 - Statistics

One of the things that lawyers do is analyse large amounts of data. That includes charts, numbers, and other statistical records that could benefit or harm their case. Because of that, having sufficient statistical knowledge is critical if you wish to pursue becoming a criminal lawyer.

As a criminal lawyer, you will likely encounter numerous cases where you’ll have to review and analyse statistical data related to your clients. When you know how to analyse and manage data, you’re more likely to draw better conclusions from the large amount of data and information you gather. Statistics will also help you better detect data flaws that can benefit your cases.

6 - Economics

According to Boston University, you can justify much of substantive criminal law using economic analysis. Crime is highly related to poverty, social status, and other financial problems. Hence, economics plays a significant role in criminology.

Professionals say that crime produces material and non-material costs. Research also supports that as prices increase, the crime rate also does. Hence, understanding economics and its role in people’s lives is essential for criminal lawyers.

7 - History

Last but not least is history. A degree in History is one of the pre-law courses you can take. History plays a significant role in criminal law because it teaches aspiring lawyers about the development of the legal system, government, and institutions.

Studying history includes reading lengthy materials that help aspiring lawyers draw better conclusions from various sources. You can also learn about the formation and history of other countries’ legal systems. Indeed, a history course will give you insightful knowledge that will help you understand legal systems better.

Any course will offer insightful knowledge once you apply it to your law endeavours.

Aside from these seven courses I shared, there are more that you can take that can be useful to your law career. If you want to gain additional knowledge, expand your perspective, and diversify your career coverage, starting with these seven courses is a great start.

Written by Bianca Banda