Criminal law: what to expect

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Six months after my 18th birthday I received a court summons in the post; I had been called to sit on a jury. The experience was surprisingly enjoyable and I often credit this experience for sparking my love of criminal law.

However, the reality was that I remained in the dark about this practice area until I commenced my training contract this year.

I secured my training contract in February 2021, following a two-week vacation scheme in 2020. I work in a high-street firm in London alongside two solicitors, a barrister and another trainee.

The harsh reality

The role of a criminal lawyer requires you to be on call evenings and weekends, to change your plans, or get back on the train you just stepped off to visit a police station. This is because crime is a 24-hour industry that doesn’t stop and fails to come close to the glamour seen in TV shows.

Silver lining

The saving grace of criminal law is that it’s human. You work with people in some of the darkest days of their lives. You work with the vulnerable and the misguided, and when they get acquitted you feel genuine joy at having helped someone navigate through an unthinkable incident.

A barrister once said: “The only difference between criminal lawyers and more commercial based solicitors is that the latter deals with people on their way up in the world, the former on their way back down”. In reality, criminal law has a frightening ability to impact almost anyone at any time, which is one of the main reasons I chose this area.

Of course, you must deal with people who are guilty. This practice area comes with a moral conflict, however at the end of the day it’s not our job as lawyers to judge. The more important moments come when dealing with a person who genuinely isn’t guilty. This for me is the primary reason why criminal law is so important. The police and justice system, like everyone else, make mistakes and without people there to defend against the voiceless, society as we know it would fail to survive.

Do your research

Before starting a job in criminal law, do your research. Get a good understanding of the steps from arrest right through to sentencing. Know how legal aid works and read over the sentencing guidelines when you come across a new case in the media or elsewhere (these will be your best friends – trust me). I went into my training contract naive and learned the hard way that what you learn at university and doing pro bono work isn’t enough to survive in the real world.

Gain experience

Try to get as much exposure as possible. Volunteer at your local citizen’s advice or even try to get into the public galleries as courts reopen. I wish I had known more about the police station side of things, so read Defending Suspects at the Police Station by Ed Capes and even look into becoming police station accredited. This will allow you to represent clients in the police station without being a trained solicitor.

Most importantly, remember why you chose this path and don’t give up. It may not be as glamourous or well paid as other areas of law but it’s certainly worth it in the end.

Abigail Dudeney (she/her) is a trainee solicitor at Alexander Johnson Solicitors.