Can you be both a prosecuting and defense lawyer? -

I want to be a lawyer but i dont know if you have to choose whether to be a defense attorney or a prosecuting attorney.

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

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 quot;which side of the fence you are onquot;, 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!

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 quot;special prosecutorquot; will be appointed from among experienced defense attoneys. Remember Ken Starr amp; the Whitewater prosecutions under the Clinton Adminsitration? He was a private attorney appointed under a special Federal Statute (now lapsed) to investigate amp; prosecute offenses committed by Federal officials.

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.

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.

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.

Basically you would have to choose one or the other.

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