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It\\\'s a time marked both by excitement and apprehension. I clearly remember the day I graduated and even though I was only 24, I have seen a common reaction in law graduates no matter what age. The greatest single benefit I had after graduation was my one-year articling term. Criminal lawyers are usually lone-wolves. Unlike civil litigators who practice in groups and firms, a criminal lawyer is typically a sole practitioner either practising alone or in a cost-sharing arrangement with other criminal lawyers who are also sole practitioners. This has its advantages and disadvantages. If you have an articling term in your jurisdiction, don\\\'t waste it. Do some research and send out resumes to criminal lawyers only, and only those who are practising as sole practitioners because they are the ones from whom you will have the maximum one-on-one attention. I learned a lot from my articling principle. I stuck to him like glue; went to court with him, stayed late when he did, got to the office early when he did. I learned not only how he practised criminal law, but also how he operated the business of the practice of law. After articling, there was the bar admission course (six months) during which time I worked part-time for him. After I got called to the bar, he offered me a job and I worked for him for another year. Then an office became available in his suite and I set up my own practice, in a cost-sharing association with him. After three more years, I leased my own space and started my own cost-sharing association. But I never believed that anything else was a more important start to my practice than my year of articling. If you don\\\'t have that in your jurisdiction, then try to do the next best thing. Try to get a job with a senior criminal lawyer of good reputation who is a sole practitioner and stick to him/her like glue. It is important that you carefully choose who you work for. The greatest asset of a criminal lawyer is his ethical reputation and, therefore, his credibility. That goes a long way. So find a lawyer with a good, solid ethical reputation. He/she will teach you how to practice that way and teach you how to develop your own credibility in the field. Another benefit is that you will have a head start in that area just by virtue of having been known to have worked for a respectable and well-known criminal lawyer. After you have worked in that capacity for 1-3 years, you can consider yourself prepared to hang out your own shingle. My second piece of advice is to join your local Criminal Lawyers Association and other professional lawyers associations, and become active in them. I found early on that the lawyers who practice well and have a good reputation tend to donate about 25% of their time to professional activities. Not only do you learn a lot from the best of your field of practice, but you also gain access to the best CLE (continuing legal education) programs. If you have a Young Lawyers Division, join that as well. I was quite active in that respect, especially in the first 7 years of my practice. It is also very enjoyable and a gives you a good break from the day-to-day stresses of running your business. It is a social outlet as well as a rich learning opportunity. You\\\'ll find that the senior lawyers that enjoy what they do also enjoy teaching young lawyers what they do. You\\\'ll gain some very good mentors. My third piece of advice is to enjoy what you\\\'re doing. Try not to succumb to the financial burden of starting up a practice by accepting every kind of case and every kind of client. Personally, I believe that it is worth the sacrifice of taking a dip in revenue rather than taking on cases where you don\\\'t like the client or the work involved in representing that client. If you decline to accept a case, make sure you can provide the client with a referral to another criminal lawyer whom you respect and trust. Do not ask for, or accept, a referral fee. He/she will appreciate the referral and you will be developing a referral network which can be a good source of business. Fourthly, if a particular case usually involves 10 hours of prep time, spend 20. (I actually continue to do that even after 20 years of practice). It makes you look good when you know the facts cold, know the case law pertaining to a particular situation well and can stand on your feet and answer the judge\\\'s questions without looking down. You will particularly catch everyone off guard because you are just starting out. You look green, you sound green, but you handle yourself like a seasoned professional. Fifth, you may be thinking of internet marketing and that may be of some benefit. However, you will find that the greater part of your practice will develop from referrals from previous clients. If you really put everything into client contact and preparation, your clients will see that you work hard and if they have friends that need you, they will send them to you. Do not underestimate the importance of maintaining good client relations. Don\\\'t wait for the client to call you and ask, \\
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Starting Out as a Criminal Defence Lawyer: Some Advice
