Lawyers vs Detectives - Which is the Better Profession?

Do you find professions related to Law and crime interesting? Do you think you have a talent for things like conducting thorough research, interrogation, public speaking, effective communication, analysis, and problem-solving? Do you think you have the mental strength and a firm resolution to focus on a career that involves both? While you are thinking on the lines of how to become a detective , we would like to enlighten you that it’s not the only career that you can pursue in reference to the aforementioned faculties. There are others too. A lot of them actually. But in this blog post, we are going to focus on detectives and lawyers. We’ll make a comparison to help you choose the one that suits you better.

The Difference between a Lawyer and a Detective

Actually, Being A Detective And A Lawyer Are Pretty Much Different Careers. But You Can Say That Both Of Them Are Related To The Criminal Justice System. According To Law, Judges, Defense Attorneys, And Prosecutors Are All Considered Lawyers. However, Police And Detectives Are Not Included In That Club. People From The Police Department Are Considered Service Personnel. The Professional Model Of Police Requires Certain Specific Things. Such As Training, License, Certifications (In Many States), And So On.

Hence, both of them are essentially not the same. They two entirely different fields of work. For the record, you need to remember that a homicide detective belongs to police and law enforcement. And a criminal lawyer belongs to the Law.

However, there is a practical and probable point of intersecting and that is when a murderer or a suspect is arrested. The suspect is usually interrogated by a detective in the presence of the suspect’s lawyer.

The Comparison of both the Professions

Which is a better profession? Which offers a more reliable career? The answer is both! It’s all about your interest. We’ll give you a little comparison though.

The Detective Life

If you are adventurous and intelligent, it is the career for you! You get to solve murders, get into some action with the gunfight, be authoritative, pursue killers, and make investigation reports and so on. That’s quite an intriguing and thrilling career. This profession also involves appearing in the court often as the investigating or arresting officer.

However, before you do any of it, keep in mind that you have to be an ordinary police officer in uniform for years. Only then you can apply for training as a detective. You’ll have to take detective exams too. the new standards are obtaining a degree in criminal psychology or law or anything related to the said detective training. After taking the promotional exam and formal training, you are good to go on your road to become a detective.

The Lawyer Life

If you like defending people and you enjoy the thrill in the courtroom, and you promote the prevalence of justice, Law is the profession for you. It’s just that you have to follow the rule of ‘innocent until proved guilty’ while defending your client. Being a lawyer means being an essential part of the overall scheme of justice restoration to both, wrongly accused and victims alike. You need to have effective communication skills, persuasiveness, confidence, public speaking skills, and a spirit for social service.

Remuneration

Being a detective means you are the Police department’s salaried employee. Which in turn means you are government’s salaried employee. Chances of bonuses are little. If you get any bonuses, they will not be too big. The salary would be of government scale and there will be performance reviews. You are subject to formal vetting for psychological screening and corrupt practices from time to time. It largely depends on your country. So, when you are promoted from a patrol officer to a criminal investigator or a detective, your average annual salary is $77,860. The figure is given by BLS (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Whereas, the income of a lawyer can vary. You can work as a partner or as an associate of a law firm. You can be a sole practitioner. The chances of making a good living are fair. You can have the opportunities of even more money if you do specialist practice or if you manage to have a mix of right clients. Generally, Law comes under the list of highly paid careers. The average annual income of a lawyer is $139,880, and that is substantially higher than most of the professions. It is perhaps the most highly paid amongst all the social services jobs.

So, before you start thinking about how to become a lawyer , we would like to reiterate the fact to go for what inspires you. You have to see your aptitude and interest and then choose your profession. If you don’t have a passion for something, it’s really not worth it. Good luck!