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Area of law

Criminal Law

Prosecuting and defending people accused of crimes.

Find schools with programsAll areas of law

What this area covers

Criminal lawyers work on either side of a prosecution, from investigation and charging through trial, sentencing and appeal. Many spend a large share of their time in court.

Also called: Criminal Justice, Criminal Practice, Criminal Procedure.

Typical legal work

  • Investigating and charging or defending criminal cases
  • Negotiating pleas and trying cases
  • Handling sentencing and post-conviction matters

Common subareas

Criminal DefenseRepresenting people accused or convicted of crimes.Criminal ProsecutionRepresenting the public in criminal cases.Post-Conviction & Innocence WorkChallenging convictions and sentences after trial.White Collar & InvestigationsFraud, corruption and other financial or regulatory offenses.

Where lawyers work

  • Prosecutors' offices
  • Public defender offices
  • Private defense firms
  • Nonprofit and advocacy organizations

A setting is where you work; an area is what the work is about. The same area is practised in very different settings.

Schools with verified programs

A school is listed here only when its own website names a concentration, certificate, clinic, center or field placement in Criminal Law or one of its subareas. Schools are in alphabetical order. The list is not a ranking, and a school that is absent may still teach the subject.

92 schools · 8 concentrations and specializations · 7 certificates · 115 clinics · 13 centers and institutes · 17 externships and field placements

Filter these schools in the directory

Program types counted as evidence: clinics, certificates, concentrations and specializations, centers and institutes, externships and field placements. Joint degrees and advanced degrees are described under Degrees & program types.

Sources

These references informed what the area covers. The description above is PreLaw Advisor’s own and does not reproduce their text.

  1. 1.American Bar Association. Criminal Justice Section (opens in a new tab) Retrieved Sep 2026.
  2. 2.Law School Admission Council. Fields of Law (opens in a new tab) Retrieved Sep 2026.

Description reviewed Sep 2026. Each school program links to the page it was verified against.