A constitutional lawyer is an attorney who specializes in cases related to the Constitution of a given nation. Constitutional lawyers also work on cases that affect the very powers of the government, though they more commonly represent citizens in cases against the government. Constitutional lawyers defend their clients when the case at hand involves a violation of the client’s constitutional rights, and thus it’s not uncommon for constitutional lawyers to defend prisoners.
To become a constitutional lawyer, one needs to undergo a standard law education course, and be admitted to a state bar (in jurisdictions where this is applicable). In some cases, a law degree may not actually be required, though those are very specific situations where there are usually other, just as strict requirements on the candidate that make obtaining the job challenging. A perfect knowledge of the Constitution of the lawyer’s specific jurisdiction is an absolute must, as well as of course knowledge of the nation’s law in general.
Constitutional lawyers don’t enjoy the same high salaries as most other attorneys do, typically earning between $40,000 and $65,000 a year. This can be attributed to several factors, the primary one being the lower general availability of clients – due to the more restricted field of operations of constitutional lawyers, they usually have a harder time seeking out appropriate clients as well. On the other hand, this is offset by the fact that most clients who’re involved in a constitutional lawsuit are usually willing to pay higher than average.