Civil Rights Lawyer
Careers in the Law
Human Rights
Human rights are rights and freedoms basic to life and liberty. They entitle people to equal opportunity employment and the right to work free of discrimination and harassment. Human rights include: freedom of expression, equality under the law, the right to food, the right to work and the right to education.
Jobs of a Civil Rights Lawyer
- Explain client's rights and then prove the infringement of their client's rights
- Presenting cases to judges and juries
- deciphering laws and rulings for individuals, businesses and organizations
- investigating legal data
- negotiating settlements of legal disputes
- formulating legal briefs
- filing legal appeals in the federal and state court of appeals
What is the purpose of civil rights?
The purpose of having civil rights is to protect people against discrimination and harassment on the grounds of physical/mental disabilities, gender, race, religion, national origin, age, sexual orientation, member of a uniformed officer, or gender identity.
Educational Requirements
To practice law as a civil rights lawyer, one must have a bachelor's degree and a Juris Doctor Law degree. It is recommended to build a resume and transcript that reflects a commitment to civil rights issues. During law school, one should take courses that specialize in constitutional law. It is also advisable to to follow courses in civil rights litigation, employment discrimination, race and the law, human rights law, disability, and education and family law, which are just a few courses.
Salary
A civil rights lawyer can range between $69,000 to $145,000 a year. However, nonprofit civil rights attorneys earn significantly less than those working in the private sector.