Hi there

I am currently inthe process of completing a training contract at a UK firm specialising in international banking/ commercial law. My decision to choose this firm was largely financially motivated - I was not in a position to pay for law school, and I was lucky enough to have all my fees paid and a living allowance provided throughout my law school studies, which will allow me to enter a lower-paid field which I am more passionate about once I qualify.

I have always wanted to practice in the field of public capital defence, and my current career plan ws to save up from my current training contract, move to California and take the bar there, and then try to work my way into this area.

I was wondering whether anyone has any information regarding breaking into this field. I have experience from an internship in Arizona working in capital defence, which offered me a surprisingly high degree of exposure due to the size of the office, and I have also completed a 3 month internship in Malawi int he field of capital defence. I am also involved in bits of pro bono work at my current firm, but the firm does very little criminal work.

Please excuse my ignorance, btu i know little about the bar exam and related courses. I was wondering how much the bar focuses on criminal law and procedure, and whether it is possible to tailor the course in any way to focus more on this area, or does the exam not have any elective elements to it? Does anyone know where I can find out more about the actual content covered in the exam?

On a related note, does anyone know how easy it is to find work in this area? As I mentioned, I am lucky enough not to have the usual debts, and should be able to save up quite a significant amount from my training contract (enough to cover relocation costs, bar course and examination fees etc at least), and am therefore not concerned about the salary (although if anyone knows of a ball park figure for work in this area in california that information would be welcome). Is the field competitive? Is there a typical route into this kind of work?

Many thanks in advance for any advice.

A