The practice of a litigation consultant who is both a lawyer and a psychologist has its advantages and disadvantages. A legally trained psychologist is able to understand legal issues and may also work as a lawyer for a law firm. However, when a psychological counsellor is hired, lawyers generally do not expect the counsellor to produce a legal opinion. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln offers a Master of Laws degree, which provides prospective consultants with legal education without a formal law degree. As in most professions, an employee`s experience in this field greatly affects the amount of money they earn. Beginners in psychology and law can expect to earn $30,000 in the first few years of work, but after 5 to 10 years of experience, the median salary jumps to $72,000 per year. After 20 years or more, psychologists working in the field of law can earn close to $120,000 a year. These figures are also influenced by other factors, including the environment in which one works and the level of education. Like developmental psychologists, most social and cognitive psychologists with legal interests are engaged in colleges and universities where they teach and conduct research.
Less commonly, they are used by government agencies, private foundations or non-profit organizations that conduct a combination of advocacy and policy formulation and analysis. Other social and cognitive psychologists may be involved in the law as independent consultants. For example, some individuals who provide counselling services to students have been trained in social or cognitive psychology through traditional programs. Each of these psychologists may sometimes be asked to give expert opinions before the courts on issues related to social behaviour or thought processes. The BLS (May 2021) also notes that the average salary of all clinical psychologists and counselors is $99,640 per year, with the lowest 10% earning less than $47,010 and the top 10% earning more than $167,460. A degree in forensic psychology can open the door to a variety of careers. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, jobs for psychologists are expected to grow by about 14% (much faster than average). These include specialized areas such as forensic psychology. Those who want to enter or progress in this field should consider a master`s degree in forensic psychology, which integrates psychology into the processes and procedures of the legal system. Keep in mind, however, that experienced forensic psychologists can earn up to $400,000 a year, according to the APA. The demand for workers who can apply psychological principles to legal events is the growing need to contribute to mental health issues in the criminal justice system.
As the volume of mental health inputs in the legal field continues to increase, so do the opportunities for skilled workers. In fact, the number of jobs in psychology and law exceeds the number of employees, so job opportunities in this specialty are much more common than in other areas of psychology. Those employed as forensic psychologists can expect an average annual salary of between $60,000 and $70,000. As of May 2019, psychologists earned an average of about $80,370 per year, according to the BLS. However, the salary scale for specialists in psychology is quite considerable. For example, forensic psychologists whose specialization is closely related to forensic psychology can earn as little as $39,000, according to PayScale. Conversely, forensic psychologists can also earn well above the median salary of more than $100,000 per year. Cognitive psychologists are trained primarily as researchers and teachers in the fields of human perception and memory, and tend to focus their research and advice on legally relevant issues such as eyewitness identification, memory accuracy, and deception detection. Their conditions of employment are generally academic. Their research can be extremely important when courts have to evaluate testimony about events that occurred months or even years ago. Making the results of this research available to courts and legislators by summarizing the “state of the art” on a particular issue is a task of some cognitive psychologists.
Recently, cognitive psychologists have begun working with law enforcement agencies to develop investigative procedures to increase the likelihood of accurate memory and testimony about crimes and accidents. This specialty of psychology does not only deal with criminal behavior. Forensic psychology is also committed to protecting victims of crime, developing more appropriate treatment for offenders, and helping judicial authorities make more informed decisions. At its core, forensic psychology attempts to keep legal processes running smoothly while making them less effective for those involved.