lawyer

Public health attorneys are advocates and advisors for people, communities, government agencies and more. 

Public health attorneys are advocates and advisors for people, communities, government agencies and more. As advocates, they will represent a person or entity in various criminal or civil trials and present evidence. In the case of public health law, you may work more in the area of policy development and advocacy than actual court practice of law.

As advisors, public health attorneys will frequently counsel clients about legal rights and obligations, and suggest proper courses of action in business, government and legal matters.

As a public health lawyer, you will be mostly concerned about the laws and policies that are supposed to stop health problems and to promote good health throughout society. So, public health law is mostly to do with what we need to do as a society to created conditions where people can attain maximum health.

Public Health Attorney Degree

To become a practicing lawyer of any kind, you will need to have a bachelor’s degree, followed by three years of law school, and then pass the bar exam for your state. Generally speaking, to become a lawyer, you will take classes in constitutional law, contracts, property law, civil procedure, and legal writing. You also will choose speciality classes, such as in public health.

If you are interesting more in policy development, which is much of what you do in public health, you may wish to obtain a master’s degree in public health. There also are some joint JD/MPH programs available that are a great fit if you are interested in being a public health attorney.

Public Health Attorney Job Description

Public health lawyers frequently work in policy development and advocacy, but your work as an attorney also could encompass the following roles:

Advise/represent clients in a court of law, and possibly before government agencies

Communicate with clients

Conduct research on law and public health matters