I am not a lawyer. I am a policy analyst. It is sometimes difficult to understand the differences between the two, but I will try my best to explain:
A lawyer defends the law.
A policy analyst evaluates if the law meets goals.
A lawyer will try to preserve people's rights by convincing a judge that laws were made for the purpose of those rights.
A policy analyst will think about the laws and decide how they could be written to do a better job of preserving people's rights.
A lawyer may advocate to change certain laws.
A policy analyst will write drafts of new laws.
I have specifically worked to analyze the Medicare Part D Prescription Drug program. Medicare provides health insurance to older adults and some people with disabilities. Their new program to cover some costs of some medications was considered not good for a lot of people. I collected data on the program, analyzed the data, and made recommendations to the government to change parts of the program. The government agency that administers Medicare liked one of my ideas and made those changes.
Right now I work on compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) for my local city government. I help to make sure the city web site is accessible and follows the law for providing access to people who have disabilities (such as the blind, Deaf, and people who cannot use a mouse or keyboard). I also work on emergency preparedness and response programs for my city. I was involved in a large team of people who evaluated all of the programs we have for providing assistance during a disaster (including the alarm systems, shelters, and evacuation transportation). I was able to help draft the new policy that will tell the city how to create emergency services that are accessible to all people.
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