Education:
37%
Doctoral Degree
20%
Bachelor's Degree
Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers
This is a sub-career of
Judge or Hearing Officer
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Select a specialized sub-career for more details.
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Job Outlook:
As fast as average
Education:
Doctoral or professional degree
Salary
High:
$151,470.00
Average:
$97,250.00
Hourly
Average:
$46.75
What they do:
Conduct hearings to recommend or make decisions on claims concerning government programs or other government-related matters. Determine liability, sanctions, or penalties, or recommend the acceptance or rejection of claims or settlements.
On the job, you would:
- Determine existence and amount of liability according to current laws, administrative and judicial precedents, and available evidence.
- Monitor and direct the activities of trials and hearings to ensure that they are conducted fairly and that courts administer justice while safeguarding the legal rights of all involved parties.
- Prepare written opinions and decisions.
Important Qualities
Critical-thinking skills. Judges and hearing officers must apply rules of law. They cannot let their own personal assumptions interfere with the proceedings. For example, they must base their decisions on specific meanings of the law when evaluating and deciding whether a person is a threat to others and must be sent to jail.
Decision-making skills. Judges and hearing officers must be able to weigh the facts, to apply the law and rules, and to make a decision relatively quickly.
Listening skills. Judges and hearing officers evaluate information, so they must pay close attention to what is being said.
Reading skills. Judges and hearing officers must be able to distinguish important facts from large amounts of sometimes complex information and then evaluate the facts objectively.
Writing skills. Judges and hearing officers write recommendations and decisions on appeals and disputes. They must be able to write their decisions clearly so that all sides understand the decision.
Personality
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Characteristics of this Career |
|---|---|---|---|
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97% | Integrity - Job requires being honest and ethical. | |
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94% | Self-Control - Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations. | |
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94% | Attention to Detail - Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks. | |
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90% | Independence - Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done. | |
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89% | Stress Tolerance - Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high-stress situations. | |
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88% | Dependability - Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations. | |
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88% | Analytical Thinking - Job requires analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems. | |
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86% | Cooperation - Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude. | |
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81% | Concern for Others - Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job. | |
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80% | Achievement/Effort - Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks. | |
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76% | Adaptability/Flexibility - Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace. | |
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75% | Initiative - Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges. | |
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72% | Leadership - Job requires a willingness to lead, take charge, and offer opinions and direction. | |
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71% | Persistence - Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles. | |
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54% | Social Orientation - Job requires preferring to work with others rather than alone, and being personally connected with others on the job. | |
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52% | Innovation - Job requires creativity and alternative thinking to develop new ideas for and answers to work-related problems. |
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Strengths |
|---|---|---|---|
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95% | Enterprising - Work involves managing, negotiating, marketing, or selling, typically in a business setting, or leading or advising people in political and legal situations. Enterprising occupations are often associated with business initiatives, sales, marketing/advertising, finance, management/administration, professional advising, public speaking, politics, or law. | |
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67% | Investigative - Work involves studying and researching non-living objects, living organisms, disease or other forms of impairment, or human behavior. Investigative occupations are often associated with physical, life, medical, or social sciences, and can be found in the fields of humanities, mathematics/statistics, information technology, or health care service. |
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Values of the Work Environment |
|---|---|---|---|
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78% | Achievement - Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement. | |
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78% | Recognition - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer advancement, potential for leadership, and are often considered prestigious. Corresponding needs are Advancement, Authority, Recognition and Social Status. | |
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75% | Working Conditions - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions. Corresponding needs are Activity, Compensation, Independence, Security, Variety and Working Conditions. | |
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72% | Independence - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy. | |
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61% | Relationships - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service. | |
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56% | Support - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical. |
Aptitude
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Abilities | Cognitive, Physical, Personality |
|---|---|---|---|
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81% | Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences. | |
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81% | Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing. | |
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81% | Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events). | |
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78% | Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense. | |
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78% | Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand. | |
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75% | Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand. | |
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75% | Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem. | |
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72% | Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you. | |
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69% | Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations). | |
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69% | Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer). | |
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69% | Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person. | |
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53% | Category Flexibility - The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways. | |
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53% | Selective Attention - The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted. |
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Skills | Cognitive, Physical, Personality |
|---|---|---|---|
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79% | Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times. | |
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73% | Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems. | |
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70% | Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one. | |
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70% | Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience. | |
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68% | Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents. | |
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68% | Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively. | |
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59% | Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making. | |
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57% | Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action. | |
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57% | Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do. | |
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57% | Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions. | |
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52% | Persuasion - Persuading others to change their minds or behavior. |
Job Details
Responsibilities
Coordinate legal schedules or activities.
Prepare written decisions for legal proceedings.
Evaluate information related to legal matters in public or personal records.
Research relevant legal materials to aid decision making.
Evaluate information related to legal matters in public or personal records.
Research relevant legal materials to aid decision making.
Identify implications for cases from legal precedents or other legal information.
Interview claimants to get information related to legal proceedings.
Provide legal advice to clients.
Provide legal advice to clients.
Direct courtroom activities or procedures.
Authorize payments to settle legal disputes.
Make decisions in legal cases.
Conduct hearings to investigate legal issues.
Rule on admissibility of legal proceedings.
Make decisions in legal cases.
Prepare legal documents.
Administer oaths to court participants.
Research relevant legal materials to aid decision making.
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Attributes & Percentage of Time Spent |
|---|---|---|---|
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99% | Indoors, Environmentally Controlled - How often does this job require working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions? | |
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99% | Spend Time Sitting - How much does this job require sitting? | |
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98% | Electronic Mail - How often do you use electronic mail in this job? | |
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96% | Frequency of Decision Making - How frequently is the worker required to make decisions that affect other people, the financial resources, and/or the image and reputation of the organization? | |
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95% | Deal With External Customers - How important is it to work with external customers or the public in this job? | |
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88% | Freedom to Make Decisions - How much decision making freedom, without supervision, does the job offer? | |
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88% | Importance of Being Exact or Accurate - How important is being very exact or highly accurate in performing this job? | |
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88% | Letters and Memos - How often does the job require written letters and memos? | |
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87% | Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results - What results do your decisions usually have on other people or the image or reputation or financial resources of your employer? | |
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87% | Telephone - How often do you have telephone conversations in this job? | |
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86% | Time Pressure - How often does this job require the worker to meet strict deadlines? | |
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84% | Contact With Others - How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it? | |
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84% | Structured versus Unstructured Work - To what extent is this job structured for the worker, rather than allowing the worker to determine tasks, priorities, and goals? | |
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80% | Face-to-Face Discussions - How often do you have to have face-to-face discussions with individuals or teams in this job? | |
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79% | Importance of Repeating Same Tasks - How important is repeating the same physical activities (e.g., key entry) or mental activities (e.g., checking entries in a ledger) over and over, without stopping, to performing this job? | |
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70% | Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People - How frequently does the worker have to deal with unpleasant, angry, or discourteous individuals as part of the job requirements? | |
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69% | Frequency of Conflict Situations - How often are there conflict situations the employee has to face in this job? | |
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67% | Spend Time Making Repetitive Motions - How much does this job require making repetitive motions? | |
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64% | Work With Work Group or Team - How important is it to work with others in a group or team in this job? | |
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61% | Coordinate or Lead Others - How important is it to coordinate or lead others in accomplishing work activities in this job? |
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Tasks & Values |
|---|---|---|---|
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90% | Making Decisions and Solving Problems - Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems. | |
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89% | Getting Information - Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources. | |
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86% | Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards - Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards. | |
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82% | Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge - Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job. | |
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80% | Processing Information - Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data. | |
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78% | Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events - Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events. | |
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74% | Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others - Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others. | |
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73% | Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others - Translating or explaining what information means and how it can be used. | |
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71% | Analyzing Data or Information - Identifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into separate parts. | |
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70% | Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates - Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person. | |
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70% | Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work - Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work. | |
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70% | Performing for or Working Directly with the Public - Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests. | |
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69% | Communicating with People Outside the Organization - Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail. | |
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69% | Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People - Assessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people. | |
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68% | Documenting/Recording Information - Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form. | |
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68% | Performing Administrative Activities - Performing day-to-day administrative tasks such as maintaining information files and processing paperwork. | |
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61% | Working with Computers - Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information. | |
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59% | Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships - Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time. | |
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52% | Thinking Creatively - Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions. | |
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52% | Scheduling Work and Activities - Scheduling events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others. |
What Judges and Hearing Officers Do
Judges preside over hearings and listen to the arguments of opposing parties.
Judges and hearing officers apply the law by overseeing the legal process in courts. They also conduct pretrial hearings, resolve administrative disputes, facilitate negotiations between opposing parties, and issue legal decisions.
Duties
Judges and hearing officers typically do the following:
- Research legal issues
- Read and evaluate information from documents, such as motions, claim applications, and records
- Preside over hearings and listen to and read arguments by opposing parties
- Determine if the information presented supports the charge, claim, or dispute
- Decide if the procedure is being conducted according to the rules and law
- Apply laws or precedents to reach judgments and to resolve disputes between parties
- Write opinions, decisions, and instructions regarding cases, claims, and disputes
Judges commonly preside over trials and hearings of cases regarding nearly every aspect of society, from individual traffic offenses to issues concerning the rights of large corporations. Judges listen to arguments and determine if the evidence presented deserves a trial. In criminal cases, judges may decide that people charged with crimes should be held in jail until the trial, or they may set conditions for their release. They also approve search warrants and arrest warrants.
Judges interpret the law to determine how a trial will proceed, which is particularly important when unusual circumstances arise for which standard procedures have not been established. They ensure that hearings and trials are conducted fairly and that the legal rights of all involved parties are protected.
In trials in which juries are selected to decide the case, judges instruct jurors on applicable laws and direct them to consider the facts from the evidence. For other trials, judges decide the case. A judge who determines guilt in criminal cases may impose a sentence or penalty on the guilty party. In civil cases, the judge may award relief, such as compensation for damages, to the parties who win lawsuits.
Judges use various forms of technology, such as electronic databases and software, to manage cases and to prepare for trials. In some cases, a judge may manage the court’s administrative and clerical staff.
The following are examples of types of judges and hearing officers:
Judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates preside over trials and hearings. They typically work in local, state, and federal courts.
In local and state court systems, they have a variety of titles, such as municipal court judge, county court judge, and justice of the peace. Traffic violations, misdemeanors, small-claims cases, and pretrial hearings make up the bulk of these judges’ work.
In federal and state court systems, district court judges and general trial court judges have authority over any case in their system. Appellate court judges rule on a small number of cases, by reviewing decisions of the lower courts and lawyers’ written and oral arguments.
Administrative law judges, adjudicators, and hearing officers usually work for local, state, and federal government agencies. They decide many issues, such as whether a person is eligible for workers’ compensation benefits or whether employment discrimination occurred.
Work Environment
Administrative law judges, adjudicators, and hearing officers held about 13,200 jobs in 2022. The largest employers of administrative law judges, adjudicators, and hearing officers were as follows:
| State government, excluding education and hospitals | 58% |
| Federal government | 25 |
| Local government, excluding education and hospitals | 17 |
Judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates held about 29,600 jobs in 2022. The largest employers of judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates were as follows:
| State government, excluding education and hospitals | 57% |
| Local government, excluding education and hospitals | 43 |
Judges and hearing officers do most of their work in offices and courtrooms. Their jobs can be demanding, because they must sit in the same position in the court or hearing room for long periods and give undivided attention to the process.
Some judges and hearing officers may be required to travel to different counties and courthouses throughout their state.
The work may be stressful as judges and hearing officers sometimes work with difficult or confrontational individuals.
Work Schedules
Some courthouses have evening and weekend hours. In addition, judges may have to be on call during nights or weekends to issue emergency orders, such as search warrants and restraining orders.
Getting Started
How to Become a Judge or Hearing Officer
Judges must be able to listen well to the facts provided by opposing parties.
Judges and hearing officers typically need a law degree and work experience as a lawyer.
Education
Although there may be a few positions available for those with a bachelor’s degree, a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree is typically required for most jobs as a local, state, or federal judge or hearing officer.
In addition to earning a law degree, federal administrative law judges must pass a competitive exam from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.
Earning a law degree usually takes 7 years of full-time study after high school: 4 years of undergraduate study in any field, followed by 3 years of law school. Law degree programs include courses such as constitutional law, contracts, property law, civil procedure, and legal writing.
Most judges and magistrates must be appointed or elected into their positions, a procedure that often requires political support. Many local and state judges are appointed to serve fixed renewable terms, ranging from 4 to 14 years. A few judges, such as appellate court judges, are appointed for life. Judicial nominating commissions screen candidates for judgeships in many states and for some federal judgeships.
For specific state information, including information on the number of judgeships by state, term lengths, and requirements for qualification, visit the National Center for State Courts.
Work Experience in a Related Occupation
Most judges and hearing officers learn their skills through years of experience as practicing lawyers. Some states allow those who are not lawyers to hold limited-jurisdiction judgeships, but opportunities are better for those with law experience.
Training
All states have some type of orientation and training requirements for newly elected or appointed judges. The Federal Judicial Center, American Bar Association, National Judicial College, and National Center for State Courts provide judicial education and training for judges and other judicial branch personnel.
More than half of all states, as well as Puerto Rico, require judges to take continuing education courses while serving on the bench. General and continuing education courses usually last from a few days to 3 weeks.
Licenses, Certifications, and Registrations
Most judges and hearing officers are required to have a law license. In addition, they typically must maintain their law license and good standing with their state bar association while working as a judge or hearing officer.
Advancement
Advancement for some judicial workers means moving to courts with a broader jurisdiction. Advancement for various hearing officers includes taking on more complex cases, practicing law, and becoming district court judges.
Job Outlook
Overall employment of judges and hearing officers is projected to grow 2 percent from 2022 to 2032, about as fast as the average for all occupations.
About 1,700 openings for judges and hearing officers are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
Employment
These workers play an essential role in the legal system, and their services will continue to be needed into the future. However, budgetary constraints in federal, state, and local governments may limit the ability of these governments to fill vacant judge and hearing officer positions or authorize new ones. If there are governmental budget concerns, this could limit the employment growth opportunities of hearing officers and administrative law judges working for local, state, and federal government agencies, despite the continued need for these workers to settle disputes.
Contacts for More Information
For more information about state courts and judgeships, visit
National Center for State Courts
For more information about federal judges, visit
Administrative Office of the United States Courts
U.S. Office of Personnel Management
For more information about judicial education and training for judges and other judicial branch personnel, visit
Similar Occupations
This table shows a list of occupations with job duties that are similar to those of judges and hearing officers.
| Occupation | Job Duties | Entry-Level Education | Median Annual Pay, May 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators |
Arbitrators, mediators, and conciliators facilitate negotiation and dialogue between disputing parties to help resolve conflicts outside of the court system. |
Bachelor's degree | $64,030 |
|
Lawyers |
Lawyers advise and represent clients on legal proceedings or transactions. |
Doctoral or professional degree | $135,740 |
|
Paralegals and Legal Assistants |
Paralegals and legal assistants perform a variety of tasks to support lawyers. |
Associate's degree | $59,200 |
|
Private Detectives and Investigators |
Private detectives and investigators search for information about legal, financial, and personal matters. |
High school diploma or equivalent | $52,120 |