3 answers
Amyah
Student
Miami Gardens, Florida
6
Questions
Updated
637 views
How many years will it take for me to become a judge and what is the salary of a judge ?
#doctor #lawyer #lawschool #mastersdegree
Login to comment
3 answers
Dr. Kelly Desso
Protective Services
235
Answers
Somers, Connecticut
Updated
Dr. Kelly’s Answer
The road to becoming a judge is often paved with years of education, hands-on experience, and sometimes, appointments or elections - all of which depend on your country's legal system. The journey varies from person to person, depending on where you're starting from, the jurisdiction you're in, and the court level you're aiming for.
Typically, you'll need to spend a good few years studying and practicing law, then gaining valuable experience as a lawyer or in a similar legal role. Next, you may need to earn additional qualifications, like becoming a bar member, and gradually climb the legal career ladder until you're in the running for a judgeship. In some instances, political appointments or elections might also come into the picture. This is a journey that could span over a decade, but the exact duration is subject to factors unique to your circumstances.
As for the salary of a judge in Florida, it can fluctuate based on elements like experience, court level, and jurisdiction. Since you're a Floridian, you might be interested to know that a judge's salary in Florida usually falls between $150,000 and $170,000 annually. However, it's recommended to cross-check this information with the latest data from a trustworthy source, like the Florida state government website or the Florida Bar Association.
Typically, you'll need to spend a good few years studying and practicing law, then gaining valuable experience as a lawyer or in a similar legal role. Next, you may need to earn additional qualifications, like becoming a bar member, and gradually climb the legal career ladder until you're in the running for a judgeship. In some instances, political appointments or elections might also come into the picture. This is a journey that could span over a decade, but the exact duration is subject to factors unique to your circumstances.
As for the salary of a judge in Florida, it can fluctuate based on elements like experience, court level, and jurisdiction. Since you're a Floridian, you might be interested to know that a judge's salary in Florida usually falls between $150,000 and $170,000 annually. However, it's recommended to cross-check this information with the latest data from a trustworthy source, like the Florida state government website or the Florida Bar Association.
Wayne Archibald
Cybersecurity Associate Director here to share knowledge!
229
Answers
Annapolis Junction, Maryland
Updated
Wayne’s Answer
Hi Amyah,
There is a relatively set path for becoming a judge, including the following steps:
1. Earn a bachelor's degree. You'll need to earn a bachelor's degree to apply for law school. Although some schools offer designated pre-law programs, other strong options include criminal justice, political science and philosophy. Coursework should include English, communications, public speaking and sociology to ensure you're prepared for the next steps. In addition to relevant coursework, consider completing an internship with a law practice or your local court system. You can also join extracurricular activities—such as a debate club—to be a more appealing law school candidate.
2. Take the Law School Admission Test. The LSAT is an exam used by law schools during the admissions process, commonly taken by undergraduate students late in their junior year or at the very start of their senior year. The LSAT has five sections, each lasting for 35 minutes. In addition to an essay portion, there are sections on logical reasoning, logic games, reading comprehension and an experimental section that can contain between 22 and 28 questions each. A high score on your LSAT can assist you in gaining admission into a college of your choice.
3. Attend law school and earn a Juris doctorate. After taking the LSAT and receiving your scores, you can begin applying to law schools. A standard law school education consists of three years of courses where you will receive advanced instruction in the legal process. In your final year of law school, you can choose to complete coursework on subjects that interest you, such as family or environmental law. Completing law school earns your Juris Doctorate. To practice law in the United States, you must earn a J.D. from an American Bar Association-approved law school.
4. Pass the bar exam. To practice law in a particular state, you must pass that state's bar exam. The exam commonly takes multiple days to complete and consists of two parts, an essay section and the Multistate Bar Examination. The essays are completed first and may take one or two days of testing. The essays are used to test your ability to understand and apply the law according to federal and state laws. The second part of passing the bar is passing the MBE, a standardized test consisting of 200 questions. The difficulty and exact makeup of the first portion of a bar certification vary by state, and not all states require applicants to take the MBE. For example, California, Maine, New York, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia all allow bar applicants to study under a practicing attorney or judge instead of attending law school. As a result of these differing characteristics, a lawyer practicing in one state may be required to complete further testing in order to practice in a new state.
5. Create your resume. After completing schooling, you should create your resume. Whether you want to first seek a clerkship or move directly into practicing law at a firm, a strong resume will help you make a positive impression with potential employers. Your resume should be a combination or functional resume, allowing you to put increased attention on your education and any organizations in which you were a member. You should also take the time to customize your resume before sending it out with an application, altering the contents to focus on the skills and duties from the listing you are applying to. The closer your resume matches a posting, the more likely you are to make a strong first impression with the hiring manager and earn the opportunity to interview for the role.
6. Consider becoming a clerk. One option following completion of law school is to enter into a judicial clerkship. A clerk assists the judge in their duties, offering assistance and legal counsel when a judge is making decisions and writing their legal opinions. Due to this close relationship with the judge, a clerk can be highly influential compared to peers who proceed directly into practice. In addition to benefiting professionally, serving as a clerk can also be highly beneficial to your chances of becoming a judge in the future. Clerkships are held in high esteem, so they can help set you apart from other candidates. Time as a clerk is also valuable for networking. When a judge retires from an appointed position, they offer suggestions for who should replace them, and it is common for the judge to suggest attorneys who clerked for them in the past.
7. Practice law. On nearly all occasions, judges are appointed following legal careers of trying cases. There are several routes available when deciding how to practice law. You may opt to work in public service, either as a prosecutor or a public defender. Another available option is to work for a private law practice. Many law practices specialize in different areas, such as health or bankruptcy law. Trying cases is a valuable activity if you wish to become a judge. In addition to providing practical experience of courtroom proceedings, trials provide an opportunity to make connections in legal circles. Participating in cases can bring you to the attention of individuals responsible for appointing judges or to the individuals responsible for compiling shortlists for consideration for an appointment.
8. Earn your judgeship. After you have practiced law for at least two years, you can begin looking for opportunities as a judge. Earning a seat as a judge is a competitive goal as many federal judges serve lifetime appointments, restricting the number of available seats. There are three methods of becoming a judge:
- Election. Local judges often earn their seats by running in elections. The specific rules regarding elections vary by state, with variables including the length of terms, when elections occur and how many terms a judge can serve.
- Temporary appointment. When an elected judge is removed from the bench or opts to step down in the middle of a term, some states will allow for a replacement to be appointed by the government. Commonly, these seats will remain filled by the appointed judge until the next scheduled election, however, a special election may also be held if the next scheduled election is too far away.
- Appointed. Many judicial seats are appointed by executives, such as governors or the President of the United States. For federal seats, appointments are often lifetime seats. The process for appointment usually starts with being placed on a shortlist which is presented to the individual responsible for the appointment. Shortlist candidates commonly undergo an interview phase before being chosen for the seat, then present themselves to the state or federal legislative body for confirmation hearings.
Judges in the United States make an average of $86,927 per year. Salaries can range from $14,000 to $222,000 per year. This information was gathered by Indeed over the past 36 months from 170 employees, users and job advertisements. Judges are usually full-time employees, though part-time positions are occasionally available.
Source: https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/how-to-become-a-judge
Good luck!
There is a relatively set path for becoming a judge, including the following steps:
1. Earn a bachelor's degree. You'll need to earn a bachelor's degree to apply for law school. Although some schools offer designated pre-law programs, other strong options include criminal justice, political science and philosophy. Coursework should include English, communications, public speaking and sociology to ensure you're prepared for the next steps. In addition to relevant coursework, consider completing an internship with a law practice or your local court system. You can also join extracurricular activities—such as a debate club—to be a more appealing law school candidate.
2. Take the Law School Admission Test. The LSAT is an exam used by law schools during the admissions process, commonly taken by undergraduate students late in their junior year or at the very start of their senior year. The LSAT has five sections, each lasting for 35 minutes. In addition to an essay portion, there are sections on logical reasoning, logic games, reading comprehension and an experimental section that can contain between 22 and 28 questions each. A high score on your LSAT can assist you in gaining admission into a college of your choice.
3. Attend law school and earn a Juris doctorate. After taking the LSAT and receiving your scores, you can begin applying to law schools. A standard law school education consists of three years of courses where you will receive advanced instruction in the legal process. In your final year of law school, you can choose to complete coursework on subjects that interest you, such as family or environmental law. Completing law school earns your Juris Doctorate. To practice law in the United States, you must earn a J.D. from an American Bar Association-approved law school.
4. Pass the bar exam. To practice law in a particular state, you must pass that state's bar exam. The exam commonly takes multiple days to complete and consists of two parts, an essay section and the Multistate Bar Examination. The essays are completed first and may take one or two days of testing. The essays are used to test your ability to understand and apply the law according to federal and state laws. The second part of passing the bar is passing the MBE, a standardized test consisting of 200 questions. The difficulty and exact makeup of the first portion of a bar certification vary by state, and not all states require applicants to take the MBE. For example, California, Maine, New York, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia all allow bar applicants to study under a practicing attorney or judge instead of attending law school. As a result of these differing characteristics, a lawyer practicing in one state may be required to complete further testing in order to practice in a new state.
5. Create your resume. After completing schooling, you should create your resume. Whether you want to first seek a clerkship or move directly into practicing law at a firm, a strong resume will help you make a positive impression with potential employers. Your resume should be a combination or functional resume, allowing you to put increased attention on your education and any organizations in which you were a member. You should also take the time to customize your resume before sending it out with an application, altering the contents to focus on the skills and duties from the listing you are applying to. The closer your resume matches a posting, the more likely you are to make a strong first impression with the hiring manager and earn the opportunity to interview for the role.
6. Consider becoming a clerk. One option following completion of law school is to enter into a judicial clerkship. A clerk assists the judge in their duties, offering assistance and legal counsel when a judge is making decisions and writing their legal opinions. Due to this close relationship with the judge, a clerk can be highly influential compared to peers who proceed directly into practice. In addition to benefiting professionally, serving as a clerk can also be highly beneficial to your chances of becoming a judge in the future. Clerkships are held in high esteem, so they can help set you apart from other candidates. Time as a clerk is also valuable for networking. When a judge retires from an appointed position, they offer suggestions for who should replace them, and it is common for the judge to suggest attorneys who clerked for them in the past.
7. Practice law. On nearly all occasions, judges are appointed following legal careers of trying cases. There are several routes available when deciding how to practice law. You may opt to work in public service, either as a prosecutor or a public defender. Another available option is to work for a private law practice. Many law practices specialize in different areas, such as health or bankruptcy law. Trying cases is a valuable activity if you wish to become a judge. In addition to providing practical experience of courtroom proceedings, trials provide an opportunity to make connections in legal circles. Participating in cases can bring you to the attention of individuals responsible for appointing judges or to the individuals responsible for compiling shortlists for consideration for an appointment.
8. Earn your judgeship. After you have practiced law for at least two years, you can begin looking for opportunities as a judge. Earning a seat as a judge is a competitive goal as many federal judges serve lifetime appointments, restricting the number of available seats. There are three methods of becoming a judge:
- Election. Local judges often earn their seats by running in elections. The specific rules regarding elections vary by state, with variables including the length of terms, when elections occur and how many terms a judge can serve.
- Temporary appointment. When an elected judge is removed from the bench or opts to step down in the middle of a term, some states will allow for a replacement to be appointed by the government. Commonly, these seats will remain filled by the appointed judge until the next scheduled election, however, a special election may also be held if the next scheduled election is too far away.
- Appointed. Many judicial seats are appointed by executives, such as governors or the President of the United States. For federal seats, appointments are often lifetime seats. The process for appointment usually starts with being placed on a shortlist which is presented to the individual responsible for the appointment. Shortlist candidates commonly undergo an interview phase before being chosen for the seat, then present themselves to the state or federal legislative body for confirmation hearings.
Judges in the United States make an average of $86,927 per year. Salaries can range from $14,000 to $222,000 per year. This information was gathered by Indeed over the past 36 months from 170 employees, users and job advertisements. Judges are usually full-time employees, though part-time positions are occasionally available.
Source: https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/how-to-become-a-judge
Good luck!
Lisa Bruno-Herline
Attorney
17
Answers
Canton, Michigan
Updated
Lisa’s Answer
Amyah,
It could take 15 years to become a Judge. You need a Bachelor's degree (at least 4 years). Graduate from Law School (3 years), pass the bar exam in the state you want to practice in (another 6 months if you pass the first try). Judges are experienced in the law so I would recommend you practice law for at least 10 years. After that some Judges are appointed, but most are elected. The salaries vary as there are different types of Judges and it depends the state you are in but a range would be $90,000 - $120,000.
Hope this helps.
Lisa
It could take 15 years to become a Judge. You need a Bachelor's degree (at least 4 years). Graduate from Law School (3 years), pass the bar exam in the state you want to practice in (another 6 months if you pass the first try). Judges are experienced in the law so I would recommend you practice law for at least 10 years. After that some Judges are appointed, but most are elected. The salaries vary as there are different types of Judges and it depends the state you are in but a range would be $90,000 - $120,000.
Hope this helps.
Lisa