Judges

High School

Most judges have a law degree and prior experience working as a lawyer. A high school diploma, a college degree, and three years of law school are minimum requirements for a law degree. To prepare for a career as a judge, courses such as government, history, social studies, and economics provide a solid background for entering college-level courses. Speech courses are also helpful to build strong communication skills necessary for the profession. Also take advantage of any computer-related classes or experience you can get, because judges often use technology to research and interpret the law, from surfing the Internet to searching legal databases.

Postsecondary Training

To enter any law school approved by the American Bar Association, you must satisfactorily complete at least three, and usually four, years of college work. Most law schools do not specify any particular courses for prelaw education. Usually a liberal arts track is most advisable, with courses in English, history, economics, social sciences, logic, and public speaking. A college student planning on specialization in a particular area of law, however, might also take courses significantly related to that area, such as economics, agriculture, or political science. Those interested should contact several law schools to learn more about any requirements and to see if they will accept credits from the college the student is planning to attend.

Currently, more than 195 law schools in the United States are approved by the American Bar Association; others, many of them night schools, are approved by state authorities only. Most of the approved law schools, however, do have night sessions to accommodate part-time students. Part-time courses of study usually take four years.

Law school training consists of required courses such as legal writing and research, contracts, criminal law, constitutional law, torts, and property. The second and third years may be devoted to specialized courses of interest to the student, such as evidence, business transactions and corporations, or admiralty. The study of cases and decisions is of basic importance to the law student, who will be required to read and study thousands of these cases. A degree of juris doctor (J.D.) or bachelor of laws (LL.B.) is usually granted upon graduation.

Most law schools require that applicants take the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), where prospective law students are tested on their critical thinking, writing, and reasoning abilities.

Certification

The National Judicial College offers certificate programs in the following areas: Administrative Law, Adjudication Skills, Appellate Judicial Skills, Leadership Enrichment & Jurisprudence Skills, General Jurisdiction Trial Skills, Special Court Trial Skills, and Tribal Judicial Skills. Visit https://www.judges.org/judicial-education/certificate-program for more information. Colleges and universities also offer certificate programs in legal-related fields.

Other Education or Training

The American Bar Association, Federal Judicial Center, National Center for State Courts, and National Judicial College provide education and training for judges. More than half of all states and also Puerto Rico require judges to take continuing education courses while on the job.