To work as a judge or hearing officer, you typically need to:

• have a high school diploma or equivalent;
• have a bachelor's degree;
• complete a law degree;
• have five years or more of experience as a lawyer; and
• complete short-term, on-the-job training.

Education after high school

Judges and hearing officers usually need a law degree. Many colleges and universities offer professional degrees in law. To apply to law school, you must have a bachelor's degree. However, a few law schools accept students who have completed only three years of college.

Together, college and law school usually take seven years of full-time study. This includes four years of undergraduate study followed by three years of law school. Law school graduates receive a juris doctor (JD) degree.

Your bachelor's degree does not have to be in a specific area for you to apply to law school. You should consider a well-rounded course of study, such as liberal arts.

Work experience

Most judges have many years of work experience as lawyers. In fact, all federal judges and most state judges must be experienced lawyers.

You may not need to be a lawyer to be a hearing officer. However, you usually need experience working with administrative law and rules.

On-the-job training

All states offer some type of orientation for new judges. Many professional organizations, such as the American Bar Association, also offer training for judges. Most states require judges to attend continuing education courses while they serve on the bench.

Military training

The military does not provide initial training for judges or lawyers. You must have your law degree to enter this military occupation. Training lasts eight to 12 weeks.