Hiring Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates

What do judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates do?

• Sentence defendants in criminal cases, on conviction by jury, according to applicable government statutes.
• Monitor proceedings to ensure that all applicable rules and procedures are followed.
• Instruct juries on applicable laws, direct juries to deduce the facts from the evidence presented, and hear their verdicts.
• Write decisions on cases.
• Read documents on pleadings and motions to ascertain facts and issues.
• Rule on admissibility of evidence and methods of conducting testimony.

Core tasks, O*NET OnLine, 23-1023.00.

What does it take to become one?

Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).

Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.

Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.

O*NET Job Zone 5, SVP (8.0 and above). O*NET OnLine.

Employers commonly list experience with Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Adobe Acrobat, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Word for this role.

What do judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates get paid?

BLS OEWS, May 2025 publishes a wage for judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates in 53 of the metro areas we publish data for. The median ranges from $48,110 to $221,710 a year depending on the metro, with a midpoint of $148,910. This is what employers pay, place of work, not a single national figure and not what any one person takes home.

BLS OEWS, BLS OEWS, May 2025, SOC 23-1023.

What does hiring one cost?

The same as any role: tier, not location or salary, sets the fee. Across all six tiers the published range is $6,240 to $54,340 per search. For scale, the highest median any metro we publish data for pays judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates is $221,710 a year, place of work (BLS OEWS, May 2025). A contingency firm hiring at that level would bill roughly $44,342 to $66,513 on the first year salary alone, 20 to 30%.

Frequently asked

How fast can a judge search fill?

Typically 23 to 35 days, and typically 2 to 3x faster than a contingency search, per our recruiting partner's published figures. Both are typical rather than guaranteed.

What if the hire does not work out?

A 45-day replacement guarantee, at 50% off a repeat search for the same role.