Career as a Judge
Judges are in charge of trials who resolve differences between two parties to give justice to a case. When the standard procedures do not exist currently they create new laws based on their knowledge of law. It is the duty of a judge to ensure that the proceedings are fair and protect the legal rights of everyone involved. To determine whether the evidence warrants a trial a judge often conducts pretrial hearings. In case of criminal cases, a judge must decide whether defendant should be given bail or held in jail pending trial. While in civil cases money is involved instead of crime so a judge decides how much money one person must pay another.
The duty of judges varies like some have to deal with serious cases like murder while some deal with families, traffic rules and small amounts of money. Others oversee cases about the environment, Social Security benefits and many other issues. Good judgment and patience are the main qualities one should have to become a judge. The qualifications required to become a judge in Missouri are as follows
Requirements:
There is no specific degree required to enter a law school but some of them prefer the degree of political science, business, history and economics. A student taking a Bachelor’s degree should develop his writing and critical thinking skills and research a lot on law. One who starts a career as a lawyer then he must hold a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree which comprises of three years legal education at a law school approved by American Bar Association (ABA). After earning this degree, prospective lawyers must apply for admission to the bar in their state or jurisdiction. Then lawyers have to submit their names to a judicial nominating commission or their names can be recommended by politicians or senators. After being appointed as a judge, one has to complete the state-administered introductory training. In addition to this, one may be asked to attend the training programs offered by National Judicial College, National Center for State Courts or ABA.
Payment: Mostly judges work for 40 hours a week but some of them have to work 50 hours a week. According to the report of Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2011, average annual salary of a judge is $ 88,340 which showed a wage rise of 0.7% in USA. In Missouri, there are more than 150 judges with average annual wages of $98,780.
Many law schools in Missouri provide the education for becoming a judge. Here are some of them
Bachelor's degree
- Missouri Southern State University Joplin
- William Woods University - Fulton
- Park University Parkville
- Saint Louis University-Main Campus - Saint Louis
- Stephens College Columbia
- Webster University - Saint Louis
Doctor's degree
- Saint Louis University-Main Campus - Saint Louis
Master's degree
- Webster University - Saint Louis
- Saint Louis University-Main Campus - Saint Louis
Becoming a judge requires proper judgment ability and research on law. One can take this as a career, if they have patience and like to research on legal aspects.