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Judge

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Primary Secondary Post-16

Imagine a super-important grown-up who helps make sure everyone plays fair and follows the rules in big disagreements. That's a Judge! In the UK, a Judge works in a special building called a court. When people have problems that they cant sort out themselves, like who owns something or if someone has done something wrong, a Judge listens carefully to everyone. They need to be very good at listening, thinking clearly, and knowing all the rules, which are called laws. They decide what should happen based on these laws, making sure everything is fair and just for everyone involved. It's a very serious and responsible job. To become a Judge, you first need to be a lawyer, which means you spend many years learning all about the law and working with people who need legal help. Judges wear special robes and sometimes wigs in court to show how important their job is. They have to be very calm, patient, and good at understanding tricky situations. Their main goal is to make sure justice is served and that the rules of the country are followed, keeping our society safe and fair for everyone.

Judge

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📊 Statistics

Average Salary

A Judge in the UK can earn between 55,000 to over 200,000 pounds a year, depending on their experience and the type of court they work in. Many start on lower salaries and earn more as they gain experience.

Path to Becoming a Judge

To become a Judge in the UK, you usually need to be a lawyer first, which means going to university to study law and then working as a solicitor or barrister for many years, often at least 5 to 7 years, before you can even apply to be a Judge.

Importance of Judges

Judges are very important because they help make sure everyone is treated fairly under the law and that rules are followed. There are many different types of judges in the UK, from those in local courts to those in the highest courts, all working to uphold justice.

🚀 Careers in this path

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Judge's Associate

Imagine helping the judge in court, like a super organised assistant! You would help them find important papers and make sure everything is ready for the day.

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Court Reporter

Have you ever seen someone type super fast in court? That's a Court Reporter! They listen carefully to everything everyone says and type it all down, so there's a perfect record of what happened.

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Solicitor for Children

This is a special kind of lawyer who helps children and makes sure their voices are heard in court. They talk to children and explain what's happening in a way they can understand, making sure the children's best interests are looked after.

Learning the Ropes at School

Read Lots of Books

Start by reading many different types of books! This helps you learn new words, understand stories, and think about different ideas.

Reading helps you learn new words, understand how stories work, and discover new ideas. Judges need to read lots of documents and understand different people's points of view, so practicing reading now is a super skill to have. Try reading mystery books or stories about detectives!

Listen Carefully

Pay close attention when others are talking, especially your teachers and parents. Judges need to be great listeners.

Judges spend a lot of time listening to people explain what happened. If you practice listening carefully now, you'll be really good at understanding everything when you're older. Try to listen without interrupting and think about what the other person is saying.

Be Fair to Everyone

Always try to be fair when playing games or sharing toys. Think about what's right for everyone.

Being fair is a super important part of being a Judge. When you play with your friends, try to make sure everyone gets a turn or that things are shared equally. This helps you practice making decisions that are fair and kind to everyone.

Becoming a Legal Helper

Study Hard in Secondary School

When you're a bit older, focus on subjects like English, History, and possibly a language. These help you understand different people and ways of thinking.

In secondary school (which is what we call high school in the UK), subjects like English are very important for clear writing and speaking. History can teach you about how laws have changed over time and how different societies worked. Debating clubs are also brilliant for learning how to present your ideas clearly and listen to others.

Go to University to Study Law

After secondary school, you'll go to university to learn all about laws, how they work, and why we have them. This is called a Law Degree!

A Law Degree at university is where you learn the big rules and ideas that Judges use every day. You'll study things like crime and punishment, how businesses work together, and how to help people who have disagreements. It's a big step in learning how to be a legal helper!

Become a Lawyer or Barrister

After university, you'll train to become a lawyer or a barrister. This means you help people by understanding their problems and speaking up for them in court.

To become a Judge, you first need to be a lawyer or a barrister for many years. A lawyer gives advice and helps people with legal problems, sometimes in an office. A barrister often speaks in court and argues cases in front of a Judge. Both jobs teach you how courts work and how to apply the law, which is perfect training for becoming a Judge yourself one day.

Becoming a Judge

Gain Lots of Experience

Work as a lawyer or barrister for many years, helping lots of different people with their problems and learning more about the law every day.

Before you can become a Judge, you need to have a lot of practical experience. This means working on many cases as a lawyer or barrister, understanding how courts work from the inside, and learning how to make fair decisions. The more experience you have, the better prepared you'll be to be a Judge.

Apply to Become a Judge

Once you have enough experience, you can apply to a special group that chooses new Judges. They'll want to know you're fair, smart, and kind.

In the UK, there's a group called the Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) that helps choose new Judges. You would apply to them, and they would look at all your experience and skills. They want to make sure you have the right qualities, like being impartial (meaning not taking sides) and being able to make difficult decisions calmly.

Keep Learning and Serving

Even when you're a Judge, you'll keep learning new things and helping people by making sure justice is done in court.

Being a Judge is a job where you never stop learning! Laws can change, and new types of cases come up all the time. Judges often attend training courses to stay up-to-date. It's a role of great responsibility, dedicated to making sure that everyone who comes to court is treated fairly and that the laws protect everyone in our country.

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Explore relevant apprenticeships that can help you kickstart your career in Judge. Apprenticeships offer hands-on experience and training while earning a wage.

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Career Progressions

This page showcases various career options and the pathways to reach them. Each career listed here shares transferable skills and knowledge, making it easier for individuals to transition between them.

Your current career is highlighted to help you see how it fits into the broader landscape of potential career choices. By clicking on any career, you can learn more about it, including the training and education required to pursue it.

Remember, progressing in your career often involves further learning and training. This page provides insights into future career options as well as those that can lead up to your current one.

These career progression decisions are informed by comparing the skills and knowledge needed for different occupations, along with data on how people move between them. Explore the possibilities and discover the exciting journey ahead in your career!

Sample Qualifications

How to become

You can get into this job through an official appointment.

Volunteering

You can get valuable experience and insights into the work of a judge through the Judicial Work Shadowing Scheme. This may help if you later apply for selection to become a judge.

You normally have to be a qualified legal professional, with at least 7 years' experience in law-related work to join the scheme.

If you have been on the Judicial Work Shadowing Scheme, you can apply for a place on the Judicial Outreach Mentoring Scheme. This scheme is open to legal professionals and applications are encouraged from people who are currently under-represented in the judiciary. For example:

  • women
  • ethnic minorities
  • lawyers with a state school education

Other Routes

Judges are appointed by the Judicial Appointments Commission. You’ll need to apply to them to be considered for selection.

To apply, you must:

  • be a qualified solicitor, barrister or chartered legal executive
  • have worked as a legal professional for between 5 and 7 years, depending on the type of judge you want to be
  • meet nationality requirements

Common starting roles include district, recorder and tribunal judges. For certain other judicial roles, you can apply if you’re an experienced legal academic, or trademark or patent attorney.

You must successfully complete several application stages to get through to shortlisting by the Commission. You’ll then be invited to attend an assessment and selection day, which will include interviews.

More Information

Career tips

If you're appointed as a full-time judge, you cannot return to legal practice.

Part-time judges, usually found in the lower courts, for example a tribunal or district judge, are paid a fee for each court session and are expected to sit for at least 15 sessions a year. Fee-paid judges can continue to practise law, providing there is no conflict of interest.

Further information

You can find out more about how to become a judge from:

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