Annual Salary
£101,000 to £295,000
Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)
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Swap to Law or Politics or go back to all job sectors
Judges hear evidence in criminal and civil courts, make rulings and pass sentences based on the information presented during cases.
Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)
You could work: between 8am and 6pm; at short notice
There will be
2.4% more Judge jobs in 2027.
As a judge, you could:
You could work in a court or in an office.
Your working environment may be emotionally demanding and you'll travel often.
You can get into this job through an official appointment.
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 Mentoring Scheme. This scheme is open to applications from people who are currently under-represented in the judiciary. For example:
Judges are appointed by the Judicial Appointments Commission. You’ll need to apply to them to be considered for selection.
To apply, you must:
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.
You'll need to:
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.
You can find out more about how to become a judge from:Courts and Tribunals Judiciary; Judicial Appointments Commission; The Law Society
There are structured career development routes in the judiciary, which allow you to move from fee-paid sessional roles in the lower courts through to paid positions in the upper courts.
For example, with experience, you might move from deputy district judge or recorder to become a permanent district judge, circuit judge or high court judge. Beyond that, you could be appointed to the court of appeal.
You can also specialise in particular divisions of the judiciary, like the family courts or employment tribunals.
You'll need: