How to Become an Administrative Law Judge

How to become an administrative law judge is a question many people ask. This prestigious and respected position in the United States Federal Government falls under the category of “Judgeships in the Courts Service,” otherwise known as the JCs. An Administrative Law Judge is responsible for hearing and deciding cases which involve government agencies, such as the Federal Trade Commission, the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and other executive agencies, among others. The purpose of these judges is to provide high-level legal expertise to the government in regard to a specific area of law, such as in patent matters or administrative proceedings.

Individuals who are interested in working as an administrative law judge should be prepared to take both a written and oral examination upon graduation from their college of choice. To take my law exam, I had to pass both tests of the Law School Admission Test, the LSAT, and the College Level Examination Program (CLEP), while also meeting all other requirements of becoming a full-fledged legal officer. To prepare for the administrative test, I took classes in writing, grammar, punctuation, and court reporting. In addition to these classes, I spent four years getting comfortable with Microsoft Word, including working on my writing style, including choosing relevant fonts and styles for documents. Because I spent so much time familiarizing myself with Word, I was able to breeze through my administrative law judge exams with little trouble.

If you are one of the many individuals wondering how to become an administrative law judge, you will need to begin by selecting an accredited law school that offers this type of program. Most law schools these days will offer a CLEP testing at some point during their degree program. If your school does not offer CLEP testing, you should find a course of study that does. Most programs will allow you to complete the CLEP in a single year or less, depending on your schedule and the school’s requirements.

One of the first things you must do in order to pass the CLEP exam is to answer a series of multiple-choice questions about the material you just studied. It is highly likely that you will be asked to review recent case studies that were covered in class, so be prepared. If this portion of the CLEP exam does not appeal to you, then you will want to complete practice tests and a final exam.

Since most of the administrative law judges are employed in lower-level positions, you will likely not have a lot of professors to recommend you to read with. So you may want to take several practice college courses instead. A good way to learn the topics is to enroll in a university degree program in public or business law. Once you graduate, you will be able to take the CLEP exam which will give you a score in a few weeks.

Most students who wish to become administrative law judges end up taking only one course. However, it is possible to take two, three, or even four years to complete the requirements for the exam. To have a better understanding of how much time it takes to complete the exam, you should contact the National Association for Legal Assistants. They have a CLEP study schedule that will give you a good idea of how long it will take.

How to become an administrative law judge is not a very difficult course of study. There are some very well written guides and self-study guides available. In fact, if you can afford to pay for some additional classes in order to learn the material, that would be ideal. The National Association for Legal Assistants also has some great tips and advice available on how to become an administrative judge.

One thing that you do need to keep in mind when learning how to become an administrative law judge is that this is not a job for everyone. In most cases, you will not be able to just take a CLEP test and get a license to practice law. You will need to be sure that you have the right attitude and you have the experience required for this type of position. Many times, judges receive extensive education and training before being assigned to a specific case. If you are determined to become a judge, you will certainly have your chance at becoming an administrative law judge.