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How to Become a Court Clerk | Education, Salary, and Career Insights

Clerk of Courts

A smooth-running court system is important in any city. Without the support staff they need to run efficiently, courts can get backlogged with cases, consistently run behind schedule, and delay justice for those who deserve it. If you’re interested in supporting lawyers, judges, bailiffs, and other criminal justice personnel, consider becoming a court clerk. Use our criminal justice program listings to learn more about opportunities to work towards this career, or others in the field!

Court Clerk Job Description

Court clerks carry out many of the crucial and time-consuming duties that are legally required in a courtroom, saving the judges valuable time when it comes to trying and ruling on cases. As a court clerk, you may attend court, take notes on cases, help swear in witnesses and defendants, and document the appropriate paperwork after court has been completed. You may also carry out various assorted tasks and duties that are asked of you by overseeing judges and criminal justice personnel. Many of the tasks carried out by court clerks are of high importance in the courtroom, so you must have adequate training and education to work independently in a legal setting.

How to Become a Court Clerk

Court clerks are typically hired by municipal courts and other justice agencies, although they may also be hired by law firms. As a result, hiring requirements vary from place to place. If you’re considering becoming a court clerk, you may want to become familiar with hiring requirements in your area before you pursue a degree.

Education Requirements for Becoming a Court Clerk

Some places prefer to hire court clerks with a degree in legal assisting. This degree comes in several different lengths and degree formats. Some certificate programs can be completed in less than one year, so you can attend courses for one or two semesters to get an overview of the legal system and your role in it. You may also wish to earn an associate degree in legal assisting. This degree takes approximately two years of full-time study. You may also get the training you need from a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. In some cases, you do not need any higher education in criminal justice or the legal system; work experience or on-the-job training may suffice.

You may take several different courses while studying legal assisting. After taking a brief look at law and the legal system, you may take courses like Legal Analysis, Legal Research, Civil Procedure, Law Practice Management, Computerized Legal Research, and Evidence.

Many legal employers have experience requirements for court clerks. You may need to have prior work experience in the legal system, whether as a court clerk or in another position. Furthermore, you need excellent clerical skills. Quite a few court systems require you to meet or exceed a certain typing speed.

If you’re looking for an entry-level job that does not require previous criminal justice experience, you may look for a job with looser work requirements. In some cases, work experience in an office or clerical setting may be enough for you to get started as a court clerk.

Court Clerk Salary and Career Outlook

If you start a career as a court clerk, you may be rewarded with a fairly solid job outlook. Through 2032, O*Net anticipates a 2%-4% increase in court clerk jobs across the country. States with the highest employment for court clerks include Texas, California, Florida, New York, and Ohio.

Salaries for court clerks vary widely across the United States. Per the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2022), the average salary for a court clerk is $44,140 per year or $21.22 per hour. In New York, court clerks earn an average of $60,080, which is almost $16,000 more than the national average (BLS, 2022). Salaries for clerks in Montana, on the other hand, average $38,570 (BLS, 2022).

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Learn How to Become a Court Reporter | Explore Programs & Schools

Court Reporter

Where there is a court in session, there is a court reporter. Court reporters are essentially great listeners, tasked with providing an extremely accurate report of the events of a trial or meeting. In addition to working in court rooms and law offices, court reporters also often hold positions at television studios where they are in charge of closed captioning.

If you want to learn more about how to become a court reporter, contact the schools that offer criminal justice and court reporter training below.

Court Reporter Job Description

Court reporters may be employed by a court or legal office or may work freelance for a variety of legal clients. Any formal legal proceeding, from a private meeting in a judge’s chambers to a large-scale trial in a courtroom, requires the services of a court reporter. Breaking it down to the bare basics, a court reporter’s job consists of documenting official legal proceedings by creating verbatim transcripts of all statements – that includes every word said, as well as notes on physical and emotional gestures. Getting every word right is essential.

Most court reporters work using a stenotype machine connected to a computer. This machine allows them to note more than one key at a time and later turn notes into legible print. In other cases, a court reporter may use voice writing, repeating proceedings word-for-word into a special microphone, in order to record the trial or meeting.

How to Become a Court Reporter

Court reporters are generally required to have formal education, including an associate or bachelor’s degree. This training teaches future court reporters how to use the complicated technology necessary for the job and also covers important details like courtroom procedure and legal terminology.

The practice afforded by these court reporting schools also ensures that future court reporters will be able to keep up in the courtroom: the National Court Reporters Association (NCRA) certifies court reporter training programs which require graduates to be capable of typing at least 225 words per minute. Training to become a court reporter can take about 33 months as students master the skills needed for the stenotype.

Court Reporter Salary Career Outlook

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics projects an excellent job outlook for court reporters due in part to the retiring of older reporters and a diminished interest in the profession by job seekers. BLS data for 2022 reports the median annual salary for court reporters is $63,560, with government jobs offering the best opportunities. These days there are fewer trained stenotypists; instead the use of voice writing has become more widespread. Some courts, though, prefer traditional stenotypists, which means that someone with that particular skill would be in high-demand.

While many careers have been downsized, court reporting is expected to have more job openings than applicants. This projection translates to excellent job prospects and low competition. While courts and television stations, for example, still require the skills of a trained court reporter, qualified candidates can be hard to find. Someone with the appropriate training should be able to easily secure a position.

Court Reporter Resources

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Become a Judge | Education Requirements, Career, and Salary Insights

Judge Education & Career Paths

Interested in upholding the law, improving the state of justice in your state or county, and making sure people are held responsible for their crimes? You may be interested in becoming a judge. If you are searching for ideas or information about career paths in this field, just use our search tools to contact schools. They can give you direct answers about your specific situation and goals in the field. Continue reading to learn more about what it takes to become a judge!

Working as a judge requires a strong understanding of and respect for the law, including national laws, state laws, and local laws. This may mean upholding laws that you do not necessarily support or agree with, simply for the common good. If you succeed in this field, you may be rewarded with the knowledge that you are making your community safer, supporting the great criminal justice system of the US, and making a difference in the world around you.

Judge Job Description

As a judge, you may be responsible for many job duties and tasks that come your way. In many cases, judges work alongside other judges to divide up cases and keep the workload fair. In small communities, however, there may be just one or two judges to hear every case that comes through.

Your job as a judge starts before the trial even begins. You are expected to be familiar with each case and its evidence. In addition, you play a major role in the choosing of a jury. You can dismiss jury members to ensure that defendants are given a fair trial in your courtroom. As a trial proceeds, you can ensure that lawyers are arguing fairly, watch to see if evidence is being presented correctly, and advise the jury.

Bear in mind that working as a judge often involves making tough decisions that may be mentally challenging and sometimes even high-profile. For example in April 2018, a federal judge ruled President Trump and his attorneys cannot have first access to materials seized by the FBI during a raid of his personal attorney’s office. The case continues to attract significant media attention, and each judge’s ruling is heavily scrutinized by the public and politicians on both sides of the aisle.

How to Become a Judge

The journey to becoming a judge starts with meeting the education requirements. To start, obtain a bachelor’s degree and major in a relevant field like criminal justice. A criminal justice degree may give you experience in courses like Juvenile Justice, Ethics and Diversity in Criminal Justice, Criminal Law for Criminal Justice Personnel, and Law Enforcement Theory, Policy, & Practice. After completing a bachelor’s degree with a strong GPA, it’s time to apply to law school. A J.D. (Juris Doctor) degree prepares you to work as a lawyer and practice many different types of law. You can plan on spending about three years studying fields like criminal law, torts, property law, and contract law. In the latter half of your law degree, you choose the electives and courses you take. This may help you specialize in one particular field of law and prepare for your future career as a judge. Many who want to become judges choose to focus on criminal law. You can use this degree to gain experience as a lawyer, preferably in the area in which you would like to become a judge.

Once you’ve become a skilled, experienced, and respected lawyer, you may begin your path to judgeship. The path to becoming a judge varies between counties and states. In some areas, judges are assigned by lawmakers and politicians. In other areas, they are elected. In this case, you need to be willing to campaign for your position. After you become a judge, your work isn’t done! You still need to maintain your position. This comes through making sound decisions, representing the interests of your community and its people, and upholding the law. You may need to re-run for your position, advocate for yourself with lawmakers, and defend your decisions.

Judge Salary and Career Outlook

Judges can earn fairly competitive salaries, thanks to the common long hours and the stress of the position. Per the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average salary for an American judge is $128,610 per year (2022). However, salaries for judges differ significantly from place to place. In Texas, judges earn an average salary of $114,440 per year. The average salary for a California judge is $214,980 per year. In New York, judges have an average income of $175,690 per year. At the federal level, judges may earn much more. The Federal Judiciary reports that district judges earned an average of $243,300 per year in 2024, while chief justices earned an average salary of $312,200 per year.

The BLS does anticipate a 2% increase in judge job openings across the country through 2032. As of 2022, the states that employed the most judges were New York, Texas, Ohio, Florida, and California.

If you’re interested in the integrity and value of the judicial system, becoming a judge might be the perfect career move for you. Though it’s a challenging career path, it can pay off if you’re willing to put in the work.

Learn more about criminal justice programs in your area, or online, that can help you get started!

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How to Become a Mediator | Career & Salary Insights

Mediator

Mediators are a less visible but essential part of the criminal justice system, working behind the scenes in out-of-court dispute resolution. In many ways, a mediator is like a less formal judge: mediators serve as an impartial party, overseeing private hearings outside of the court room. A mediator is in charge of managing dispute proceedings and keeping the discussion relevant and polite. While a mediator will often offer suggestions as to how to resolve the disagreement at hand, it is up to the two opposing sides to ultimately reach their own agreement.

If things in a debate turn nasty and a shouting match ensues, it’s up to the mediator to calm everyone down and reestablish constructive discussion.

Mediator Job Description

Mediators spend most of their time meeting with clients to oversee disputes. Most mediators work out of private offices or, in some cases, travel to meet with clients at a chosen location. While a mediator often takes notes during a dispute settlement to keep track of each party’s demands, these notes are kept private and confidential and no public record of them is kept.

Mediators may also oversee specific procedures like executive mini-trials, which can serve as a sort of pre-negotiation conducted in hopes of avoiding a formal trial.

How to Become a Mediator

The job of a mediator requires a cool head, good communication capabilities and excellent people skills. A good mediator also has an assertive personality which permits him or her to step in and regain control of the proceedings if discussions swerve off track. Education and training requirements for mediators vary from one state and court to another, but in most cases a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field, such as criminal justice or counseling, is necessary. Many mediators also choose to complete advanced degrees in relevant fields like dispute resolution, conflict management, law or public policy. Regardless of degree, most mediators undergo on-the-job training before beginning to practice on their own.

Mediator Salary and Career Outlook

Mediating is a mentally and emotionally-demanding job and a good mediator is well-rewarded for this difficult work. In 2022, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported the the median annual wage of arbitrators, mediators and conciliators as a group to be $64,030 as of May 2022, with the top ten percent of earners breaking into the six-figure salary range. Job prospects for mediators are expected to be excellent, with the BLS predicting faster-than-average growth in the job field over the coming decade.

Money is at the heart of mediators’ excellent job prospects. Formal legal procedures are incredibly time-consuming and extremely expensive – and the longer a proceeding lasts, the more money clients have to pay out. For this reason, both corporate and private clients are increasingly choosing to turn to mediator services instead of going to trial. Mediators offer a cost-efficient alternative to official legal proceedings and can help warring parties resolve their dispute in a timely and effective manner.

Mediator Resources

National Association for Community Mediation

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