Judge Resume:Templates, Examples & Essential Skills

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As a Judge, do you want to close the case on your job search and get back in the courtroom? With our expertly outlined resume templates, you can ensure that your resume will be given a positive ruling when you apply for the position.

Judge Resume Example MSWord®
Make sure the jury is in your favor with our Judge Resume template, available in Word format.

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ResumeGiants » Examples » Judge Resume

Appointed in local, state, and federal courts, judges are responsible for countless legal tasks, like governing trials and hearings, enforcing court rules, being attentive to attorneys’ arguments, receiving and inspecting evidence, and more.

Applying for a judge’s position in a court of law requires preparing an excellent resume. 

And this is where our handy guide steps in. Learn how to write a resume that is compelling and puts you at the forefront of all candidates. 

From examples and templates to practical tips and more – here is what a stellar judge resume should look like.

To do their job right, judges have to be equipped with the right skills and qualifications. Such includes extensive knowledge of all laws and judicial procedures and attaining an objective and unbiased stance in legal cases.

A particular skill set, proven experience, and other aspects of a judge’s career are taken into consideration by recruiters.

If you check all boxes of quality but still aren’t sure which information goes where you can always use resume templates to guide you through.

Here’s an example of what a well-rounded judge’s resume should look like.

Resume Example

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[Jessica Marsh]

[Municipal court judge]

[46 Birch Road, New York, NY | 101-343-0123 | marsh.jessica@email.com]

Summary

Experienced municipal court judge with 8+ years of experience in NY’s legal system. Established a jury and defined the rules and regulations. Presided over 50 hearings in a month. Monitored the work of the court staff. Settled over 100 domestic dispute court hearings.

Work Experience

New York 3rd Municipal Court

Municipal Court Judge

2017–2022

• Trial preparation;
• Conducted 97+ hearings;
• Established a jury and outlined the regulations

The Legal Factory

Attorney

2012–2015

• Interpreting case law and decisions imposed by relevant courts;
• Prepare pleadings, contracts, deeds, wills, memorandum, etc.
• Carried 34 cases in court.

Education 

Juris Doctor

Fordham University

School of Law

2013–2016

Skills

• Reviewing and assessing pleadings, pre-trial documents, discovery, memoranda, etc.
• Provided legal advice to the Commander on felony general court-martial criminal matters.
• Assigned a jury program and established jury instructions

Conferences and Volunteer Work

• Legalmonth21 – held a speech on a panel about trial preparation and jury duty
• Youth for Legality Boot Camp – tutored aspiring judges on court proceedings

When you put together a resume, you have to pay attention to the way you present information. If you scatter the information all over the place or put your education details before your experience, you might lose the recruiter’s interest. This is where choosing recognized resume formats comes into play. 

There are three main types of resume formats to consider for your resume:

• The reverse chronological is the most suitable resume format for your CV. It highlights your most recent experiences first and moves backwards through your career. This resume format works best for experience-packed resumes, but it’s also a good choice for candidates looking for a career shift because it will showcase your transferable skills;
• The functional resume format skills over experience. This resume format is a good fit for those fresh out of law school, looking to prove themselves. The functional resume format lists particular professional skills first before it moves to the actual experience;
• The combination or hybrid resume is a mix of the two above mentioned resume formats. This particular resume format is used by highly skilled and experienced judge candidates looking to showcase both experience and skills.

Most entry-level judges, or paralegals, can use the functional resume format – since they are lacking proper judicial experience. However, the functional resume will also apply to candidates looking to make a career shift in the legal system.

A resume summary or objective is the opening statement about you as a candidate. It is the first block of text the recruiter will see underneath a resume headline and your contact information, so you want to make sure you’ve presented your case in the most compelling manner.

Whether you should write a resume objective or a resume summary will depend on the level of your work experience or the lack thereof. 

If you’re geared up on experience, write a resume summary – it presents your expertise right and sums up all of your most prominent accomplishments.

If you have not had any judicial experience but have other assets to offer, write a resume objective. It will allow you to attract the attention of the recruiter and put your strong skill set at the forefront, explaining what makes you the most fit candidate for the job.

Judge Resume Objective Example

A strong resume objective should focus on the candidate’s capabilities and professional aspirations. Since you’re writing your resume objective due to lack of experience, always stress your aptitude and skills for the job, without emphasizing you still have experience to gather in the field.

Ultimately, this is what a successful resume objective should look like:

And this is how not to write your resume objective:

The difference between the two examples lies in using a rather unprofessional tone of voice in the second example. It showcases the candidate as a rather unfit option since they’ve highlighted their lack of experience so obviously.

The right example, however, emphasizes the professional aspirations of the candidate whilst highlighting their previous experiences relevant to the job they are pursuing.

Before you begin listing your professional engagements, read the job description well and see what’s required from the candidates. Also, always use bullet points to list the key responsibilities and achievements – they are true-and-tested attention-grabbers!

Ideally, you don’t want to include more than 3 previous positions – anything more will clutter your resume and the recruiter may not have time to read it all.

Judge Resume Examples: Experience

If you’re an aspiring judge looking to fill an open position but don’t yet have that much experience presiding court cases, be careful not to make yourself dismissable before even getting the chance to show your competencies.

Whether you have judicial experience or not, how you present your existing work experience can make all the difference to the recruiter.

Let’s have a look at what a well-encompassed experience section in a judge’s resume looks like.

This example shows the candidate’s relevant and most recent experience but also points to their past working experiences. This works well with stating the candidate’s expertise in other legal-related sectors.

Now let’s see how not to showcase your experience.

The main problem with this example is the poor format of the content. While it looks cluttered, it’s also difficult to read and understand the candidate’s true capabilities. Plus, the particular syntax structure using words like “obligation” presents the candidate in a not-so-favorable light.

The education part of your resume is as important as your experience, if not more. You can’t become a judge without proper education, but showcasing it right is where the catch is.

Begin the education section with:

• The name of the educational institution;
• Years of attendance;
• The degree attained.

Use bullet points to list any relevant achievements while in school – it will give the recruiter insight into your aptitudes and versatility as a professional. Did you regularly make it onto the Dean’s List, for example? Was your final year legal project awarded a top place? Include anything relevant when you are fresher to the law industry.

Avoid mentioning your high school education – it’s practically irrelevant, given you’ve completed higher education.

Judge Resume Education Section

Showcasing your education should not be a difficult task – the information is there, you just need to know how to present it in the most efficient way. A proper education section in your resume as a judge should look like this:

And here’s an example of a badly written education section:

Although the second example uses bullet points, these don’t do the candidate any good since the information included in the list is clumsy and rather unprofessional.

Convincing the recruiter to hire you over other candidates will be easier if you know how to showcase your fortes, i.e. – your skills. Unlike other professions that require soft and hard skills from the candidate, a judge’s position also requires a particular set of legal skills on top of these two.

The hard skills in your judge resume will tell the recruiter you have what it takes to take on the role of justice. At the same time, your legal skills will showcase your wholesome knowledge of the law, something no judge should be without.

As for your soft skills, they will present your ”human” side to the recruiter, and let them see you can handle delicate cases with the utmost professionalism.

Adding more information about your professional accomplishments is always welcomed, as it shows the recruiter you are a versatile professional. However, don’t overdo it – stay within limits and include information that’ll add more value to you as a professional.

For instance, including volunteer work and coursework is a good idea, as are the following:

• Journal work;
• Conferences;
• Non-journal publications;
• Community involvement;
• Student organizations;
• Paralegal background

Judge Resume Sample Extra Sections

The other sections in your judge resume will wrap up the whole content you deliver to the recruiter, and it will possibly paint a clearer picture of you, both as a professional and a person. 

Including any volunteer work in your resume can never be a bad idea, but help the recruiter see you as a giver – a person of the people, if you will.

Let’s see how to design the other sections in your resume:

And here’s what not to include in the other sections:

To wrap things up, let’s go over the most important aspects of compiling a compelling judge’s resume.

• Choose the right format (reverse chronological, functional, or a combination, depending on your skills);
• Write an attention-grabbing resume objective or summary (depending on your experience and goals);
• Include relevant skills – showcase your legal skills the most;
• List your education and degree;
• Include extra sections that spotlight your professional competencies.

Fingers crossed, should you land the job, you can use a template to write a stunning thank you letter to show the recruiter you appreciate their effort.

Moreover, if you’ve ever won an award relevant to the job you’re applying for, you can see how to include the award info in your resume to get the most out of it.  

Should you have a hard time remembering all the important details, you can always use our resume templates to help you navigate the sections and get you a step closer to becoming the next best judge in your area!