Can a lawyer become a judge?

Pass the LSAT. You must first pass the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT). To even be considered eligible to take the LSAT, you must have a stellar academic record and a bachelor's degree related to law.

It is designed to test skills that undergraduate students may not have fully developed, such as the reasoning skills in the logic games section.

Graduate from law school and obtain a Juris Doctor. This is a necessary step for nearly all judges. Some states allow you to be a judge without a law degree. However, the chances of you getting a judge position without a law degree are slim at best. Courses in law school include:

• Constitutional law

• Ethics

• Property law

• Criminal law

• Lawyer-client relationship

• Civil procedure

While you should do your best to retain knowledge from all of these classes, you must develop a mastery of criminal law if you want to become a judge. Law school generally takes about three years to complete, and upon graduating, you will receive a Juris Doctor (JD).

Pass the bar exam. If you make it through law school, you must pass the Bar exam, which is even harder than the LSAT. The Bar exam requires you to do an immense amount of critical thinking when answering the written questions.

Not to mention you must know your laws. The exam differs from state to state but usually takes two days to complete.

Get appointed or elected to the court. Generally, only experienced lawyers are considered for judge positions, so you must make your mark as an attorney or prosecutor before even considering becoming a judge.

Most judges have years of experience in the law, qualifying them for the role. The process of being appointed or elected often involves politics. Some judges are elected by:

• Voters

• State officials

• Federal officials.

In some states, appointed commissions to evaluate candidates for judgeships, making it very hard to become a judge without practicing law or showing a mastery of it.

Complete Judgeship training. Both elected and appointed judges complete training programs. This is required in every state.

Judicial education programs are given by the National Center for State Courts (NCSC) and the American Bar Association (ABA). In most states, judges must continue their education throughout their careers.