How to hire a county judge

How to hire a county judge, step by step

Here's a step-by-step county judge hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a county judge job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new county judge
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your county judge job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a county judge for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A county judge's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, county judges from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list shows salaries for various types of county judges.

   Type of County Judge	Description	Hourly rate
   County Judge	Judges and hearing officers apply the law by overseeing the legal process in courts. They also conduct pretrial hearings, resolve administrative disputes, facilitate negotiations between opposing parties, and issue legal decisions.	$17-43
   Judge	Judges are officials who conduct court proceedings. They sign arrest and search warrants, restraining orders, subpoenas, etc... Show more	$32-106

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Routine Correspondence

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage, and update all scheduling of events, meetings, and appointments for mediation and arbitration for family law cases.
   • Manage, and update all scheduling of events, meetings, and appointments for mediation and arbitration for family law cases.
   • Perform clerical work by cross-referencing voters' names with their identification.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your county judge job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A county judge can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, county judges' average salary in north carolina is 51% less than in new jersey.
   • Seniority. Entry-level county judges 59% less than senior-level county judges.
   • Certifications. A county judge with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a county judge's salary.

   Average county judge salary

   $58,553yearly

   $28.15 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level county judge salary

   $37,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 14, 2025

4. Writing a county judge job description

   A job description for a county judge role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a county judge job description:

   County judge job description example

   TMG, part of Molina Healthcare, is seeking a remote Self-Directed Personal Care (SDPC) Registered Nurse (RN) who lives in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin.
   
   The SDPC RN is responsible for providing self-directed personal care nursing services to IRIS participants including, but not limited to, those services specific to participation in the 1915j Self-Directed Medicaid Personal Care Program. The SDPC RN is responsible for administering the Wisconsin Personal Care Screening Tool; creating personal care, person-centered plans of care called My Cares; managing a caseload of participants called a My Cares Group (MCG), providing education and training for all program participants and care providers and documenting activities and services in compliance with state and federal regulations.
   Knowledge/Skills/Abilities
   
   Administer the Wisconsin Personal Care Screening Tool and addendums and document the assessment.
   Oversee a My Cares℠ Group of participants which includes developing individual plans of care (My Cares℠) focused on personal care services, review and revise plans of care as needed, and complete oversight visits and calls.
   Ensure physician orders for care are obtained and current.
   Document all participant specific activities in a data system.
   Develop and provide training and/or educational materials to participants or care providers as needed
   Track other departmental requests such as data or quality as well as outcome of these requests.
   Provide reports and summaries as requested.
   Collaborate with development of documents and other related products.
   Participate in discussions and problem solving regarding overall program development and implementation.
   25- 40% local travel required.
   
   Required Education
   Graduate from an Accredited School of Nursing.
   
   Required Experience
   1-3 years RN experience in home care, hospice or managed care.
   
   Required License, Certification, Association
   
   Active, unrestricted Wisconsin Registered Nursing (RN) license in good standing.
   Must have valid driver's license with good driving record and be able to drive within applicable state or locality with reliable transportation.
   
   Preferred Education
   Bachelor's Degree in Nursing
   
   Preferred Experience
   Experience providing care through the Wisconsin Medicaid Personal Care Program.
   To all current Molina employees: If you are interested in applying for this position, please apply through the intranet job listing.
   
   Molina Healthcare offers a competitive benefits and compensation package. Molina Healthcare is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE) M/F/D/V.
   #PJHS
   #LI-BEMORE

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find county judges for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your county judge job on Zippia to find and recruit county judge candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with county judge candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new county judge

   Once you've decided on a perfect county judge candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new county judge. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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