Job Profile:
Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators
and Hearing Officers

The Job

• Administrative law judges, sometimes called hearing officers or adjudicators, are employed by government agencies to make decisions for administrative agencies.

  A 1946 federal law created the administrative law judge position.

• They conduct hearings and determine eligibility for various Social Security or workers' compensation benefits, protection of the environment, enforcement of health and safety regulations, employment discrimination and compliance with economic regulatory requirements.
• Administrative law judges also determine penalties or the existence and amount of liability, recommend the acceptance or rejection of claims, and compromise settlements.
• They must ensure trials and hearings are conducted fairly and that courts administer justice while safeguarding the legal rights of all involved parties.

Skills

• Proficiency in writing, speaking with ease and authority, reading, researching, analyzing and logical thinking.
• Perseverance, creativity and reasoning ability are also essential to judges, who often analyze complex cases and handle new and unique legal problems.
• Knowledge of legal statutes and courtroom rules.

Education

• Federal administrative law judges must be lawyers and pass a competitive examination administered by the US Office of Personnel Management. Education requirements for lawyers consist of a four-year college degree, three years in law school and successful completion of a written bar examination.
• They must also have at least

  Judges and magistrates do most of their work in courtrooms or outside the courtroom "in chambers".

  seven years' administrative law and/or trial experience involving formal administrative hearing proceedings before local, state or federal administrative agencies, courts or other bodies.
• Some state administrative law judges and judges with limited jurisdictions do not have to be lawyers, but law degrees are preferred for most positions.

Outlook

• There are approximately 1,400 administrative law judges in 29 federal government agencies within the United States and Puerto Rico. Competition is intense for the relatively few positions that may become vacant from year to year.
• Only extremely highly qualified applicants should include such a position in their career plans.

Related Careers

• Legal training is useful in many other occupations, including mediator, journalist, criminal investigator or special agent, political scientist, title examiner, police detective, legislative assistant, lobbyist, political office holder and corporate executive.

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Sources: Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2000-01 Edition, Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Department of Labor; Office of Administrative Law Judges, US Department of Labor; and USA Jobs, US Office of Personnel Management