Legal
Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates
Arbitrate, advise, adjudicate, or administer justice in a court of law. May sentence defendant in criminal cases according to government statutes or sentencing guidelines. May determine liability of defendant in civil cases. May perform wedding ceremonies.
Also called: Circuit Court Judge, Circuit Judge, County Judge, Court of Appeals Judge, District Court Judge, Judge
- Median pay in Greater Boston
- $221,710
- $106.59/hr
- Jobs in Greater Boston
- 420
- Massachusetts 2024–2034
- +6.8%
- 30 openings a year
- Typical U.S. entry requirement
- Doctoral or professional degree
- plus Short-term on-the-job training; 5 years or more of related work experience
Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.
Pay range in Greater Boston
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $155,450 | $186,170 | $221,710 | $221,710 | $221,710 |
10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.
What you’d do
- Sentence defendants in criminal cases, on conviction by jury, according to applicable government statutes.
- Monitor proceedings to ensure that all applicable rules and procedures are followed.
- Instruct juries on applicable laws, direct juries to deduce the facts from the evidence presented, and hear their verdicts.
- Write decisions on cases.
- Read documents on pleadings and motions to ascertain facts and issues.
- Rule on admissibility of evidence and methods of conducting testimony.
AI and this job
AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.
Higher exposure80 of 100
The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:
- AIOE 99
- Language-model AIOE 98
- GPTs-are-GPTs 43
Observed AI use today: Substantial (Anthropic Economic Index)
AI exposure is higher for this job, and observed AI use is substantial. AI tools can help with reading pleadings and motions and with drafting written decisions. Sentencing, instructing juries, and keeping a courtroom fair rely on a judge's authority and judgment.
Likely to change
- Reading and summarizing pleadings and motions
- Drafting written decisions on cases
Still relies on people
- Sentencing and ruling with legal authority
- Instructing juries and running the courtroom
Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.
Training near Boston
College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).
0 programs near Boston (plus 7 graduate)
No programs below a master’s degree near Boston map to this job. Tick the box above to see graduate programs.
Related occupations
- Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers
- Judicial Law Clerks
- Lawyers
- Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists
- Compliance Officers
- Paralegals and Legal Assistants
- Detectives and Criminal Investigators
- Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Teachers, Postsecondary
- Law Teachers, Postsecondary
- Bailiffs
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