How to Become a Magistrate in Massachusetts
Clerk-magistrates, members of the Massachusetts court system, administer the business of the court to which they are assigned. In addition to their administrative duties, clerk-magistrates also oversee hearings in small-claims lawsuits and on procedural matters in criminal cases. The court system has 85 clerk-magistrate posts, all of them appointed directly by the governor. The post has no mandatory retirement age, so a person may retain an appointment for life. Massachusetts does not require clerk-magistrates to have a law degree, but over time, governors have appointed increasing numbers of lawyers to the positions.
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Instructions
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Move to Massachusetts before you apply. You must be a Massachusetts resident and a U.S. citizen to become a state clerk-magistrate.
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Graduate from college. If you don't have a college degree, you must work for 15 years for the court with which you want to serve as a clerk-magistrate.
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Graduate from an accredited law school and join the Massachusetts State Bar. Practice in the state for three years before you apply for clerk-magistrate. If you're not a lawyer but you do have an undergraduate degree, you'll need five years of court work to qualify. The state application requires a list of the three most significant legal matters with which you've been involved---whether as an attorney or a court official.
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Learn about the court system, particularly the court where you want to become a clerk-magistrate. When you apply for a particular position, the application form includes questions about the strengths, assets and weaknesses of the particular court where you request an appointment. You'll need good answers.
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Wait for an opening in the court. The state takes applications only after it announces an opening and sets a deadline for applications. Download an application from the state website and submit it.
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Tips & Warnings
If you don't have any legal experience, administrative experience may count in your favor.
While the Massachusetts identifies no conduct that would bar you from the clerk-magistrate's job, the application does require you to divulge past lawsuits, arrests and convictions, missed tax payments and any professional complaints filed against you.
