Looking at the grim fiscal picture for state and local government, CBS Moneywatch puts judgeships #1 on the list of the top 10 high-paying jobs with no future. The list was compiled from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Outlook Handbook, which predicts a loss of 700 jobs nationally for judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates between 2008 and 2018. Judges staying in their jobs longer than usual due to the bad economy is also a factor in the prediction. Median pay for judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates was $110,220 in May 2008.
Given economic and demographic predictions, Michigan is likely to contribute to the downsizing trend. The Judicial Crossroads Task Force convened by the State Bar took a serious look at the question of judgeships in its work, which concluded in October, and its recommendations address how the process of adjusting judgeships should be handled. Given the predominance of baby boomers on the bench, Michigan's constitutional mandatory retirement for judges will mean an unprecedented turnover of judges in the coming decade, putting the Supreme Court's determination of the appropriate distribution and number of judges statewide in sharp focus.
Conspicuously (and encouragingly) absent from the Moneywatch list are lawyers. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects job growth for lawyers at 13 percent between 2008 and 2018, about average for all occupations. But the report takes into account the changes already underway in the profession, predicting job growth in salaried jobs as businesses and governments hire growing numbers of staff attorneys. The report also notes another trend SBM Blog has been reporting -- that lawyers are increasingly finding work outside of law firms in areas where legal training is an asset, rather than a requirement.
HT: ABA Journal
