For many in the legal community, serving on the bench is the highest calling. At "Pathways to the Bench," a seminar at the NJSBA Annual Meeting and Convention on Wednesday in Atlantic City, a panel of experts in the process explained how it works.
The path to being a judge starts the first day a person begins practicing law.
"Develop a solid career with competence, with ethics... and all of that comes into play with the various skills that makes a good judge," said retired Assignment Judge Julio L. Mendez. Being a judge was the "best job I ever had... a great honor," he said.
The journey to the bench isn't always a straight path. The process is rigorous, said Alex Fajardo, an attorney at Javerbaum Wurgaft Hicks Kahn Wikstrom & Sinins, PC.
"It can be a very Byzantine process that a lot of people don't know how it works," said NJSBA Trustee Carlos Bollar, of Archer & Greiner, who moderated the panel and is vice chair of the NJSBA's Judicial and Prosecutorial Appointments Committee. The goal of the program was to provide education and tips about how attorneys can navigate it, he said.
Candidates have to meet the constitutional requirements, submit a resume, complete a questionnaire, and go through reviews with several groups before they can be considered by the state Senate, said Valentina DiPippo, appointments counsel to Gov. Phil Murphy.
A key to getting started is to get engaged in civics, understand the political climate, and build relationships and connections, said Kate McDonnell, chief counsel to Murphy. In addition, said Sen. Anthony M. Bucco, it is important to know why you want to become a judge, understand the gravity of the position and what the workload involves and means.
"It's very rewarding but it is also very demanding," he said.