Legal · Holland code CEI

Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers

Conduct hearings to recommend or make decisions on claims concerning government programs or other government-related matters. Determine liability, sanctions, or penalties, or recommend the acceptance or rejection of claims or settlements.

Also called: Administrative Hearings Officer, Administrative Judge, Administrative Law Judge, Hearings Officer, Adjudications Specialist, Adjudicator, Appeals Examiner, Appeals Referee.

O*NET 23-1021.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $117,860; Middle half earn $81,140 to $159,680. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: Doctoral Degree; 37% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 5 of 5; Extensive preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

Monitor and direct the activities of trials and hearings to ensure that they are conducted fairly and that courts administer justice while safeguarding the legal rights of all involved parties.
Prepare written opinions and decisions.
Conduct hearings to review and decide claims regarding issues, such as social program eligibility, environmental protection, or enforcement of health and safety regulations.
Rule on exceptions, motions, and admissibility of evidence.
Research and analyze laws, regulations, policies, and precedent decisions to prepare for hearings and to determine conclusions.
Determine existence and amount of liability according to current laws, administrative and judicial precedents, and available evidence.
Issue subpoenas and administer oaths in preparation for formal hearings.
Explain to claimants how they can appeal rulings that go against them.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Reading Comprehension4.5 / 5
Active Listening4.5 / 5
Critical Thinking4.5 / 5
Writing4.3 / 5
Speaking4.1 / 5
Active Learning4.0 / 5

Knowledge areas

English Language4.9 / 5
Law and Government4.9 / 5
Administrative3.3 / 5
Computers and Electronics2.7 / 5
Customer and Personal Service2.6 / 5
Administration and Management2.5 / 5

Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.

Who tends to enjoy it

How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.

Realistic0
Investigative50
Artistic12
Social34
Enterprising69
Conventional75

The same work abroad

Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.

European occupation titles (ESCO)

court administrator · DE Gerichtsverwalter/Gerichtsverwalterin · FR chef de juridiction
legal service manager · DE Leiter eines Büros für Rechtsdienstleistungen/Leiterin eines Büros für Rechtsdienstleistungen · FR responsable de service juridique
lawyer · DE Rechtsanwalt/Rechtsanwältin · FR avocat/avocate
prosecutor · DE Staatsanwalt/Staatsanwältin · FR procureur/procureure
judge · DE Richter/Richterin · FR juge
supreme court judge · DE Richter am Obersten Gerichtshof/Richterin am Obersten Gerichtshof · FR juge de la juridiction suprême

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Senior officers in fire, ambulance, prison and related services (1163)8,000 employed
Solicitors and lawyers (2412)216,100 employed
Legal associate professionals (3520)57,300 employed

Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.

Pay across Europe, for the whole group

Median annual earnings of all employees in “Professionals”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.

Median annual earnings, Professionals, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€61,714
Germany	€59,529
Ireland	€56,877
Austria	€55,374
Netherlands	€53,595
Sweden	€43,567
France	€41,515
Spain	€35,735
Italy	€33,649
Portugal	€26,072
Poland	€14,380

Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.

Exposure to AI

This occupation sits in the higher third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of +1.37. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.

Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.

Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (23-1021).

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

Take the career interests test