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Updated October 21, 2026

How to become a judge in BitLife

How to become a BitLife judge: the right degree, law school, 30 years as a lawyer, and every promotion from Magistrate to Chief Justice.

Lifesim, Inc.

How do you become a judge in BitLife?

Go to university and study Criminal Justice, Political Science, or English. Then go to law school. Work as a lawyer for 30 years. After that, the Magistrate job shows up in your job list. Apply, pass the interview, and you are a judge.

From Magistrate, you climb a ladder of five judge jobs. The top job is Chief Justice. The whole path is long. Touch, Tap, Play says that you will be 50 to 60 years old when you get the first judge job.

We checked these steps against the BitLife wiki and four game guides in October 2026. Some guides are a few years old. Candywriter can change jobs in any update, so your game can show small differences.

What do you need to be a judge in BitLife?

RequirementWhat you need
High schoolGraduate. Do not drop out.
University majorCriminal Justice, Political Science, or English. The wiki also lists Finance and Philosophy for law school.
Law schoolFinish it. The wiki says that it lasts 4 years.
Work experience30 years in a law job, such as Junior Associate
Clean recordThe wiki marks the lawyer jobs as closed to people with a criminal record.
SmartsHigh. GetDroidTips tells you to aim for 80 or more.

None of the guides that we read names a Job Pack for the judge path. The wiki lists the judge jobs with the normal Municipal jobs. Check the job list in your own game, because the store and the packs can change.

What degree do you need to be a judge in BitLife?

You need a university degree that law school accepts, and then a law degree. The wiki says that university lasts 4 years. It also says that a school rejects you if your major does not match it.

Which major is best for law school?

Criminal Justice is the safe choice. Destructoid picks it first. GetDroidTips picks Political Science. Both majors open law school. English also works in all the sources that we read.

The wiki table for law school lists Criminal Justice, English, Finance, Philosophy, and Political Science. Do not pick a major such as Biology or Music. Those majors lead to other schools.

How do you get into law school?

  1. Study hard every year in school to raise your Smarts.
  2. Go to the library often. GetDroidTips gives the path Activities, then Mind & Body, then Library.
  3. Finish university with a law school major.
  4. Open the education menu and pick Law School. It is in the same menu as university.
  5. Ask for a scholarship if the game offers one. Destructoid says that loan payments can hurt you later.

If the game rejects you, the wiki says that graduate school is an optional step. It lasts 2 years and raises Smarts. It does not promise a place in law school after it.

Some players start a new life with high Smarts. With BitLife God Mode, you can edit the Smarts of a new character. This is optional.

How long does it take to become a judge in BitLife?

Plan for about 38 game years after high school. That is 4 years of university, 4 years of law school, and 30 years of work. Touch, Tap, Play puts your age at 50 to 60 when you get the job.

The 30 years is the slow part. The wiki lists the judge career with "30 yrs work exp." Destructoid says that you must keep the associate job for 30 years. GetDroidTips says that you must work as a lawyer for 30 years.

Does the 30 years have to be in one job?

The guides do not agree on the details. They all count years in law jobs. To be safe, stay in the law career for the full 30 years. Do not quit, and do not do anything that gets you fired.

How do you stay healthy for 30 years?

Your character must live long enough to reach the bench. Touch, Tap, Play tells you to go for walks, work out, meditate, and watch your diet. It also tells you to keep good relations with your coworkers.

How do you go from lawyer to judge in BitLife?

Start in a law job after law school. Destructoid says that the law jobs have a scales emoji in the full-time job list. Apply for Law Clerk or Junior Associate, and pass the interview.

What are the lawyer promotions?

The wiki and Destructoid give this ladder: Law Clerk, Junior Associate, Associate, Junior Partner, and Partner. Each promotion gives you a raise. Partner is the top lawyer job.

When does the Magistrate job appear?

It appears after your 30 years of experience. Open the job list and look for Magistrate. Is it not there? Destructoid says to close and open the app again, or to age up and check again. Then apply and pass the interview.

Destructoid also says that the Magistrate job completes any open task that asks you to become a judge. That includes achievements, challenge tasks, and scavenger hunt goals.

Is there an other path to judge?

We found no other path in the sources that we read. The Paralegal job needs only community college, but the wiki does not list it as a step to judge. The law school path is the only one that we could confirm.

How do you get promoted as a judge in BitLife?

Work hard and wait. The wiki lists five judge jobs in the Municipal group. Each job promotes to the next one.

Judge jobNeedsAverage salary (wiki)
MagistrateLaw school and 30 years$80,350
Magistrate Court JudgeMagistrate$129,500
District Court JudgeMagistrate Court Judge$129,780
Associate Chief JusticeDistrict Court Judge$174,000
Chief JusticeAssociate Chief Justice$216,400

The salaries are averages from the wiki. Your pay depends on your country, so your numbers can be different.

Does a judge earn more than a lawyer?

Not at first. The wiki gives a Partner an average of $201,613. That is more than a Magistrate. You take a pay cut to start as a judge. Only Chief Justice pays more than Partner in the wiki table.

How do you get the next promotion?

Use the Work Harder option at your job every year. Touch, Tap, Play says that you must work hard as a Magistrate to get promoted.

Time is the problem. You start in your 50s, so you have fewer years left for each step.

What can you do as a judge in BitLife?

In the sources that we read, the judge is a career with a salary and promotions. We did not find a source that shows a judge screen where you rule on cases. We do not describe one here.

The wiki confirms these things for a judge, as for most jobs:

  • Work harder and adjust your hours. The job menu lets you work from 38 to 70 hours a week.
  • Talk to coworkers. Your popularity at work goes up or down with them.
  • Collect the career. Hold the judge job for 20 years in a row to collect it. The wiki calls the judge "prestigious" in its career collection list.
  • Retire with a pension. After 20 years in a job, you can retire and take a pension. The Resign option goes away after 20 years.

Court cases in BitLife come up in other places. When your character is on trial, you pick a lawyer. When you sue someone, the wiki says that you pick a cheap, a medium, or an expensive lawyer. For trials and prison, see how to escape prison in BitLife.

Is there a judge ribbon in BitLife?

No. The wiki ribbon list has no ribbon for judges. A judge life can still end with a ribbon that fits how you lived. These ribbons fit a judge life well:

  • Academic. Complete a postgraduate education. The wiki lists law school as one way.
  • Successful. Live a balanced, honest life. The wiki tips include a good job, no prison, and an age of 65 or more.
  • Model Bitizen. A secret ribbon for a life with nothing negative in it. The wiki rates it as Extreme.

The ribbons can block each other. For example, the wiki says that too much time in school can give you Academic instead of Successful. See the full list in every BitLife ribbon.

Which BitLife challenges ask you to become a judge?

The wiki lists one challenge with a judge task, and two more with law tasks. All three are expired. The wiki says that in October 2022, BitLife moved uncompleted challenges into a challenge vault that you pay to open.

Judy The Judge Challenge

It ran from 23 to 27 July 2022. The tasks were:

  • Be born a female in Brooklyn
  • Go to law school
  • Become a judge
  • Become a famous actor
  • Appear on multiple crime shows for 25+ seasons

This one needs two careers. Read the actor career guide for the acting tasks.

Legally Blonde Challenge

It ran from 27 November to 1 December 2021. You had to be born a female in California and have a Chihuahua named Bruiser. You also had to join a sorority and get into law school with 100% looks.

Dirty Jobs Challenge

It ran from 26 to 30 November 2022. One task was to be a lawyer for 10+ years. The other tasks were porta potty pumper and plumber, also for 10+ years.

New challenges come out often. See the BitLife challenges list for more.

What are the common mistakes?

  • The wrong major. A major such as Biology sends you to medical school, not law school.
  • A criminal record. The wiki marks the lawyer jobs as closed to people with a record. One arrest can end the path.
  • Quitting the law career. The guides count the 30 years in law work only. Stay in the law career for all of them.
  • Poor health. Your character must live into their 50s or 60s. Exercise, and stay away from drugs and alcohol.
  • Not checking the job list. The Magistrate job does not come to you. Look for it every year after year 30.

Want an other long career? Read how to become president. It also takes many years and a university degree.

Is there a life sim with a slower, deeper life?

LifeSim is a free AI life sim in your browser. It is not a copy of BitLife. It has no job ladder like the judge path. You do not climb from Magistrate to Chief Justice.

In LifeSim, you live one slow life on a real map of Earth. You write what you do in your own words. The people around you talk back and remember what you did. If you want to collect careers and ribbons, BitLife fits you better. If you want one life that reacts to you, try LifeSim.

Read LifeSim as a BitLife alternative, see how to play LifeSim, or compare more games like BitLife.

Questions

How many years do you have to be a lawyer to be a judge in BitLife?

30 years. All the guides that we read and the wiki give the same number.

What is the first judge job in BitLife?

Magistrate. It promotes to Magistrate Court Judge, then District Court Judge.

What is the highest judge job in BitLife?

Chief Justice. Associate Chief Justice is the step before it.

Can you become a judge without law school?

No. The wiki lists law school as a requirement for every judge job.

Why can’t I find the Magistrate job?

Check that you have 30 years of law work. Then close and open the app again, or age up. Destructoid gives both fixes.

Can you be a judge with a criminal record?

We could not confirm it for the judge jobs. The wiki marks the lawyer jobs as closed to people with a record. You need a lawyer job first, so keep your record clean.

Is the judge career free in BitLife?

The guides that we read name no purchase for it. For the paid parts of the game, see is BitLife free.

More BitLife guides

Sources

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