Career in law good for serious thinkers
From the drama of Perry Mason in the 1960s to the outspokenness of Judge Judy today, most television audiences enjoy the excitement of the courtroom. However, many people have not experienced a real-life court case. They might be disappointed by the absence of suspenseful music and the lack of dramatic emotion seen on television.
So, what is it actually like to be in a courtroom and to have a career in law?
Thomas Gladden served as a judge in the Washington County Court of Common Pleas for 31 years, from 1971 until his retirement in 2002, making him one of the longest serving judges in Pennsylvania. He also served as president judge.
“The Court of Common Pleas is a trial court where you have juries,” said Gladden. “The judge presides over all kinds of cases – criminal, civil. And then there’s the Appellate Court, but this is the only trial court where you have juries.”
Because the Court of Common Pleas deals with both civil and criminal cases, Gladden often experienced variety in his job.
“Oh, I liked that,” said Gladden. “Somebody said to me ‘Why don’t you run for Appellate Court?’ and I said, ‘I like it here because there are people here and you try to solve a problem.'”
Gladden’s favorite part of his law career was his time as a judge.
“When you’re a judge, you sort of sit in the middle, and hear both sides and make a decision,” he said.
When a judge sentences a criminal, he or she is aided by certain sentencing guidelines for particular offenses. In civil cases, where jail time is not a factor, other kinds of decisions have to be made.
“Some of the custody cases are hard,” said Gladden.
Gladden saw changes in his caseload over the years, particularly after the Vietnam War. While there was drug trafficking before the war, it significantly increased after.
“For example, when I became a judge, the most significant case load was civil – people had automobile accidents and they wanted money. Then, after the Vietnam War, there were so many drug cases…,” he said.
Since the Washington County Court of Common Pleas has eight or fewer judges, the president judge is appointed on the basis of seniority. Gladden was appointed president judge in 1984 and remained in that position until retirement. Gladden describes the position of president judge as being the “first among equals.”
The jobs of a president judge include setting a budget for the court, assigning judges to different cases and generally acting as an administrator.
Gladden stepped down in 2002 after turning 70, in compliance with mandatory retirement regulations for judges. Recently, this issue of mandatory retirement has been brought up and discussed by the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and the Pennsylvania State Senate. Gladden supports the suggested change that the mandatory retirement age be pushed back to age 75.
Even after stepping down from his full-time position, Gladden was able to work as a senior judge and could preside over cases in a variety of counties.
“In my case, I was 70, but I didn’t feel like I was 70, and I wanted to work as a senior judge,” said Gladden.
He worked as a senior judge for eight years in Allegheny County.
Gladden gave some advice for high school students who may be interested in pursuing a career in law, particularly those who are interested in becoming a judge after working as a lawyer.
“I think you’ve got to take courses where you think and solve issues, problems – maybe math. I was never very good at math, but I think that you have to have writing skills and be able to express yourself in writing.”
Gladden knows firsthand that writing is an important component of law.
“I went to college, I was an English major and I thought that helped me in the law because I was writing. I had friends in law school who probably knew more law than I did but they couldn’t express it, they couldn’t write it out and that was one reason I thought that English was a good a major in college,” he said.
Personality also plays a role to some degree.
“You have to have an even temperament, I think, to be a successful judge,” said Gladden, who also described himself as “always sort of a people person.”
Law school takes a few extra years of commitment after college, but lawyers and judges are key components to this country, upholding truth, justice and the American way.
By Grace Scofield
Sophomore, Homeschooled