Closing Date
July 16, 2026
Location
Circuit Court for Howard County
Ellicott City, Maryland
Position Type
Full Time, At Will
(No outside employment permitted)
Financial Disclosure
Yes, required to complete annually
The Maryland Judiciary offers a generous benefit package including medical, dental, vision, life insurance, paid time off, paid holidays, tuition assistance, continuing education programs, employee assistance programs, and State Retirement and Pension plans.
Maryland Judiciary Benefits (mdcourts.gov)
About the Maryland Court System | Maryland Courts (mdcourts.gov)
A full-time Magistrate Position with the Circuit Court for Howard County is available. Duties include Family Law and Juvenile Law matters authorized pursuant to Maryland Rules 9-208 and 11-111. The successful candidate will have extensive family law experience, including child support administration case knowledge, understanding of juvenile proceedings involving children in need of assistance and delinquency matters.
Essential Functions:
To be successful, the employee in this position must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skills, and/or abilities required. It is not an exhaustive list of responsibilities and does not prescribe or restrict various additional diversified tasks and assignments that may be required by the Administrative Judge. Perform such duties as specified in the Maryland Rules, including, but not limited to
Conduct custody, contempt, modification, pendente lite, support and other family law hearings pursuant to Maryland Rule 9-208.
Conduct settlement conferences. Conduct shelter/ detention hearings, settlement/pre-trial conferences; conduct regular review hearings. Provide timely written and oral findings and recommendations.
Confer and collaborate with court administration, the family law coordinator, and the Administrative Judge, as well as the staff of the Circuit Court.
The Magistrate must be willing to travel for continuing education throughout the State and to other courts as needed
Education: Juris Doctorate and a member of the Maryland Bar in good standing.
Experience: Minimum of Five (5) years of experience practicing law in Maryland.
Preferred: Minimum of 10 years of experience in the practice of family law in Maryland.
Skills/Abilities:
Ability to work the full-time standard work schedule of 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (Monday through Friday) with flexibility to accommodate early or late meetings. Maintain a regular, punctual, and reliable level of attendance. Ability to work independently and have a high level of interpersonal skills to handle sensitive and confidential situations. Ability to maintain a professional demeanor, communicate e?ectively orally and in writing, and to exercise a high degree of judgment, tact, diplomacy, and competence in dealing with judges, attorneys, court personnel, self-represented litigants, limited-English speakers, and a culturally diverse public. Ability to make timely decisions based on the law, rules, experience, good judgment, and established policies and procedures. Ability to write e?ectively, clearly, with attention to detail when composing, typing and proofing materials, while providing decisions supported by the law, Rules, Code, and fundamentals of the English language. Proficiency in setting priorities while simultaneously processing multiple duties and responsibilities. Ability to develop and maintain collaborative and professional working relationships with court personnel, the bar, local stakeholders, and the public. Retain a high standard of ethics to uphold the law and remain impartial, neutral and free from bias at all times.
At Will Employment:
Selection of a candidate for the Magistrate position is considered by the Circuit Court Bench, and upon appointment, serves under the direct oversight of the Administrative Judge. Circuit Court employees are at-will employees and serve at the discretion of the Administrative Judge. This means that either an employee, or the Court, may terminate the employee relationship at any time, with or without cause. There are no contractual relationships between the Circuit Court and an employee. Letters, benefit or policy statements, performance evaluation, handbooks, or other employee communications should not be interpreted as a contractual relationship. The at-will relationship remains in full force and e?ect notwithstanding any statements to the contrary made by court personnel or set forth in any documents. Any attorney appointed to this position may not engage in the practice of law.
Selection Process:
Your application package will be used to determine your eligibility, qualifications, and ranking for this position. If you are determined to be ineligible or not qualified, your application will receive no further consideration. It is essential that you provide complete and accurate information on your application. Please report all related education, experience, dates, and hours of work. If you have held more than one (1) position at the same employer, you must list each position that you held, the length of time that you held each position, and the corresponding duties. Description of duties that state, "see resume" will negatively impact consideration for this position. Applicants will not be contacted for additional information. Only applicants considered for this position will be contacted.
Complete applications must be submitted by the closing date. Information submitted after this date will not be added. Incomplete applications will not be accepted. Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of a completed application.
For further information please contact Talent Acquisition at [email protected].
The Maryland Judiciary is an equal-opportunity employer committed to fostering a workplace culture of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, age, sex, pregnancy, marital status, national origin, military or veteran status, physical or mental disability, familial status, genetic information, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by State or federal law. Applicants who need an ADA Accommodation during the application and/or interview process should send their request via email to [email protected] or call 410-260-1732. The Maryland Judiciary is a drug-free workplace. Applicants must be United States citizens or eligible to work in the United States.
Please find the Maryland Judiciary's equal employment opportunity policy here: Policy Prohibiting Discrimination, Harassment, and Retaliation.
