Also called: Court-Appointed Special Master, Discovery Master
An experienced lawyer or retired judge a court appoints to handle one complicated piece of a big case, like evidence fights or payout plans.
In huge cases, like thousands of injury lawsuits against a drug maker, a judge may name a special master to referee evidence disputes, review secret documents, or design how settlement money is split. They hold their own hearings and write recommendations for the judge. Some special masters handle one massive case for years.
Hourly rates often $500-$1,000+, paid by the parties; most do this alongside other work. Estimate.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Professional degree (MD, JD, DVM…), about 18 years after high school. Bachelor's degree, three years of law school (J.D.), and a state bar license, plus 15+ years as a litigator, mediator, or judge.
Ways in: 4-year college, Professional school. Training cost: Over $150k.
Majors to look at: Political Science, Economics, History.
Growing about average. Use is growing in mass-tort and complex cases (approx.).
Low risk for 10 years. AI reviews documents for privilege; refereeing disputes and designing fair payouts stays human.
Classes: Debate, Government, Statistics.
Official data: O*NET occupation 23-1011.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.