[3] Bradley took law school correspondence courses from La Salle Extension University in Chicago.
[1][4] In 1933, she passed the California Bar Exam but did not work as a lawyer until 1940 due to the Great Depression.
[3] In 1942, Bradley opened her own practice that specialized in adoptions, domestic relations, probate, and guardianship work.
In 1953, Bradley was officially appointed to the bench in San Diego County by Governor Goodwin J. Knight, the first woman to serve in this capacity.
[4] In 1995, the Madge Bradley Building, where domestic and probate cases are heard, was named in her honor.