Court officers perform clerical and procedural duties in federal and provincial courts. Also known as court administrators or registry officers, they plan, organize, direct and conduct the general administration of the court.
There are many jobs within the court system including administrator of the court, clerk of the court, court registrar and courtroom clerk. Court officers deal with all of the documentation related to everything from a parking ticket to more serious criminal cases. Your job is to deal with all of the paperwork and documentation that is necessary before and after a court appearance.
As a court officer, you deal with a great many people. You meet with judges, lawyers, parole officers, police and social agency officials so that the various functions of the court are properly coordinated. You are responsible for the administration of the court by ensuring that the support staff deals efficiently with the large amount of paper flow that passes daily through their offices. You must maintain judicial records and deal with budgets and expenditures. You are also responsible for the handling of fines and the collection of the various court documents, and administration fees charged by the court.
A courtroom clerk assists the judge in the control and administration of the courtroom. You open the court and announce the judge. You also call and swear in witnesses, read charges, mark exhibits and generally aid the judge in maintaining order.
Provincial course are becoming increasingly busy. There are many demands made of the officers of the court and you must deal with a growing amount of paperwork and documentation. Budget cut- back and busier court systems make your job stressful at times. Some court officers need good budgeting skills in order to help prepare annual budgets. As a court officer, you must find ways to work within your budget.
A court officer's job can be interesting and varied. Court officers work for provincial governments or the federal court and are generally paid a salary with a good benefits package. Most of the training is done on the job.
If you enjoy meeting and dealing with people, then this could be a job for you. You must have excellent motivational and communication skills in order to keep your staff working efficiently. You must also have good interpersonal skills in order to deal with judges, lawyers and members of the various social agencies involved with the court.
Highly organized persons do this job well. There are many files, records and documents that you deal with and keep track of on a daily basis.