Court clerks and related court services occupations
Career Overview
Court clerks and workers in related court services occupations:
- Perform administrative, security, and other support functions for courts of law, such as scheduling trials, processing service fees, calling court to order, preparing court dockets and maintaining exhibits, recording trial proceedings and maintaining court records
- Facilitate court security and public safety, liaise with law enforcement organizations, and provide support to the judiciary
- Work for federal, provincial, territorial and municipal courts and by police forces
Job Titles
Duties
Court clerks:
- Call courts of law to order, read charges, take pleas from defendants, swear in witnesses and perform other clerical duties in the courtrooms
- Prepare court files, court schedule and other documents
- Record main court proceedings, including pleas, names of witnesses, dates, times and rulings
- Manage care and custody of court exhibits
- Prepare documents for and participate in jury selection
- Update and maintain court office indexes and files on actions taken by court or in response to court decisions
- Receive, pay out and account for fines, fees and trust monies
- Assist the public in court offices
Court officers:
- Stock courtrooms with necessary materials before trials
- Escort the judge to the courtroom
- Maintain the security and safety of the judge and courtroom
- Track proceedings and uphold the rules and procedures of the court
- Read charges and take pleas from defendants
- Transport prisoners to and from the court house and detention centres, psychiatric hospitals, or police divisions
- Maintain the security of prisoners in the cell area of courthouses and while escorting them to the courtrooms
- Maintain prisoner records
Court Administrators:
- Coordinate administrative services and establish work priorities for court staff
- Supervise court clerks and other court services employees
- Schedule court trials, pre-trial conferences and hearings
- Oversee the maintenance of judicial court records
- Assist in preparing annual budgets
- May assist in the management of personnel, operations, and the court facilities
Special Duties
Duties of court administrators may include those of court clerks or court officers depending on the location and size of the courthouse.
Earnings
Earnings is income that workers receive in exchange for their labour. Depending on the type of employment, earnings can be in the form of wages (hourly), salaries (fixed monthly or annual) or self-employed earnings.
Work Environment
# Workers Employed
685% Employed Full Time
75%Work in this occupation is typically performed in a structured environment, such as an office, with time also spent in courtrooms.
Career Pathways
Progression to supervisory or senior court service positions is possible with experience.
Related Careers
Occupational Interests
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For more about occupational interests visit Skills for the Future Workforce > Characteristics.
Here are the top occupational interest(s) for this career profile:
Education, Training and Skills
- Completion of secondary school is required
Court clerks, court officers and court liaison officers:
- On-the-job training is provided for court officers, court clerks and court liaison officers
- Special Constable Certification may be required for court officers and court liaison officers
- Court clerks and court officers need a one to two-year post-secondary diploma in office administration or equivalent
Court administrators:
- Need a one to two-year post-secondary diploma, or
- May need a university degree in law, business administration, judicial administration or related field
- Some experience as a court clerks may be required
- Experience in clerical services, administration and management, and personnel information systems may be required
Education programs in B.C.
The following program areas are related to this occupation:
- Business Administration/Management/Commerce
Skills
Every job calls for a certain set of skills. Knowing those skills is the first step in finding a good career fit.
Here, you will find the 10 most relevant workplace skills. Some are more important to achieving success in a certain career than others. These skills may come naturally to you or you may need to gain them through education, training and experience.
See the list of work-related skills below, ranked in order of importance for this career. Check out the list and see if this career matches your skills—take that first step!
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Talking to others to share information effectively.
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Being able to solve novel, ill-defined problems in complex, real-world settings.
Understanding how new information could be used to solve current and future problems in making decisions.
Managing one’s own time and the time of others.
Labour Market Statistics
Discover data, facts and information that have been gathered and analyzed. Learn about the characteristics of the economy and labour market in B.C.
Employment
Find out about employment types and trends by region and industry.
Employment
685Employment by Region
| Region | Employment | % Employment of this Occupation |
|---|---|---|
| Cariboo | 35 | 5.1% |
| Kootenay | 20 | 2.9% |
| Mainland/Southwest | 370 | 54.0% |
| North Coast and Nechako | 25 | 3.6% |
| Northeast | 20 | 2.9% |
| Thompson-Okanagan | 90 | 13.1% |
| Vancouver Island/Coast | 125 | 18.2% |
Labour Market Outlook
The B.C. Labour Market Outlook is a 10-year forecast of the expected supply and demand for labour in the province. It’s usually updated every year. The purpose is to provide British Columbians with the knowledge to make informed decisions on careers, skills training, education and hiring.
Forecasted Job Openings (2024-2034)
190Forecasted Job Openings
Forecasted Employment Growth Rate
Composition of Job Openings
Job Openings by Region (2024-2034)
| Region | Job Openings | Avg. Annual Employment Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Cariboo | 0 | -0.4% |
| Kootenay | 0 | -0.4% |
| Mainland/Southwest | 120 | 0.8% |
| North Coast and Nechako | 0 | -0.9% |
| Northeast | Not available | Not available |
| Thompson-Okanagan | 30 | 0.3% |
| Vancouver Island/Coast | 40 | 0.6% |
Industry Highlights
Learn about the opportunities in B.C.'s major industries, including employment trends, earning potential, locations of work and more.
Forecasted Job Openings by Industry
| Industry | Job Openings (2024-2034) |
|---|---|
| Public Administration | 190 |
Resources
Resource information is currently not available.