Court Clerk - Job Description and Educational Requirements
Posted by Jason White on Thursday, January 23, 2014
Under: College Education
A court clerk is an officer of the court who is responsible for
- Maintaining the records of a court
- Administer oaths to witnesses, jurors and grand jurors
- Authenticate the copies of the court orders and judgements
- Processing legal documents
- Reviewing law suits
- Maintaining dockets of scheduled cases
- Explaining court procedures to the parties involved in the case
- Collecting required information by contacting attorneys and parties in cases
- Recording court summonses, probation orders, fine information and sentencing and release documents
- Answering questions of parties involved in cases on trial dates, outstanding warrants and court appearances
A large part of their job includes administrative activities. The
professionals provide clerical support to judges for court room
proceedings. However, their exact job responsibilities may vary
depending upon the employment, and individual qualification and
experience.
Employment
Court clerks or judicial clerks may find employment with
- Municipal courts
- Official examiners
- Tribunals and boards
- Court reporting services
- Superior court of justice
- The Ministry of the Attorney General
The role of a court clerk is multi-faceted and includes working judges,
lawyers and other courtroom personnel. They need to obtain a thorough
understanding and practical court clerk training in Toronto,
in order to pursue a career in legal environment, precisely court
support services. In fact, this is the minimum requirement that they
need to fulfill before entering the world of work.
In addition to this, the professionals are expected to have strong
communication, legal writing and interpersonal skills, as a large part
of their job includes communicating with people.
Becoming a Court Clerk in Canada
A formal education in court support services can help prospective court
clerks gain knowledge and skills required to work in legal environment.
The program combines classroom learning, practical career-oriented
assignments, and practical hands-on-learning in diverse courtroom
settings, including family, criminal, municipal, small claims and
tribunal court settings.
The court support services program typically runs for one year and covers a wide range of subjects including in two semesters.
Semester 1 subjects include:
- Court Clerk Criminal – OCJ
- Court Clerk Family 1
- Court Monitor 1
- Ethics and Professional Conduct
- Current Issues in Canadian Law
- Introduction to Word Processing
Semester 2 subjects include:
- Communications – CTSS
- Court Register – SCJ – Civil/Criminal
- Court Clerk Criminal – OCJ/YCJ
- Court Clerk – Family 2
- Court Monitor 2
- Clerk/POA
- Word Processing Applications
The program also provides students with legal and practical municipal
court training through attendances in municipal courts. They also get to
attend tribunal, family and criminal court sessions.
Enrolment Details
In order to apply for a post-secondary program in court support services, you will need:
- Secondary school diploma or equivalent
- English Grade 12 C or University or equivalent
A number of colleges in Canada offer court support services program.
However, they may not provide hands-on-learning through live courtroom
sessions, which is a necessary condition to enter the world of work.
Centennial College's court support services program provides students
with education and hands-on-learning that has been approved by the
Ministry of the Attorney General. The graduates of this program can work
as court clerks, court monitors and reporters.
In : College Education
Tags: court clerk training municipal court training