Court Officers and Justices of the Peace

(NOC 1227)

in All Business, Finance, and Administration

Court officers coordinate the administrative and procedural functions of federal and provincial courts like scheduling trials and overseeing the maintenance of court records. Justices of the peace administer oaths, issue subpoenas, summonses and warrants and perform other court-related duties like conducting bail hearings and performing civil marriages. They work for federal and provincial courts.

Job Outlook

Undetermined

Read more

  • Estimate Moderate growth employment change, 2021-2023
  • Estimate 40 openings due to growth and retirements, 2021-2023
  • Estimate Low rate of unemployment in 2022

Compared to: All Business, Finance, and Administration

  • Estimate 3555 employment change, 2021-2023
  • Estimate 9370 openings due to growth and retirements, 2021-2023
  • Estimate rate of unemployment not available for these occupation.

Hourly Pay

$23.59

Minimum

$27.00

Median

$43.96

Maximum

Annual Pay

$33,609

Minimum

$53,206

Median

$93,686

Maximum

Compared to: All Business, Finance, and Administration

Hourly Pay

$15.00

Minimum

$23.00

Median

$38.50

Maximum

Annual Pay

$6,754

Minimum

$36,515

Median

$70,271

Maximum

About the job

Nature of work

Court officers coordinate the administrative and procedural functions of federal and provincial courts like scheduling trials and overseeing the maintenance of court records. Justices of the peace administer oaths, issue subpoenas, summonses and warrants and perform other court-related duties like conducting bail hearings and performing civil marriages. They work for federal and provincial courts.

Job duties

Court officers:

  • Coordinate administrative services and establish work priorities for court staff.
  • Schedule court trials and arrange pre-trial conferences and hearings.
  • Call courts to order, read charges and take pleas from defendants.
  • Record court start time, trial proceedings and judgements.
  • Collect and record sheriff fees, transcription fees and other court administrative and services fees.
  • Oversee the maintenance of judicial court records.
  • Help in preparing annual budgets.
  • May be justices of the peace.

Justices of the peace:

  • Issue subpoenas, summonses and warrants, including search warrants.
  • Receive affidavits, declarations and affirmations.
  • Administer oaths.
  • Conduct bail hearings.
  • Release defendants on judges' orders and explain rights and obligations.
  • Hear evidence at trials on summary conviction offences and may preside over trials of criminal offences at the discretion of the chief judge of the jurisdiction or as provided for in federal, provincial or territorial statutes.
  • Perform civil marriages.

Sample job titles

  • citizenship judge
  • clerk of the court
  • courtroom officer
  • district court registrar
  • family court administrator
  • justice of the peace
  • registrar of deeds
  • small claims court registrar
  • trial coordinator

Skills

  • Good observational and analytical skills are necessary. You must be accurate and able to pay close attention to detail. Honesty and integrity are important. You also need good communication skills and an ability to work well with others.

Job requirements

  • A university degree in law, business or public administration or a college diploma in public administration or legal studies.
  • A justice registrar, justice of the peace or other court training program is required for court officers and justices of the peace.
  • Justices of the peace in the provinces are appointed by the lieutenant governor in council and, in the territories, by federally appointed territorial commissioners.

Other considerations

  • There are no significant seasonal patterns of unemployment in these jobs and people tend to work for the full year. Several years of experience as a court clerk or in another court service occupation are usually required. The duties and responsibilities of justices of the peace vary significantly depending on the level of their authority. They work part-time on a fee-for-service basis in small communities. Movement to senior positions like senior court administrator is possible through experience.

By the numbers

Quick look

235

employed in 2016

87.2%

employed full-time

0.0%

self employed

87.2%
Icons/female Created with Sketch.
12.8%
Icons/male Created with Sketch.
51.5

median age

Compared to: All Business, Finance, and Administration

63,775

employed in 2016

78.4%

employed full-time

6.6%

self employed

73.4%
Icons/female Created with Sketch.
26.6%
Icons/male Created with Sketch.
47.9

median age

Where will I likely work?

48.9%

Halifax

$52,433 median annual income
21.3%

North Shore

$53,609 median annual income
12.8%

Southern

N/A
10.6%

Cape Breton

N/A
6.4%

Annapolis Valley

N/A

Compared to: All NS Occupations

47.0%

Halifax

15.6%

North Shore

12.9%

Annapolis Valley

12.7%

Cape Breton

11.8%

Southern

Top Industries of Employment

90.7%

Public administration

4.7%

Professional, scientific and technical services

4.7%

Finance and insurance

What is the age of Employment?

39.0%

45-54

27.0%

55-64

14.0%

25-34

11.0%

35-44

9.0%

65+

Compared to: All Business, Finance, and Administration

26.3%

45-54

22.6%

55-64

19.4%

35-44

16.7%

25-34

7.5%

65+

Top levels of education

41.3%

Bachelor

$53,669 median annual income
39.1%

College Diploma

$48,422 median annual income
8.7%

Diploma Below Bachelor

N/A
8.7%

Master

N/A
4.3%

Less than high school

N/A

Compared to: All Business, Finance, and Administration

33.8%

College Diploma

$36,304 median annual income
23.8%

High school

$32,903 median annual income
22.8%

Bachelor

$41,755 median annual income
5.8%

Trade Certification

$34,807 median annual income
4.9%

Less than high school

$23,174 median annual income

Education & training

Business Administration and Management

College, Trades, or University Program

These programs prepare students to plan, organize, direct, and control the functions and processes of a firm or organization. They include courses in management theory, human resources management and behaviour, accounting and other quantitative methods, purchasing and logistics, organization and production, marketing, and business decision-making.

Institutions providing this program

Maritime Business College

Lower Sackville, NS

Academy of Learning Career College - Halifax

Halifax, NS

Acadia University

Wolfville, NS

Dalhousie University

Halifax, NS

Mount Saint Vincent University

Halifax, NS

Universite Sainte-Anne

Pointe-de-l'Église, NS

St. Francis Xavier University

Antigonish, NS

Saint Mary's University

Halifax, NS

Cape Breton University

Sydney, NS

Dalhousie University Faculty of Agriculture

Truro, NS

Nova Scotia Community College

Various, NS

Business/Commerce

College, Trades, or University Program

These programs focus on the general study of business, including the processes of interchanging goods and services (buying, selling and producing), business organization, and accounting as used in profit-making and non-profit public and private institutions and agencies. They prepare students to apply business principles and techniques in various occupational settings.

Institutions providing this program

Dalhousie University

Halifax, NS

University of King's College

Halifax, NS

Universite Sainte-Anne

Pointe-de-l'Église, NS

Saint Mary's University

Halifax, NS

Law (LLB, JD, BCL)

University Program

These programs prepare students for the independent professional practice of common or civil law, for becoming a Quebec notary, for taking bar examinations, and for advanced research in jurisprudence. They include courses in the theory and practice of the legal system, including the statutory, administrative, and judicial components of civil and criminal law.

Institutions providing this program

Dalhousie University

Halifax, NS

Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution

College or University Program

These programs focus on the origins, resolution and prevention of international and inter-group conflicts. They include courses in peace research methods and related social scientific and psychological knowledge bases.

Institutions providing this program

Saint Mary's University

Halifax, NS

Public Policy Analysis

University Program

These programs focus on the systematic analysis of public policy issues and decision processes. They include courses in the role of economic and political factors in public decision making and policy formulation, microeconomic analysis of policy issues, resource allocation and decision modelling, cost/benefit analysis, statistical methods, and applications to specific public policy topics.

Institutions providing this program

Dalhousie University

Halifax, NS

Mount Saint Vincent University

Halifax, NS

St. Francis Xavier University

Antigonish, NS

Employment requirements & contacts

No regulating bodies were found under this occupation profile

Contacts

Legal Information Society of Nova Scotia
Halifax, NS
Nova Scotia Department of Justice, Courts Services Division
Halifax, NS

Additional resources

There are no additional resources for this occupation.