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Court administrative officer

  • Hours

    37 per week

  • Starting salary

    £12,824 + per year

If you are an organised person with good admin skills, and you would like to work in a legal environment, this could be the ideal job for you.

As an administrative assistant or officer in the HM Courts & Tribunals Service, you would help with the day-to-day running of the courts and their supporting offices.

In this job you would need to be accurate and pay close attention to detail. It would also be very important that you dealt with people in a tactful and diplomatic way.

To get into an administrative assistant job in HM Courts Service you will usually need at least two GCSEs (A-C) including English. To get into an administrative officer job you would usually need five GCSEs (A-C) including English. However, if you have a lot of office experience, you might not need these qualifications.



The work

Your work would typically include:

  • dealing with enquiries from the public
  • booking dates and times for court hearings
  • allocating cases to courtrooms
  • preparing lists of the day's court sessions and keeping ushers informed of these
  • making sure that judges, magistrates and lawyers have the right paperwork for the case
  • collecting records and reports on each case for the Judge or Magistrate
  • following up the court's decision after a hearing (for example, issuing court orders, serving a copy on the defendant, document that may require a defendant’s signature, etc)
  • taking notes in court for legal advisers
  • to ensure accurate updating of the Police National Computer (PNC)
  • to ensure accurate updating of court electronic systems with the decision of the court.

If you worked in the section that specialises in fines and fees, your duties would involve collecting fines, sending out compensation or maintenance payments, producing summonses and helping people to complete forms.


Hours

In a full-time job you would work 37 hours a week, Monday to Friday. Part-time work is often available.

You would be mainly office-based, but would also spend some of your time in the courtroom.


Income

  • Administrative assistants earn between £12,824 and £14,912 a year
  • Administrative officers can earn between £14,551 and £19,200 a year.

Figures are intended as a guideline only.


Entry requirements

You will often need at least two GCSEs (A-C) including English to work as an administrative assistant in HM Courts Service, and five GCSEs (A-C) including English to become an administrative officer.

If you have previous office experience you may be accepted without these qualifications. You may instead be able to take an aptitude test in the skills you need for the job, such as computer and communication skills.


Training and development

You will usually be trained on the job and attend some in-house or external short courses. Your training may include the chance to gain recognised qualifications in business and administration.

Skills for Justice has developed work-based qualifications for court services, including:

  • NVQ Level 2 in Court and Tribunals Administration
  • an Apprenticeship in Courts, Tribunals and Prosecution Services.

Contact Skills for Justice for more information.


Skills and knowledge

To be a court administrative officer you should have:

  • excellent organisational and administrative skills
  • accuracy and attention to detail
  • a tactful, diplomatic approach and respect for confidentiality
  • good communication and ‘people’ skills
  • a calm, understanding and helpful manner
  • the ability to avoid becoming emotionally involved in distressing cases
  • good computer skills, which can be applied to in-house IT systems
  • the ability to work well in a team and follow instructions
  • an interest in the law.

More information

Skills for Justice (Opens new window)
Centre Court
Atlas Way
Sheffield
S4 7QQ
www.skillsforjustice.com

Policing Professional Framework (Opens new window) (Skills for Justice website)
www.skillsforjustice.com/PPF

Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service (Opens new window)
Clive House
Zone C, 1st Floor
102 Petty France
London
SW1H 9AJ
Tel: 0845 456 8770
Fax: 0203 334 4087
Disability helpline: 0800 358 3506
email: customerservicecshq@hmcts.gsi.gov.uk
www.justice.gov.uk/about/hmcts/index.htm

Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service (Opens new window)
www.courtsni.gov.uk


Opportunities

In England and Wales, you would work for Her Majesty's Courts & Tribunals Service, which oversees all magistrates' courts and crown courts in England and Wales. In Northern Ireland, you would work for the Northern Ireland Court Service.

Jobs are advertised in the local press, in Jobcentre Plus and on the Courts Service websites.

The promotion structure is from administrative assistant to administrative officer and then to executive officer or team leader. You may need to transfer to a court in another area to gain promotion.

Job profiles are based on the latest information supplied to us by industry bodies, such as Sector Skills Councils. Please be aware that with the introduction of the Qualifications and Credit Framework (Opens in a new window) there has been, and will continue to be, changes to vocational qualifications. For more information, please check with industry bodies directly.

We do not accept responsibility for the content of external sites.


Related industry information

Industry summary

Courts and tribunals are part of the justice sector, which is represented by Skills for Justice Sector Skills Council. It includes: forensic science; police and law enforcement; prosecution service; custodial care; community justice; plus fire and rescue services. The UK justice sector works to create and maintain a safe, just and stable society. The purpose of the sector is to reduce crime and re‐offending, promote confidence in the criminal justice system, protect people and contribute to the reduction and fear of crime, and support the administration of justice. The sector employs around 600,000 employees in the UK across a range of organisations operating with different remits.

The courts and tribunal services have specific responsibilities for providing administration and support to the courts and tribunal services throughout the UK. Court and tribunal services that operate within the UK include: Her Majesty’s Court Service (England and Wales); Scottish Court Service (Scotland); and Northern Ireland Court Service (Northern Ireland).

Key facts:

  • In total there are over 26,000 people working in services across the UK, of which:
    • approximately 3,000 work in tribunal services
    • approximately 23,000 work in administration and support roles to the courts
  • 80% of the workforce is in England.
  • There are 513 Crown, County and Magistrates’ courts across England with the majority located in London, the North West and the South East.
  • The tribunal jurisdictions that now constitute the Tribunals Service deal with over 500,000 cases a year and resolve more disputes than the civil courts.
  • The Courts service has the highest female workforce percentages across the justice sector.

Jobs in the industry range from: Legal Advisor, Court Manager, Court Administration Manager, Court Clerk, Administrative Officer, Bailiff/Enforcement Officer, Usher.


National and regional data

The East Midlands has 50 Courts, of which 33 are Magistrates’ Courts, 3 Crown and 14 County Courts. They employ 2,780 full‐time equivalent staff.

The East of England has 51 Courts, of which 33 are Magistrates’ Courts, 5 Crown and 13 County Courts, that employ 1,650 full‐time equivalent staff.

London has 68 Courts, of which 38 Magistrates’ Courts, 12 Crown and 18 County Courts. They employ 5,450 full‐time equivalent staff.

The North East has 32 Courts, of which 22 Magistrates’ Courts and 10 County Courts. They employ 1,270 full‐time equivalent staff.

The North West has 72 Courts, of which 42 Magistrates’ Courts, 4 Crown and 26 County Courts. They employ 3,340 full‐time equivalent staff.

The South East has 80 Courts, of which 52 Magistrates’ Courts, 5 Crown and 13 County Courts. They employ 2,570 full‐time equivalent staff.

The South West has 63 Courts, of which 45 Magistrates’ Courts, 5 Crown and 13 County Courts. They employ 2,570 full‐time equivalent staff.

The West Midlands has 47 Courts, of which 30 Magistrates’ Courts, 3 Crown and 14 County Courts. They employ 2,300 full‐time equivalent staff.

Yorkshire and Humberside has 41 Courts, of which 27 Magistrates’ Courts, 2 Crown and 12 County Courts. They employ 2,280 full‐time equivalent staff.

In Northern Ireland, the Northern Ireland Court Service (NICtS) was established in 1979 as a separate civil service and is the Lord Chancellor's department in Northern Ireland and currently employs 848 staff. The Northern Ireland Court Service has identified management and leadership skills and policy skills as workforce skills issues that will need developing.

In Scotland, the Scottish Court Service (SCS) employs 1,400 people. There are 220 people working to support the Tribunals Service in Scotland. The Scottish Court Service has identified the following areas for workforce development over the next three years: increased partnership working; leadership and management; keeping up with legislative change; plus ICT and soft skills related to communications.

In Wales, HM Courts Service (HMCS) employs approximately 1,120. The Tribunal Service employs 140 people


Career paths


Further sources


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