Court officers coordinate the administrative and procedural functions of federal, provincial and territorial courts, such as 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 such as conducting bail hearings and performing civil marriages. They are employed by federal and provincial courts.

• 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 co-ordinator

For these jobs, 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.

• Court officers usually require a university degree in law, business or public administration or a college diploma in public administration or legal studies.
• Completion of 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.

Typical of most government jobs, 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 may be employed part-time on a fee-for-service basis in small communities. Their duties range from receiving affidavits and similar documents, to presiding in courts and hearing and determining prosecutions under provincial/territorial and federal laws. Progression to senior positions such as senior court administrator is possible through experience.

This is not a large occupation in Nova Scotia so job opportunities may not be that frequent. With a large percent of workers being 55 years of age and older, retirements are expected to be a key contributor to employment opportunities over the coming years. Court Officers and Justices of the Peace most commonly work full-time hours. Furthermore, the jobs may either be permanent or temporary positions, as both are common.

The median employment income for 70% of Court Officers and Justices of the Peace who worked full-time, year-round in 2015 was $58,812. Across all occupations in Nova Scotia, 59% of those who worked full-time year round had a median employment income of $43,600.
(Source: 2016 Census)

Hourly earnings data are from the Labour Force Survey by Statistics Canada. Data are not available for all occupations. Hourly earnings are calculated based on usual hours worked per week. This is how an annual salary, for instance, gets converted to an hourly rate. The data include full and part-time workers along with new and experienced workers. Self-employed workers are excluded.

Annual employment income data reported in the Work Prospects section, are from the 2011 National Household Survey by Statistics Canada. Much of the data (around 70%) came directly from tax records. The data relates to the year 2010 and includes total wages and salaries and net income from self-employment.

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