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What does a Court Administrator do?

D. Jeffress
D. Jeffress

A court administrator handles the managerial duties of a court system, such as balancing budgets, paying employees, and ensuring that proceedings run smoothly. He or she analyzes legal procedures to make sure that all employees of a courtroom are performing their jobs correctly and efficiently. Administrators attempt to organize records and manage case flow so that trials and other important court activities do not fall behind schedule.

One of the main roles of a court administrator is to decide how to reduce costs while increasing efficiency within a system. A professional maintains careful financial records in order to balance budgets and allocate funds to different departments. He or she analyzes the costs of legal proceedings and determines where money can be saved. When financial setbacks become an issue, the administrator might recommend new programs or procedures that will allow improve the efficiency of court operations.

Several court administrators may work under a single judge in larger courts.
Several court administrators may work under a single judge in larger courts.

A court administrator also supervises the flow of cases through a legal system. Most courts utilize computers to keep accurate electronic records of previous and pending trials. The administrator organizes and keeps track of such information to ensure that criminal and civil cases can proceed in a timely manner. He or she helps prevent the court system from becoming bogged down and falling behind schedule. The administrator regularly inputs and processes new information to keep records up-to-date.

In small court systems, a single court administrator may be in charge of all bookkeeping and human resources tasks.
In small court systems, a single court administrator may be in charge of all bookkeeping and human resources tasks.

Many court administrators are responsible for human resources (HR) operations within a court building. An administrator may be responsible for hiring and training new employees, handling disputes between workers, and assessing performance. Through professional development training and careful deliberation with executives and judges, an administrator creates new policies and procedures to maximize efficiency.

It is common for a single court administrator to be in charge of all bookkeeping and HR responsibilities in small, local courts. In large court systems, however, several administrators usually work full-time under the supervision of an administrative judge or executive. Professionals in larger systems work together to discuss budgets and determine how to improve the timeliness of proceedings.

Most court administrators, especially those in large district, state, or federal courts, hold college degrees. Many people pursue associate or bachelor's degrees in judicial administration, law, or business to prepare for the job. Some paralegals and law office clerks who have gained both legal and business experience advance to court administrator positions in time. Familiarity with the court system, communication skills, and computer proficiency are highly desired by most employers of court administrators.

Discussion Comments

JaneAir

@indemnifyme - Court administrator does sound like a pretty important job, as far as court house jobs go. If the court wasn't organized properly it definitely couldn't run!

I think it's pretty cool a paralegal could advance to this position. I was kind of under the impression there wasn't very much upward mobility for a paralegal. I'm glad I was mistaken!

indemnifyme

I've never heard of this job before, but it seems like a very important one. Especially the scheduling aspect of the job.

Court cases affect a lot of people's lives. If they aren't handled in a timely fashion it can mean more than just inconvenience for people who work at the court! So I think court scheduling is pretty important job-they pretty much have lives in their hands.

I think it's crazy they have so many responsibilities though. I bet the court administrators who work with another administrator instead of alone are probably a bit less stressed out!

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    • Several court administrators may work under a single judge in larger courts.
      By: Andrey Burmakin
      Several court administrators may work under a single judge in larger courts.
    • In small court systems, a single court administrator may be in charge of all bookkeeping and human resources tasks.
      By: goodluz
      In small court systems, a single court administrator may be in charge of all bookkeeping and human resources tasks.