Job Description
Court clerks’ work is divided into 4 main areas: assisting judges, preparing case files, coordinating hearings and closing case files.
As you may have guessed, court clerks work in courthouses. All across Quebec, in small towns and big cities, courthouses need court clerks to keep things running smoothly.
Assisting Judges
Court clerks help judges carry out their work and act as their official assistants.They write letters and emails on behalf of judges, answer phone calls and manage the judge’s agenda.
During a trial, the court clerk organizes all the relevant legal documents the judge might need and makes sure he has them handy. The court clerk also keeps track of who speaks during a hearing.
After a hearing, a court clerk helps the judge by putting the written judgement of the case in the right format and closing the file.
During a trial, the court clerk organizes all the relevant legal documents the judge might need and makes sure he has them handy. The court clerk also keeps track of who speaks during a hearing.
After a hearing, a court clerk helps the judge by putting the written judgement of the case in the right format and closing the file.
Preparing Case Files
At the beginning of a court case, a file is created. This court file contains all the necessary documents (forms, evidence, prior court decisions, etc.) related to a case. Sometimes a case file is big enough to fill several boxes. The court clerk opens court files for each case and ensures that the files are complete and respect all the relevant legal rules. He also looks after these files during and after the hearing.
Coordinating Hearings
Court clerks manage the administrative side of a hearing from start to finish. In addition to speaking with the lawyers to choose a date and time for the trial, the court clerk also plans any meetings that need to take place between the judge, lawyers and parties. For example, sometimes the judge and lawyers meet in the judge’s office before a hearing to discuss things like evidence or to try to agree on an issue before it goes to court.
On the day of a hearing, the clerk is very busy. He must post a list of cases taking place that day (a schedule) inside the courtroom and give the lawyers a copy of the timetable for the hearing. The court clerk is also responsible for making sure that all the lawyers, parties and witnesses are in court, and that all the case files have been given to the judge.
Court clerks continue to coordinate the hearing once it begins. They open the court session by calling out the name of the case and asking the lawyers to present themselves to the court. Court clerks also keep track of who is speaking and in what order.
Another important aspect of a court clerk’s job is looking after evidence or documents that lawyers want to give to a judge. The court clerk makes a list of each piece of evidence before passing it to the judge during a hearing. During a hearing, the court clerk is the person who gets to call witnesses to the front of the courtroom and ask them to tell “the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth”.
Since hearings can be complicated, the court clerk takes notes on important issues so that the judge can concentrate on what the lawyers are saying.
On the day of a hearing, the clerk is very busy. He must post a list of cases taking place that day (a schedule) inside the courtroom and give the lawyers a copy of the timetable for the hearing. The court clerk is also responsible for making sure that all the lawyers, parties and witnesses are in court, and that all the case files have been given to the judge.
Court clerks continue to coordinate the hearing once it begins. They open the court session by calling out the name of the case and asking the lawyers to present themselves to the court. Court clerks also keep track of who is speaking and in what order.
Another important aspect of a court clerk’s job is looking after evidence or documents that lawyers want to give to a judge. The court clerk makes a list of each piece of evidence before passing it to the judge during a hearing. During a hearing, the court clerk is the person who gets to call witnesses to the front of the courtroom and ask them to tell “the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth”.
Since hearings can be complicated, the court clerk takes notes on important issues so that the judge can concentrate on what the lawyers are saying.
Closing Case Files
Where do court clerks work?
At the end of the hearing, the court clerk has the responsibility for making sure a case is closed. When everyone has left the courtroom, he takes the case files back to his office.
A court clerk then helps the judge by formatting the final written judgment. It’s also his responsibility to put the completed file in the correct storage room.
A court clerk then helps the judge by formatting the final written judgment. It’s also his responsibility to put the completed file in the correct storage room.
As you may have guessed, court clerks work in courthouses. All across Quebec, in small towns and big cities, courthouses need court clerks to keep things running smoothly.
