Court Registry Officer Āpiha Whakarite Kōti/Ture
Court registry officers assist with the day-to-day operation of courts. They handle court documents, schedules and may support the judge in running court hearings.
Court registry officers may do some or all of the following:
- process documents, such as marriage certificates, for the public
- answer questions from the public about court sittings and legal documents
- process court orders, court summons (when you are called to come to court), warrants to arrest and notices
- schedule court hearings
- swear in witnesses and read out charges
- document court proceedings for transcriptionists (people who record what is said in court)
- prepare and maintain case files
- liaise with police, judges and lawyers.
Useful Experience
Useful experience for court registry officers includes:
- work as a legal secretary or law clerk, or other work in a law office
- court work
- administration work
- work with the public.
Personal Qualities
Court registry officers need to be:
- accurate
- organised
- able to work well under pressure
- able to relate to people from a range of cultures
- able to understand complex information and explain it clearly to members of the public
- confident and capable in front of a large audience
- reliable and able to keep information confidential.
Skills
Court registry officers need to have knowledge of:
- court processes
- the order of court proceedings
- legal terms and methods.
Conditions
Court registry officers:
- usually work regular business hours, but may work evenings if a court hearing is running late
- work in offices and courtrooms, although collections registry officers work from home.
Subject Recommendations
NCEA Level 2 is required to become a court registry officer. Useful subjects include English, history and classical studies, languages, social studies and te reo Māori.
Court Registry Officers can earn around $59K-$81K per year.
Pay for court registry officers depends on their experience.
- Court registry officers earn $59,000 to $81,000 a year.
Source: Ministry of Justice, 2023.
Court registry officers can specialise as collections registry officers.
- Collections Registry Officer
- Collections registry officers advise people how to pay their fines, and negotiate with the public to collect overdue fines.
Years Of Training
To become a court registry officer you need to have NCEA Level 2.
- A current New Zealand driver's licence is an advantage and may be essential in some courts.
- A tertiary qualification such as a certificate in administration can also be useful.