Court Support Services Opens Door to Careers in Justice

  • Added:
    Jul 15, 2014
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    1316
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Court Support Services Opens Door to Careers in Justice Photo by Jason White

Did you know that getting your foot in the door of the Canadian justice system in order to launch a career can be achieved in as little as one year? Thanks to Centennial College's Court Support Services program, students obtain all of the know-how they need to obtain jobs as court reporters or court clerks. Both of these positions allow students to gain a good overview of how the justice system functions, which may allow for advancing in the field through additional training at college level.

This Ontario College Certificate program offers both court reporter and court clerk training through a proactive approach that sees students obtain theoretical training which then apply to mock scenarios and a simulated courtroom setting at Centennial College's Progress Campus and practical, career-oriented assignments. To further enhance this training, students also visit family, criminal, small claims and municipal court settings as well as various tribunal hearings. During these trips, they get to observe how court clerks and court reports carry out their duties.

The Ministry of the Attorney General has approved the courses that students attend in this offering. As such, students are guaranteed to be getting relevant knowledge that is recognized by the Ministry of the Attorney General (Ontario Court of Justice, Ontario Superior Court of Justice), municipal courts, tribunals and boards, official examiners and court reporting services. Among these courses are: Court Clerk – Family, Court Monitor, Current Issues in Canadian Law, Introduction to Word Processing, Court Registrar – SCJ – Civil/Criminal, Court Monitor, and more.

Students who successfully complete this municipal court training are prepared to complete tasks associated with being a court reporter, including: recording depositions and other proceedings for attorneys; taking notes in shorthand or use a stenotype or shorthand machine that prints letters on a paper tape; verifying accuracy of transcripts by checking copies against original records of proceedings and accuracy of rulings by checking with judges; providing transcripts of proceedings upon request of judges, lawyers, or the public; records verbatim proceedings of courts, legislative assemblies, committee meetings, and other proceedings, using computerized recording equipment, electronic stenograph machines, or stenomasks.

They also master tasks associated with being court clerks who: prepare dockets or calendars of cases to be called, using typewriters or computers; answer inquiries from the general public regarding judicial procedures, court appearances, trial dates, adjournments, outstanding warrants, summonses, subpoenas, witness fees, and payment of fines; prepare and issue orders of the court, including probation orders, release documentation, sentencing information, and summonses; prepare documents recording the outcomes of court proceedings; and more.

Author's Profile

In this article, Author writes about the Court Support Services program, which offers a two-semester accelerated delivery format that includes court clerk training practical application of skills.


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