Sheriff Clerk

A sheriff clerk works for the Scottish Court Service and is basically a senior administrator in the Sheriff Courts. A sheriff clerk possesses specialised knowledge but is not legally trained. The role of a sheriff clerk is varied and the scope of the job will depend on the size of the Scottish court in which the sheriff clerk work.

A sheriff clerk and their staff are responsible for the efficient day-to-day running of the court, including programming court business.  The sheriff clerk will deal with all aspects of work in the court, including simple debt actions, minor criminal offences, complex civil cases and serious criminal offences heard before a sheriff and jury.

A sheriff clerk has a wide range of administrative responsibilities, including managing a team of administration staff and managing budgets.

On average a Sheriff clerk works 35-40 hours a week, Monday to Friday. The standard working hours for a sheriff clerk are 9am to 5.30pm. A sheriff clerk will split the week between spending time in the court and in the office; this will vary depending on the length and complexity of the cases a sheriff clerk had to hear.

Salaries for a sheriff clerk range from £12,211 for new entrants to more than £50,000 for senior sheriff clerks.

A sheriff clerk should enjoy variety in their everyday role, be motivated by a challenge and managing change, be committed to delivering a high level of customer service. A sheriff clerk will be comfortable with using technology, have excellent interpersonal skills and be able to relate to all types of people. A sheriff clerk should have leadership skills and be a team player and have an interest in the law.

You can find a sheriff clerk in all 49 Sheriff Courts throughout Scotland.

School leavers can pursue a career as a sheriff clerk as there are no minimum entry requirements for sheriff clerk positions, but passes in S grades (1-3) maths and English would be useful. Entrants on to the sheriff clerk programme normally start at the administrative officer level and work their way up to sheriff clerk. However, increasing numbers of sheriff clerk candidates may be recruited with a degree and be promoted on a fast-track scheme through to a sheriff clerk's deputy. The entry requirements to become a sheriff clerk include a degree course in Scotland or equivalent.   The career path for sheriff clerk staff is very structured with appropriate training and development programmes offered internally and externally. The majority of sheriff clerk staff stay within the Scottish Court Service and develop a long-term career. Sheriff clerk staff either progress to the position of senior sheriff clerk or, with relevant experience, may move into another business function within the organisation.

Jobs of this type currently available

There are currently no jobs of this type available.