Court Usher

Court ushers are employed by His Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) and work in Crown Courts, Magistrates' Courts, County Courts, Family Courts, and Tribunals across England and Wales. The role is the practical backbone of the court day — without ushers, court proceedings cannot function efficiently, and the experience of court users would deteriorate significantly.

Core duties begin before the court sits: ushers check the day's court list, prepare the courtroom (arranging seating, checking technology and recording equipment, placing required documents), liaise with the judiciary and legal teams about the day's order of business, and receive and direct court users to the correct waiting areas. At the start of proceedings, ushers call the parties into court, administer oaths and affirmations to witnesses (swearing them in on the Bible or other holy text, or taking a secular affirmation), and manage the movement of exhibits into and out of the courtroom.

During hearings, ushers maintain order in the public gallery, manage access to the building (particularly in high-profile or sensitive cases), escort jurors to and from the jury room, manage jury notes and questions, and ensure that witnesses are called and brought to the witness box in the correct order. They assist the judiciary with any administrative requests during the hearing — retrieving documents, arranging refreshments during long hearings, and managing unexpected changes to the day's list.

Court ushers are often the first court employee that a member of the public interacts with: a witness attending a trial for the first time, a victim of crime giving evidence, a litigant-in-person without legal representation, or a juror arriving for their first day of jury service. The interpersonal and reassurance dimension of the role is significant.

Entry is direct via Civil Service Jobs (HMCTS is part of the Ministry of Justice). The role is graded at Administrative Officer (AO) level and provides a direct entry point into the criminal and civil justice system with clear progression to Legal Adviser, Court Clerk, or court operational management roles.

HMCTS is a statutory agency of central government — courts must operate, and ushers are a mandatory part of court operations. The courts system is a fundamental constitutional function that cannot be privatised, offshored, or automated. Court ushers are the human interface through which the justice system connects with the public, and that function — welcoming, directing, reassuring, and supporting court users — requires a trained, present, and trusted human practitioner.

Current HMCTS reform programmes include significant investment in court digitisation and estate rationalisation, but the usher function remains central to any court that sits in person. Employment is directly with the Civil Service (MoJ), providing permanent employment status, Civil Service pension, and structured pay progression. The role is an entry point to a justice career that includes clear progression pathways — many Legal Advisers, Court Clerks, and HMCTS operational managers began as ushers.

Arriving before court sits: preparing the Crown Court courtroom for a day-two murder trial — checking that all exhibits are present, setting up the jury bench with numbered seats, and checking that the video link equipment is functioning for a remote witness. Jury management: collecting the jury from the jury assembly area, escorting them into court, and managing a jury note to the judge mid-morning. Witness management: receiving a vulnerable witness in the waiting room, explaining the process, and escorting them through the secure entrance to the witness box when called. Afternoon: assisting with an unexpected mid-trial legal argument — managing the public gallery during a closed session and redirecting a journalist to the press bench after the judge lifts the reporting restriction. End of day: checking exhibits back into the secure exhibit store and completing the court log.