The Role of the Magistrates' Court Usher

Visit any Magistrates' Court on any day of the week and the first member of staff you will encounter is the Usher.

In today's article I am going to give a bit of an overview of the Usher's role, which is absolutely essential for the efficient operation of the Magistrates' Court. I have previously written about the role of the Magistrates' Court Legal Advisor.

I begin by placing on record my appreciation for the good work our Ushers do. As I have often said on Magistrates' Blog, I am truly blessed to work with such a great team of people. The Ushers, most of whom I have known for years, are no exception to this rule. I hold them in the highest regard.

Ushers are the public face of the court, so are often the people left to fend off disgruntled court users. It takes a special type of person to be an Usher - one with a special kind of patience and understanding - and I do not think I would fit the mould.

So what does the Usher actually do? At the start of the day it will usually be the Usher who prints off the papers for the District Judge or Magistrates. They will also make sure that the courtroom is ready to be used.

It is very common, although not an absolute, for the Usher to wear a black gown. This distinctive attire makes them instantly recognisable in the court building. Back in the good old days it was usual for an Usher to be assigned to each courtroom. Nowadays, it is fairly common for an Usher to work two courtrooms at the same time.

The Usher is responsible for identifying, meeting and greeting court users as they arrive for their hearings. Once everyone is in place, they will let the Legal Advisor or Court Associate know that a particular case is ready to be called on. If you're an advocate it's always a good idea to keep the Usher on side, as nine times out of ten they will be the person that determines the order of the court's business.

An efficient Usher will keep the Bench appraised of the court's workload - "Right Your Worships, you can cross off Smith and Jones because they've gone next door for sentencing. District Judge Green can deal with them because her first trial has cracked. We've had a phone call from Brown, who has been delayed in traffic."

Likewise, an efficient Usher will be able to read the courtroom. If the Legal Advisor or Court Associate is frantically resulting work from two hours' ago, the Usher should know to pause instead of immediately calling the next case.

It is usually the Usher that calls each party into the courtroom when their case is ready to be heard. If a witness needs to be sworn, it will be the Usher who helps them with the oath. If a defendant or witness becomes upset, it will be the Usher who offers them a glass of water and tissue. If there are observers in the public gallery, it will be the Usher who assists them with any questions or information.

Technical wizardry tends to be the realm of the Usher too. If the court needs to establish a videolink to HMP Wherever, it will be the Usher who is left pushing all the buttons and pulling out their hair. If an advocate wants to show something on the television screen, it'll be the Usher who helps them connect their laptop.

Ushers undertake a range of administrative tasks in the background. This could be handling incoming emails and telephone calls. It could be finalising the lists for the following day.

I hope that gives a bit of a flavour of the work an Usher does. They're like the WD40 of the Magistrates' Court, making all the different parts work smoothly together.