Judicial Registrars have been operating now in the Magistrates’ Court for 5 years.

The Courts Legislation Miscellaneous Amendments Act 2010 will bring JRs into the County, Supreme, Coroner’s and Childrens’ Courts. As with the Magistrates’ Court, the appointment of a Judicial Registrar will be for a maximum five year term.

In blurring the lines between two previously well-established callings with discrete roles and functions, the office of Judicial Registrar follows similar experiments with nurse practitioners and Australian lawyers. Given the current overload of work across jurisdictions, judicial officers might well welcome the appointment of JRs to help ease their load.

The Explanatory Memorandum can be found here. The provisions will come in on 1 January 2011, or earlier if proclaimed.