The Art and Practice of Court Administration explores the context in which court administration is practiced and identifiesthe qualities and skills court administrators need. Divided into two major parts, part one covers the history of the field and how courts are organized, environmental conditions in which court administration is practiced, special impact on courts of the elected clerk of court, prosecutor, and the sheriff, the judge’s administrative roles, as well as how a judge’s judicial and administrative roles work with management. The second part reviews a new approach for setting and adjusting priorities among the multiple functions courts perform—the Hierarchy of Court Administration. It defines priorities, analyzes court roles that establish mission critical functions, and sets an agenda for advancing courts throughout this century. Thorough and complete, The Art and Practice of Court Administration details how courts operate, the court administrator’s position and responsibilities, and approachestoissues and problems.

Of contents -- A plan for the use of total quality management in the Maine Judicial Branch, adopted by the Supreme Judicial Court -- Evaluation plan -- Final report -- Interim reports -- Assessment study of the participatory management process.

This publication presents the consolidated results of the interdisciplinary research project "Basic Research into Court Management in Switzerland", which was supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation. It contains contributions relating to key areas in the organisation of the judicial system. It considers fundamental questions of constitutional and political importance relating to supervision and the protection of personal privacy, and also includes research findings on the environment in which the judiciary operates and on its resources, with a focus on caseload management. Furthermore, it tackles the issues of quality in the work of the courts, their organisation and the image of judges and court culture in general. The publication concludes with an appraisal of the results and by identifying the areas where further research may be required.