Court Services

The Court Services Division of the Nova Scotia Department of Justice is dedicated to excellent service and the provision of fair and accessible administration of justice.

The Division provides administrative support to the courts listed below:

• Nova Scotia Court of Appeal
• Supreme Court of Nova Scotia (including Family Division)
• Provincial Court
• Family Court
• Small Claims Court
• Probate Court
• Bankruptcy Court

The courts act independently from the government to address individual cases. Find additional information about Nova Scotia courts on the Courts of Nova Scotia website.

Judicial Appointments

The Government of Nova Scotia has established Provincial Judicial Appointments Guidelines to ensure that appointments are based on merit:

• Provincial Judicial Appointments Guidelines (PDF)
• Provincial Judicial Application Form (PDF)

Applications should be submitted to:

Judicial Appointments Advisory Committee
5151 Terminal Road
P.O. Box 7
Halifax, N.S. B3L 2L6
Telephone: 424-4020
Fax: 424-0510

Other Divisional Responsibilities

In addition, the Division is responsible for:

• management of court administration offices
• management of Probate Court and Bankruptcy Court registries
• administration of the Criminal Code Review Board
• court security and transportation of prisoners through Sheriff Services
• administration of the Justice of the Peace program
• management of the Maintenance Enforcement Program
• management of a number of programs designed to reduce conflict and litigation in family law matters