National Center for State Courts

Helps courts reach diverse candidates nationwide and helps students and recent graduates find court career opportunities.

Provides comparable national caseload insights to help courts plan resources, shape policy, and make data-driven decisions.

Build court administration, management, and leadership skills through flexible learning, customized training, professional certifications, and opportunities to learn with peers.

Helps courts address administrative challenges, improve operations, and plan practical solutions tailored to their jurisdictions and communities.

Helps courts establish performance baselines, identify improvement opportunities, and advance efficiency and effectiveness with practical measurement support.

Helps court leaders assess AI readiness and plan practical steps for effective integration of AI into court operations.

Court Opportunity Recruitment for All (CORA)

CORA is a free online portal where courts can showcase clerkship, internship, and externship opportunities to students, recent graduates, and other qualified applicants nationwide. Courts can create employer accounts, post in-person or remote opportunities, review applications, and connect with candidates. Applicants can manage their profiles and applications, while law school career counselors can search, view, and track student applications and submit recommendation letters.

• Reach Candidates Nationwide
  Courts can share opportunities with students and qualified applicants across the country, while candidates can discover court positions beyond their local area.
• Post And Manage Opportunities
  The portal gives courts a centralized place to publish openings and review applications, supporting recruitment for court positions and other legal roles.
• Expand Your Candidate Pool
  Courts can engage with a wider range of applicants from across the country, including students and recent graduates interested in court and justice system careers.
• Share Flexible Court Opportunities
  Courts can list opportunities across divisions and offer in-person or remote roles, including clerkships, internships, and externships.
• Manage Applications In One Place
  Applicants can use their CORA profile and dashboard to manage application activity and withdraw applications through the platform after accepting a position.
• Support And Track Student Applications
  Career counselors can search, view, and track students’ applications in CORA and submit recommendation letters to support the application process.
• Assign Access By Role
  Courts can provide access to multiple people involved in hiring and assign account access levels based on their roles or access needs.
• Explore Opportunities On A Map
  Candidates can use the interactive map to explore court opportunities and access postings from across the country.
• Streamline Recruitment Communication
  CORA's updated platform is described as improving usability and streamlining communication related to court career opportunities.

Court Statistics Project

The Court Statistics Project (CSP) is a collaborative initiative of the National Center for State Courts and the Conference of State Court Administrators. It collects, analyzes, and publishes caseload data from state courts across the country, providing a comparable national overview and insights for data-driven decisions. CSP data covers more than 95% of cases filed in the United States and helps court leaders and stakeholders understand caseload trends, allocate resources, shape policy, and support public accountability.

• Understand Nationwide Caseloads
  Use broad state court caseload coverage to understand trends across the U.S. court system.
• Turn Caseload Data Into Insights
  Access analyzed and published caseload information that helps court leaders understand trends and make informed decisions.
• Compare Court Caseload Trends
  Compare caseload information across jurisdictions and with similar court systems to examine trends and inform planning.
• Apply Consistent Reporting Standards
  Use a shared statistical reporting framework and defined counting and case classification practices to support reliable comparisons across jurisdictions.
• Plan Court Resources
  Use caseload trends and comparisons to inform staffing, facilities, and resource planning for courts and their communities.
• Explore Trial And Appellate Caseloads
  Use interactive dashboards to explore caseload information for state trial and appellate courts, including key trial case categories and appellate matter types.
• Inform Court Policy And Practice
  Use caseload data to understand trends, inform policymaking, and consider practices and solutions relevant to court operations and community needs.
• Submit Trial And Appellate Data
  Access resources, training, and tools to support submission of trial and appellate caseload data to CSP.
• Strengthen Court Transparency
  Make court data accessible to support public accountability and strengthen trust between courts and the communities they serve.

Court education and professional development

NCSC provides education and professional development for court professionals and justice leaders through expert-led courses, webinars, conferences, customized training, and certification programs. Learning options include live virtual, in-person, hybrid, and self-paced online formats. Programs cover court administration, management, leadership, and other court-related topics, and include Certified Court Manager and Certified Court Executive certifications and the Institute for Court Management Fellows program.

Category: Corporate Training Services

• Build Practical Court Management Skills
  Develop practical knowledge for managing court operations and addressing professional development needs through courses on topics such as budgets, caseflow, workforce management, and leadership.
• Learn On A Flexible Schedule
  Choose from virtual, in-person, hybrid, and self-study options to fit different schedules and learning needs. Online access and individual course enrollment provide additional flexibility.
• Tailor Training To Court Needs
  Work with NCSC to develop learning experiences addressing a court's specific educational needs, with options for virtual or in-person delivery and flexible scheduling.
• Earn Recognized Court Leadership Credentials
  Build management or executive-level court administration skills and earn a credential demonstrating professional development. The certification programs provide a structured path, with course options that can also address individual learning needs.
• Advance Court Leadership Through Applied Research
  Deepen leadership and court governance skills while completing a court-related research project and presenting recommendations. Fellows also build professional connections with their cohort and join a network of more than 1,300 alumni.
• Strengthen Leadership And Collaboration
  Develop practical leadership skills through tailored training and coaching for individuals, pairs, teams, and judicial peers. Programs address leadership effectiveness, decision-making, communication, collaboration, and organizational needs.
• Learn From Experts And Peers
  Attend live or on-demand webinars and professional events to explore court-related topics, share ideas, and connect with experts and colleagues.
• Engage Learners With Interactive Courses
  Use tailored e-learning that incorporates interactive activities, knowledge checks, and assessments aligned with learning objectives to support learner engagement.
• Connect With Court Professionals
  Learn alongside peers through course discussions, group activities, and in-person experiences, and build professional relationships with colleagues across courts and jurisdictions.

Court administration consulting and technical assistance

NCSC works with courts to address administrative challenges through expert guidance, assessments, recommendations, and practical solutions. Its consulting and technical assistance spans court operations and governance, case management, strategic planning, technology transformation, data governance and forecasting, workload planning, leadership, and court space design and security. Support can include evaluating organizational strengths and challenges, developing strategic priorities and action steps, improving specialized business and commercial court processes, and helping courts plan for technology and AI-related issues.

Category: Management Consulting

• Identify Challenges And Guide Improvements
  Courts receive expert insights and recommendations to help them understand their circumstances and determine practical responses to challenges.
• Set Strategic Priorities And Action Steps
  Courts can develop attainable strategic goals informed by organizational assessments, stakeholder perspectives, and recommendations tailored to their needs.
• Plan Technology Improvements And Adoption
  Courts can get expert assistance assessing technology, planning proof-of-concept work, and developing policies or roadmaps for technology and AI.
• Improve Court Operations And Case Management
  Expert guidance helps courts consider operational and case management processes in efforts to strengthen administration and respond to changing needs.
• Strengthen Data And Inform Planning
  Improved court data practices and forecasting can give courts stronger information for understanding performance and planning ahead.
• Develop Specialized Commercial Court Processes
  Courts can develop specialized business court models or improve existing processes to respond to commercial cases and emerging challenges.
• Plan Court Facilities And Security
  Courts can incorporate their specific requirements into facility planning, design, and security projects.
• Develop Court Leadership Skills
  Customized instruction helps court professionals build practical leadership abilities and strengthen collaboration, decision-making, and leadership effectiveness.
• Prepare Courts For Future Scenarios
  The framework helps courts incorporate future-focused activities into planning for circumstances specific to their jurisdictions and communities.
• Translate Caseloads Into Workloads
  Courts can combine caseload data and stakeholder perspectives to inform workload planning.
• Create Or Expand Language Access
  Courts can receive assistance in creating or expanding language access programs and services.

Court performance measurement

NCSC works with courts to develop balanced, practical performance measures that can be realistically implemented. Measuring current performance establishes a baseline and helps identify areas for improvement. Courts can use CourTools to measure areas such as access and fairness, customer satisfaction, time to disposition, and the age of active pending caseloads. NCSC can support performance measurement efforts with assessments, research, recommendations, training, and implementation.

• Measure Court Performance Across Key Areas
  CourTools helps courts assess performance across defined areas, including access and fairness, customer satisfaction, time to disposition, and the age of active pending caseload.
• Establish A Practical Performance Baseline
  Practical performance measures give courts a baseline for understanding current performance and help uncover areas for improvement.
• Advance Measurement Efforts With Expert Support
  Courts can access NCSC assistance across the performance measurement process, including assessments, research, recommendations, training, and implementation.

AI Readiness for the State Courts

AI Readiness for the State Courts is a set of resources that helps courts assess their current AI readiness and identify concrete steps to improve it. The guide covers the AI lifecycle, from identifying workflow needs and potential AI solutions through design, testing, implementation, evaluation, monitoring, maintenance, and post-project feedback. It includes an interactive assessment tool and a court AI maturity framework. The guidance is designed for court leaders and personnel involved in AI decision-making at state, territorial, or local court levels. NCSC experts can also guide courts through stages of AI maturity.

• Assess Readiness And Identify Next Steps
  Court leaders can evaluate their court’s current readiness for AI and use the framework to identify practical steps for improvement.
• Evaluate Your Court’s AI Readiness
  The interactive assessment gives court personnel a practical way to consider their readiness and progress in preparing to use AI.
• Guide Decisions Across The AI Lifecycle
  Courts receive guidance spanning the stages of AI use, from identifying an appropriate workflow need through implementation, ongoing oversight, and post-project feedback.
• Navigate Your Court’s AI Maturity
  The maturity levels help courts locate their current stage and consider guidance relevant to whether they are beginning to explore AI, implementing a project, or learning from an existing implementation.
• Apply Guidance At Your Court’s Level
  Court personnel can use the guide in state, territorial, and local court settings, with intended users including people responsible for leadership or AI decisions.
• Get Expert Support Through AI Maturity
  Courts can contact NCSC for expert guidance as they progress through stages of AI maturity and consider how AI technologies may be applied in court operations.