master

A master (called an associate judge in some jurisdictions) is a judicial officer of limited jurisdiction in superior courts in common law jurisdictions. The office originated in the courts of England and Wales and has been adopted in courts in numerous other countries. A master's jurisdiction is generally confined to civil proceedings and is a subset of that of a superior court judge or justice. Masters are typically involved in hearing specialized types of trials, case management, and in some jurisdictions dispute resolution or adjudication of specific issues referred by judges. Masters may be found in the courts of Australia, England and Wales, Fiji, Hong Kong, Ireland, and several Caribbean countries. Several state courts in the United States utilize masters or similar officers and al...