Judges, prosecutors, and clerks in seigneurial courts were trained professionals who understood the law. The problem with seigneurial courts was not that the officers that ran them were unqualified but that they were employees of a lord. Before hiring a judge, procureur d'office, or clerk, a lord would need to be assured that he would work hard to protect his rights. While court cases involving the seigneur or one of his representatives always formed a small proportion of cases that seigneurial judges heard, the lord's judicial officers nevertheless played an integral role in the maintenance of the seigneurial system. Seigneurial justice efficiently and relatively cheaply protected the interests of lords. Judges, procureurs d'office, and clerks participated actively in the running of the seigneurie, on their own initiative seeking out peasants who had failed to pay.