The article examines the peculiarities of institutionalization of judicial institutions at the governorate level established by Catherine the Great in the course of administrative and judicial reform and on the basis of governing institutions administering governorates of the All-Russian Empire. The author provides his understanding of the problem of determining the stages of administrative and judicial reforms, establishes a system of judicial authorities at the governorate level, presents classification complying with a field of activity, a social status and the sphere of territorial jurisdiction of cases. It is noted that, at the level of the governorate, only one chamber of a civil and criminal court, one governorate magistrate and as many verkhnyaya rasprava (court of second instance dealing with the cases of peasants and smallholders) and supreme zemstvo courts as were necessary due to the governorate could be established. Determining the peculiarities of the structure and operation of judicial institutions, the author comes to the conclusion that their staff did not always correspond to the legislative requirements applied to a class rank.