Lessons from the Clerk’s Desk is a collection of real experiences, reflections, and practical lessons learned from working inside a municipal court clerk’s office.
Latest Articles
- Administrative Triage in the Clerk’s Office
There are times in court administration when the workload does not stop just because you are out of the office. Conferences, training, budget meetings, holidays, and even vacation days do not pause incoming emails, attorney requests, records… Read more: Administrative Triage in the Clerk’s Office - Fix It Before Next Week: How We Reduced Court Day Confusion
Court day confusion usually is not caused by one major failure. Most of the time, it comes from dozens of small things that were never corrected: At some point, we realized we could not continue “working harder”… Read more: Fix It Before Next Week: How We Reduced Court Day Confusion - Useful Organizational Tools for the Clerk’s Office
There are a lot of organizational apps and project-tracking platforms available now, and while many of them are marketed toward large businesses or technology companies, several can actually be very useful in a municipal court environment as… Read more: Useful Organizational Tools for the Clerk’s Office - Court Administration: The Work Behind the Work
Most people associate the court with what happens on court day—cases being called, orders being signed, and fines being paid. What is less visible is the administrative side of the court, where much of the real work… Read more: Court Administration: The Work Behind the Work - 10 Thing Every Court Clerk Should Do/Know
These points may seem simple, but most issues in a clerk’s office come back to one of these areas. 1. Learn Your Court’s Workflow First Understand how a case moves from start to finish in your court—not… Read more: 10 Thing Every Court Clerk Should Do/Know - Stop Waiting on “The Right Time” to Fix What’s Not Working
There’s a pattern most of us fall into at some point in this job. We see something that isn’t working. We know there’s probably a better way. But we don’t move on it. Not because we don’t… Read more: Stop Waiting on “The Right Time” to Fix What’s Not Working - What Every Clerk Should Check Before Court Starts
Before court begins, there are a few key things that should always be verified. Taking a few minutes to check these items can prevent confusion, delays, and unnecessary stress once court is in session. Quick Pre-Court Checklist… Read more: What Every Clerk Should Check Before Court Starts - Court Doesn’t Run on Its Own: The Prep No One Sees
People see court day. They see the judge on the bench, attorneys at the tables, defendants waiting, and cases moving through the docket. What they don’t see is everything that happens before that. Court doesn’t run on… Read more: Court Doesn’t Run on Its Own: The Prep No One Sees - The Notes I Keep That Make Me a Better Clerk
Every day in this job, something happens that could make your court better—if you catch it. An inefficiency.A process that needs rethinking.Something that went wrong in court.Something that went really well.An idea that pops into your head… Read more: The Notes I Keep That Make Me a Better Clerk - The Memory Jar I wish I’d Started
This is more of a reflection than a training note, but it’s something I’ve thought about a lot lately. Looking back over the last several years and realizing just how much things have changed since I first… Read more: The Memory Jar I wish I’d Started - My First Conference – And the Moment Everything Changed
I was sworn in as Municipal Court Clerk on July 1, 2022. By the time the September conference rolled around, I felt like I was barely keeping my head above water. Like many new clerks, I stepped… Read more: My First Conference – And the Moment Everything Changed - AI in the Clerk’s Office: A tool, Not a Shortcut
Artificial intelligence has received a great deal of attention in the legal community over the past few years. Much of that attention has focused on situations where attorneys relied on AI-generated legal research that contained inaccurate information,… Read more: AI in the Clerk’s Office: A tool, Not a Shortcut