Court Clerk

They also call me the clerk or the legal secretary. Someone once asked me the origin of the word “clerk.” I told him that it was derived from the word “cleric.” During medieval times the clergy were some of the few who could read and write, and so were often employed to do bookkeeping and other similar work. Does this give you a hint about my job?

I work alongside the judge. I was her secretary when she was a lawyer and I followed her here when she was appointed. Part of my work involves writing her correspondence, typing her judgments, taking her phone calls, and organizing her schedule – in short, all the tasks that are assigned to a judge’s secretary. My training as a legal secretary helps a lot for this aspect of my job. The other part, really the essence of my role as a court clerk, I had to learn on the job.

It is not exaggerating to say that my role as court clerk is indispensable during the trial. I am the one who takes notes for the judge so that she can devote all of her attention to the lawyers and the witnesses. Even if I usually work for her, I am occasionally assigned to other judges. Today, for instance, I am the court clerk in a case presided over by another judge, who, while extremely polite, is very fussy about courtroom decorum. He also speaks very quickly when rendering decisions during the trial, to the point where I have had to ask him to slow down because I am sometimes unable to keep up when taking my notes. Like most court clerks, I wish I could remember my shorthand. But it’s not the end of the world, as I can always use the tape recording of the hearing to listen to what the judge said a second time.

A typical day as a court clerk begins with administrative tasks. Following that, I make my way to the courtroom with the file for the case that is to be heard. When there are many cases scheduled for the same day, I post a list at the entrance to the courtroom or I send a copy to the lawyers to let them know the order in which the cases will be heard. As soon as the judge arrives, I begin the recording. Then I formally open the proceedings by stating the number of the case, the names of the parties, and by asking the lawyers to identify themselves.

Once the hearing begins, I try to be as discreet as possible for the benefit of the lawyers, their witnesses, and the judge. I may look like I’m twiddling my thumbs, but don’t be fooled: I am listening attentively to everything that is being said in order to record the minutes of the hearing. Sometimes I interact with the witnesses and lawyers; this is the part of my job that I enjoy the most. At the request of the lawyers, I call the witnesses to the stand and have them sworn in. I am also the one who collects the documents and exhibits of evidence submitted to the court record by the lawyers. I write a reference number on each of these, which I record in the minutes of the hearing, and I later hand them over to the judge. One of the strangest items I have ever received was a half-burned fire log submitted as evidence in a sexual assault case.

The minutes of the hearing, which I keep mentioning, are a series of forms that I could probably fill in with my eyes closed because I know them so well. I take notes of the principal phases of the trial, such as the examinations and cross-examinations, the names of the witnesses, and the arguments of each lawyer. I also record each motion submitted to the judge and each objection raised by the lawyers, as well as the decision rendered by the judge. These minutes come to form a kind of roadmap of the trial. They make it easier to find particular parts of the trial on the audio tape recording, as the name of every speaker and the exact time at which he or she began speaking are recorded.

I have been doing this fascinating job for 10 years. During this time, I have seen all kinds of trials. Fraud cases, divorce hearings, disputes between multinational corporations; believe me, I’ve seen it all! So there you have it: that is what I do as a court clerk. It is definitely a job that requires a great deal of precision and attention to detail.