A criminal court clerk maintains legal files, processes payments, and assists judges in processing evidence and documents. They must keep files in order and respond to requests for review, while also protecting sealed files. Education includes legal terminology, research, and writing. Background checks and bonds may be required.
A criminal court clerk generally assists a criminal court judge in processing evidence, documents, and records pertaining to criminal law cases held in the courtroom. One of the main responsibilities of the criminal court clerk is to maintain the legal files that contain the records of cases or trials held in court. The criminal court clerk also receives documents from lawyers and defendants that need to be filed in criminal proceedings.
Most criminal court districts have bylaws that require the filing and maintenance of certain legal documents, which typically need to be filed and kept on record for all criminal cases that occur in the district. For this reason, the criminal court clerk has a great responsibility to accurately keep these legal files in order. Legal files are generally considered public records and may be requested for review by attorneys, defendants, prosecutors and the media. The employee usually receives and responds to these requests with the appropriate documents. Occasionally, a criminal judge may order that all legal files pertaining to a specific case be sealed from the public; in that case, the employee needs to be aware of this and protect these files from access.
Criminal court officials also receive and process payments of fines assessed by a judge and may receive filing fees and other money required by law at the time of filing a legal document. Due to the potential for theft and the sensitive nature of the legal documents under their control, criminal court employees are often subjected to extensive background checks at the time of employment. They may also be required to submit a bond in some districts.
Education for people who want to become criminal court employees typically includes courses in legal terminology, legal research, legal writing, and courtroom procedures leading to an associate’s degree or certificate in legal education. A criminal court employee will also need to familiarize himself with court rules and procedures for the district in which he will be employed. Paralegal programs typically include the courses required to become a criminal court clerk. These programs are available at many community colleges and universities and are sometimes approved by the American Bar Association. A student should typically check that the program is also properly accredited.
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