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Deputy Clerk Duties and Responsibilities

Deputy Clerks must complete various administrative tasks in order to ensure smooth and efficient court operations. We looked at several job postings for Deputy Clerks and discovered that many employers list the following duties and responsibilities for this occupation.

Prepare Legal Documents and Forms A main responsibility of a Deputy Clerk is to create and organize documents needed for court proceedings. These documents might relate to correspondence, motions, depositions and proceeding outcomes. Deputy Clerks also prepare documentation for sentencing, releases and probation orders. They also complete warrant and petition forms.

Create and Maintain Court Dockets Deputy Clerks are responsible for arranging the schedule of cases to appear in court. They distribute this schedule to lawyers, judges and other court members. This schedule is maintained daily and Deputy Clerks must be able to make necessary changes and distribute changes as needed.

Process Court Payments A Deputy Clerk will handle the payment of court fines and fees and process receipts of these payments. They must balance and reconcile cash receipts. Deputy Clerks will generally enter payment information into an automated system.

Assist During Courtroom Proceedings In many cases, a Deputy Clerk is present in the courtroom during court proceedings. Duties they might perform include recording minutes, marking exhibits, calling witnesses and swearing in jurors.

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Deputy Clerk Skills

Strong listening and oral and written communication skills are essential for Deputy Clerks. They should also be detail-oriented, organized individuals who are adept at multitasking and thrive in a fast-paced environment. The ability to work in a team is crucial, as Deputy Clerks interact daily with judges, lawyers, court officers, jurors and the public. For the latter, strong customer service skills should be displayed. With the use of automated systems and processing of court payments, a Deputy Clerk should also possess strong computer and math skills. In addition to these abilities, potential employers of Deputy Clerks prefer candidates who possess the following skills:

  • Preparing legal documents – from legal motions to court proceeding outcomes, the court system requires various documentation and Deputy Clerks are essentially responsible in producing these documents
  • Creating court schedules – a daily schedule of court cases is essential to courtroom operations and Deputy Clerks must display the ability to create and organize this schedule
  • Maintaining case files – in every court proceeding, files and other documents must be readily available to judges, lawyers and jurors and it is up to the Deputy Clerk to ensure that all documents are maintained in the courtroom
  • Understanding of court policies and procedures – Deputy Clerks must explain and ensure adherence to all court policies and procedures for jurors, witnesses and court spectators and need to be knowledge about this information
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Deputy Clerk Education Requirements

In most cases, those seeking a position as a Deputy Clerk need only a high school diploma or GED. Some employers might require an associate’s or bachelor’s degree in legal studies or a related area or possession of a paralegal certificate. Completion of some college coursework can usually satisfy any that employers might look for in job candidates.

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Deputy Clerk Salary

The BLS states that the median annual salary for court clerks is $35,850. The upper 10 percent earn $55,290, while the lowest 10 percent sees a median annual wage of $23,420. State government court clerks make slightly more than local government clerks, with a mean annual salary of $43,020 versus $36,800. The highest annual mean salary for these clerks is seen in New York ($54,630), with New Jersey ($49,200), Alaska ($47,940), Connecticut ($47,720) and Rhode Island ($46,480) rounding out the top five states for top salaries.