As we begin a new year, we open the door to new opportunities — to engage, to contribute, and to strengthen the work of the National Association for Court Management (NACM). While the start of a new year invites reflection,… Read more »
Posts By: Kelly Hutton
A Question of Ethics
Courts stand at a crossroads between tradition and necessity. On the one hand, we are guardians of legal boundaries, carefully distinguishing who may practice law and what constitutes legal advice. On the other hand, we are confronted with an undeniable… Read more »
Management Musings
I can distinctly recall when I first arrived at college during the early 1990s and seeing posters of Salvador Dali’s “The Persistence of Memory” hanging in the dormitories of students (several students evidently picked up a copy of the same… Read more »
Courtside Conversation
Nicole GarciaCriminal Department Administrator Court Circuit: Superior Court of Arizona in Maricopa CountyNumber of Judges: 165Year of NACM Membership: 2013 What led you to a career in court management and then to membership in NACM, eventually joining the Board of… Read more »
Courts Honor Employees
As the first week of May approaches, courts across the country are preparing to celebrate their dedicated employees in recognition of Court Employee Appreciation Week. Court Employee Appreciation Week coincides annually with Public Service Recognition Week and highlights the invaluable contributions of court staff who work… Read more »
Safeguarding Court Personnel and the Rule of Law: The Intersection of State and Federal Legislation
Introduction The senseless 2015 ambush of Travis County Judge Julie Kocurek — stalked and shot after an attacker lured her son into moving a car — underscores how local security failures can have catastrophic consequences. A tip that the assailant… Read more »
Beyond the Building — Three Ways Today’s Courts are Building Trust
I’ve spent a good part of my career working on courthouses — some of the most complex, high-stakes public buildings you can design. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that trust isn’t something you can draw into a set… Read more »
Investing in the Future of Court Administration – NACM’s 2025 End-of-Year Giving Campaign
As 2025 drew to a close, NACM’s End-of-Year Giving Campaign sought to bring the court community together around the shared commitment of empowering court professionals and strengthening the future of court leadership. Gifts made as part of this campaign directly support… Read more »
Handling High-Profile Trials
The term “high-profile trial,” as most court professionals use it, seems a bit understated in the modern context. It fails to convey the attention, pressure, and chaos that is unleashed when a court finds itself at the center of a case… Read more »
Performance Previews, NOT Reviews!
Court staff are our most important resource, and their performance is at the heart of all court work. In this article, I explore how to create a high-performance work culture and environment by transforming traditional, backward-looking performance management into practices… Read more »
President’s Message
In my remarks at the Annual Conference in July, I shared my journey into NACM — starting with my first conference, when I wasn’t sure where I fit in, to finding my people, joining committees, and eventually serving on the… Read more »
A Question of Ethics
Across America, many communities are in what scholars call “legal deserts,” areas with few, if any, available attorneys to meet the legal needs of local citizens. Rural towns and poor urban neighborhoods often lack affordable access to lawyers, leaving residents… Read more »
Management Musings
The biopic “A Complete Unknown” explores the early career of Bob Dylan as played by Timothée Chalamet. Apart from Dylan’s life and music, the film walks the audience through a period of American history between 1961 and 1965. One of… Read more »
Courtside Conversation
Timothy EzellChief Operations Officer & Chief Deputy Clerk Atlanta Judicial Circuit (Fulton County, Georgia)20 Superior Court & 30 Magistrate JudgesNACM member since 2013 What interested you in a career in court management?I was drawn to court management because of the… Read more »
Forgetfulness, Not Defiance: The Case for Court Reminders
A stubborn myth is undermining court efficiency: that people miss court because they don’t respect the process or don’t think it’s important. But ample research now tells a different story. People miss court because life is messy — and remembering… Read more »
Beyond Trust Falls: A Practical Guide to Meaningful Team Development
The ambivalence between wanting strong teams and dreading team-building activities is something any team leader will immediately recognize. Walk into any break room and mention “team building,” and you are likely to see a collective eye roll from staff who… Read more »
Building a Culture of Professional Development in the Courts
Introduction Professional development is the continuous process of learning and upskilling that enables people to adapt to changing environments, take on new responsibilities, lead more effectively, and grow in their careers. In the courts, professional development carries a particular importance… Read more »
Editor’s Note
Fall is considered by some to be the best time of year for a reset — setting new routines, clarifying goals, and building momentum before the new year. In this issue, we focus our attention on an aspect of the… Read more »
National Association for Court Management 40th Anniversary
1985–2025 Our History: A Snapshot of NACM’s Milestones and Innovations First Ten Years: 1985–1995 The National Association for Court Management (NACM) was formed following the merger of the National Association for Court Administration (NACA) and the National Association of Trial… Read more »
President’s Message
Hello, everyone, and Happy Spring! I cannot believe my year as President is already winding down. I’ve been very honored to serve in this capacity during the celebration of NACM’s 40th anniversary. But this message is not about me; I… Read more »
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© 2026 NACM – Court Manager; printed in the United States. Court Manager is published quarterly by the National Association for Court Management. Opinions expressed and procedures explained in the articles are not necessarily those of NACM or of the National Center for State Courts. Publication of advertising in the Court Manager does not imply NACM or NCSC endorsement or approval of the product or service. The association encourages submission of material that will interest or benefi t its members. Address correspondence to either the editor or the managing editor; inquiries about advertising should be directed to the managing editor. All rights are reserved to reject, condense, or edit any article or advertisement submitted for publication.