The calendar has turned to yet another year. Many of us have cleaned our work areas, purged ourselves of items no longer relevant, and are preparing to embrace the coming of a new day—or are we? Change …ah, a word not… Read more »
Posts By: Rick Pierce
President’s Message
When you are asked your approach to leadership or even tackling an involved project, are you a solitary actor or do you prefer to work within the framework of a group or team? I ask you to ponder this question… Read more »
Management Musings
“When the legend becomes fact, print the legend,” is a famous line from John Ford’s acclaimed film The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. The idea is that when the fictional story is better than what truly happened, it was better… Read more »
Management Musings
The literature on setting goals is replete with talk about the importance of visualizing and then working toward a benchmark that an individual, group, or institution sets for itself. The goals for the project, the month, the quarter, the year,… Read more »
A Question of Ethics
Today’s Question of Ethics Conversation looks at several ethical challenges regarding employee performance. It discusses four questions many supervisors face in their oversight role. Moderator Samantha Wallis: Deputy Trial Court Administrator, Supreme Court, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho Panelists Lizzie Alipaz: Court… Read more »
A Question of Ethics
Welcome to the latest episode of A Question of Ethics Conversation. The topic for this discussion is Organization Fairness. The October 26, 2023, Question of Ethics Conversation, hosted by Samantha Wallis, brought up many interesting questions. One set of questions… Read more »
Courtside Conversation
Whitney Freese
Whitney Freese Senior Management AnalystClark County (Washington) Superior Court11 Judges, 4 Court CommissionersNACM Member since 2021CORE® Champion Whitney Freese, a long-serving court professional, has reached a major milestone in her field. After holding various court positions and soon after joining NACM,… Read more »
2023 NACM State of the Profession
One of the highlights of the 2023 Annual NACM Conference in Tampa, Florida was the State of the Profession speech, delivered by NACM President Jeffrey Tsunekawa. NACM Board member and vice chair of the Governance Committee Nicole Garcia summarized President Tsunekawa’s approach…
Courtside Conversation
Cheryl StoneCourt Administrator Clark County (Washington) Superior Court12 judges, 3 full-time court commissioners, 1 half-time court commissionerNACM Member since 2007 Cheryl Stone, a seasoned court professional of more than 20 years, is a long-standing, respected member of NACM. As it… Read more »
2023 CourtFutures Top Trends to Watch: By NACM Respondents
We have summarized the best thinking of over 1,700 court professionals, with various subsets having reviewed 241 different possible scenarios of the future.1 This report highlights recent assessments, focuses on responses from NACM members, and compares their assessments with those of the overall group…
Increasing Court Appearance: Winning Strategies from Around the Country
Imagine you are a single parent with an upcoming court date. You live far from the courthouse, with no car and no money for either a rideshare or a babysitter, and you have been asking friends to drive you and… Read more »
The NACM DEI Guide
In 2020 a lot of national news focused on issues of racial bias, violence against people of color, and civil unrest. I want to remember some of the victims of 2020 in the hopes that you too will never forget them…
Thoughts from Early Career and Seasoned Professionals
In the court system, what do early career professionals and more seasoned supervisors have in common? At the Pima County Consolidated Justice Court (PCCJC), the answer is easy. Both groups view judicial administration as a career and not simply as… Read more »
President’s Message
Greetings NACM members and court stakeholders: Thank you for the honor to serve as your president of NACM. I have the wonderful opportunity to work with outstanding court professionals in my office in Pennsylvania and now build upon professional relationships forged… Read more »
Measuring the Impacts of Strategies to Reduce Court Caseloads and Backlogs
Backlogs in court case processing are not new and have been a focus of the National Center for State Courts (NCSC) since its founding. Justice Delayed: The Pace of Litigation in Urban Trial Courts was published in 1978 on this… Read more »
Courtside Conversation Louisiana Court Administrators Association
Highlighting the Louisiana Court Administrators AssociationLouisiana will host the NACM Annual Conference, July 21–25, 2024, at the New Orleans Hilton Riverside Laissez les bon temps rouler(Let the Good Times Roll) How did you get started in court administration? Judge Ranord… Read more »
Internal Controls Are for Everybody!—Part Two: Financial Controls
When internal controls are considered, we often automatically think of financial management. Considering that, let us walk through the five main internal control components using Financial Controls as an example…
Management Musings
“You can’t do this. You can do this.” “You’re not smart enough. You’re just as intelligent as them.” “You’re fat and look awful. You look great and besides no one is perfect.” “You’re going to look foolish. Anyone would be… Read more »
Tips of the Trade: Grants Management
This article will tackle the more practical tips of the trade: organizational habits and tricks to get organized and communicate clearly within and outside of your organization on grant-funded projects…
A Question of Ethics
“Quiet Quitting”: What Is It? What Should We Do About It? April 27, 2023, A Question of Ethics Conversation Episode “Quiet quitting.” It is a topic that many of us have heard about. In an era where it is a… Read more »
FEATURES
-
Courts Honor Employees
© 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.