Laissez les Bon Temps Rouler
(Let the Good Times Roll)
Editor’s Note: NACM’s next annual conference is scheduled to be held in New Orleans, July 12-16, 2020. Court Manager would like to help you get acquainted with some of our members in the great state of Louisiana.
The National Association for Court Management is monitoring the situation involving the Coronavirus. At this time, NACM is moving forward with its annual conference this summer as scheduled and will continue to monitor the guidance from national, state, and local public health professionals. Our top priority is the health and safety of all attending our annual conference. Updates will be provided should anything change. We look forward to seeing you in New Orleans!
1. How did you get started in court administration?
“Some say that I became judicial
administrator of Orleans Parish Juvenile Court because it is the only job I had
not held in the juvenile court. Throughout my legal career I have been involved
with the Orleans Parish Juvenile Court. I have served as a public defender,
hearing officer/traffic referee, clerk of court, judge pro tempore, and judicial
administrator since 2012. In 2010 I was appointed by the Louisiana Supreme Court
to serve as judge pro tempore. The experience provided me the insight into the
workings of the court. Following my appointment, I was asked to stay on as clerk
of court. As clerk of juvenile court, I was placed in charge of the operations
of the court and the staff of the clerk’s office. While serving as clerk of court,
the judicial administrator left the court. I was hired as judicial administrator
in 2012. Since then I’ve never looked back. I believe that my trajectory to
administration and my appreciation for the work was shaped by holding so many
different positions within the court.”
Ranord Darensburg, Orleans Juvenile
Court/New Orleans
“I
was originally hired by my court not as an administrator but fresh out of
college with a BS in computer science as an IT professional. The running joke
with my judges at that time was that this court was limited by our city on what
positions could be filled. Technically, there was not an IT slot for our court.
The only position that was open was janitor class 4. So even though I was hired
as an IT professional, worked up and was promoted to a court administrator, and
even was verified in judicial administration through Michigan State University,
my senior judge always reminded me that I was hired in as ‘janitor class 4.’
Sure keeps me from feeling too big for my britches. Also, to the delight of my
senior judge, when we moved into our brand new courthouse in 2013, the upstairs
janitor closet is next door to my office. My judge says it keeps me close to my
roots.”
Tim Leger, Lake Charles City Court/Lake
Charles
“I
was a central staff attorney at my court when the court administrator/clerk of court
position became vacant. I knew the court judges and personnel, but very little,
if anything, about court administration. When I decided to interview for the
position, I researched and read everything I could get my hands on about court
administration and state courts, including the many wonderful resources
provided by NACM. I had several judges tell me I ‘hit the ball out of the park’
during my interview because I was so well prepared. A decade later, NACM is
still a vital resource. My new court leadership values educational and
networking opportunities, so I plan to renew my membership in NACM and stay
active in Louisiana Court Administrators Association.”
Lillian Richie, Second Circuit Court of
Appeal/Shreveport
“I
was working for the court as court reporter for 13 years when the court
administrator position was created. Since I had obtained my Master of Business
Administration and Master of Arts in industrial/organizational psychology by
the time this position came open, the judges considered my interest in the
position. The profession was relatively new at the time, and I faced many
obstacles in validating the position with our court. I got involved with NACM
and served on the board and ultimately as its president. I also received my
fellowship with the Institute for Court Management, all of which helped substantiate
the importance of court administration.”
Suzanne Stinson, 26th JDC (ret.), Bossier City
2. How did you first get involved in NACM?
“When
I first started to work at the court as a judge’s secretary, my administrator
talked me into going with her to a Louisiana Court Administrators Association meeting.
Soon after, I was promoted to assistant administrator at my court. While
attending Louisiana Court Administrators Association meetings, I heard Susie
Stinson give reports on NACM and what it offered and how it had
helped her throughout the years. I decided I needed to be a member of NACM and
see what NACM was all about. From there I have attended several conferences, as
well as gone online to the many publications they offer. They have a tool for
everything. NACM is always changing and always updating/staying with the
changes going on in the court system.”
Sara Brumfield, 21st JDC, Amite
3. What do you think are the greatest challenges that smaller/district/rural/ETC courts face?
“Rural courts
face many unique challenges, but the greatest challenges continue to be limited
resources for the court and the court users and geographical distances. Some of
our court users could potentially travel an hour for court appearances or to
participate in specialty courts. Limited resources, including public
transportation, mental health treatment, and substance abuse treatment,
continue to plague rural courts.”
George Coxen, 21st JDC, Amite
“Lately, it has
been finding good interpreters for the ever-growing population of Spanish people
moving into our district. Also,
certified court reporters aren’t plentiful in our rural district. Most of them
will be retiring soon and I don’t know what we will do. Lastly, our police jurors telling us they
have no more money and our 60-to-70-year-old buildings are becoming a major
problem and falling down around us.”
Pam Dance, 3rd JDC, Ruston
4. How has your NACM membership helped you address some of these challenges?
“NACM is a valuable tool in addressing these challenges. Attending NACM conferences allows court leaders to improve operations by sharing ideas and approaches. Conferences also allow peer-to-peer conversations and learning from other NACM members. Vendors at these conferences have been very helpful to our courts in addressing issues with geographical distances. Our court has implemented videoconferencing to reduce inmate transport and space issues at our courts. With ideas discovered at NACM conferences, we are currently exploring other opportunities to take advantage of videoconferencing. Also, our residents can pay traffic tickets and fines online to eliminate some of the travel required to attend court sessions. Another valuable tool is nacmcore.org. Our court leaders consistently refer to the resources available on this site.”
George Coxen, 21st JDC, Amite
“My involvement in NACM
began with Scott Griffith. As a new administrator, I was interested in learning
all that I could about the position and how Orleans Parish Juvenile Court could
improve operations and efficiency. Scott introduced me to the NACM website and
suggested that I attend the next NACM conference. I believe that my first
conference was in Birmingham. I was immediately struck by the value of
membership. The information I have been able to gather through NACM has allowed
me to improve court policies and procedures and to more effectively manage the
court and the court staff.”
Ranord Darensburg, Orleans Juvenile Court, New Orleans
5. Tell us about something that makes your court unique.
“Even
though all our Louisiana Court Administrators Association members hail from
either the supreme court, courts of appeal, district, city, parish, or municipal
court, the one thing that makes our court unique is that we are Cajuns.
Historically, Acadians migrated primarily from the Vendee region in France to
the Nova Scotia region in Canada. Due to unrest and persecution, the Acadians
were exiled to France, the Caribbean, Britain, and British colonies. Our
current-day “Cajuns” came from these groups that settled in the Louisiana
state. . . .[T]his union of cultures, French Louisianans and Acadians, brings
us to our present state of Louisiana. Unlike other states, instead of counties
we have parishes, probably from deep roots within the Catholic faith. Most
importantly, our civil code derives from the Napoleonic Code instead of an
English-based legal system. While our way of life in the courts mirror many of
our American counterparts, there are subtle differences in how we process legal
matters that make us a unique court system. Coupled with this uniqueness is the
Cajun way of holding on to tradition while making the most of the present.
Today, one of our greatest challenges is to modify and unify our legal system
that is a non-unified court system into a system that is relevant and needed in
the 21st century. To this goal, NACM has provided a unique opportunity to learn
as we transform our court system.”
Tim Leger, Lake Charles City Court, Lake Charles
6. The Louisiana Court Administrators Association is very active in the state. What special events do they hold, and how do they assist their members?
“Louisiana
Court Administrators Association offers an annual spring and fall conference,
which is in conjunction with Louisiana District Judges’ Association Conference.
Having these annual events together allows administrators to directly network
not only with other court administrators but other judges. It also presents an
availability of court administrators to share information with courts/judges
who don’t have administrators. These judges notice our efforts and what Louisiana
Court Administrators Association is offering to administrators. Louisiana Court
Administrators Association also holds an annual workshop in which the agenda is
focused on ‘events’ that are being addressed in our state’s courts. Since
administrators range from various courts, there is always a topic that will
touch on recent trends not only in Louisiana but across the nation. In
addition, the workshop provides a “safe” environment in which administrators
can convey their concerns to other court administrators in a place where
there’s understanding and problem techniques immediately available.”
Hope LaFleur, 9th JDC, Alexandria
“Louisiana
Court Administrators Association offers a workshop every year. Having this annual event allows us to
directly network with other administrators. The trainings are great, and I have
learned so much throughout the years that I would have never learned without
it. I was appointed a mentor from the beginning, and I don’t know what I would
have done without him! Also, the annual spring and fall conference, which gives
us another avenue of learning and networking with other people having the same
problems we have and learning how to handle them. By being a member of Louisiana Court
Administrators Association, I was verified in judicial administration through
Michigan State University. This was a five-year course, and Louisiana Court
Administrators Association was so helpful in giving me time to finish it.”
Pam Dance, 3rd JDC, Ruston
Column Contributors
Sara F. Brumfield, Court Administrator, 21st Judicial District Court (Amite)
- 9 judges
- Became administrator in 2002/started with the court in 1987 as a judge’s secretary
- NACM member since 2003
George R. Coxen, Jr., Executive Assistant, 21st Judicial District Court (Amite)
- 9 judges
- NACM member since 2010
Pam Dance, Judicial Administrator, 3rd Judicial District Court
- 3 judges
- Promoted to judicial administrator in 2003
Ranord J. Darensburg, JD, RSW, Orleans Juvenile Court
- 5 judges
- Judicial administrator since 2012
- NACM member since 2016
Hope LaFleur, Court Administrator, 9th Judicial District Court
- 7 judges
- NACM member since 2001
Tim Leger, Court Administrator, Lake Charles City Court
- 2 judges
- NACM member since 2002
Lillian Evans Richie, Judicial Administrator/Clerk of Court, Second Circuit Court of Appeal
- 7 judges
- NACM member since 2001, Louisiana Court Administrators Association member since 2010, prior NACM member (budgetary reasons)
Courtney Schroeder, Deputy Judicial Administrator, Jefferson Parish Juvenile Court
- 3 judges
- NACM member since 2018
Suzanne Stinson, Court Administrator (ret.), 26th Judicial District Court
- 6 judges
- NACM member since 1994
ABOUT THE EDITOR
Dawn Palermo is the judicial administrator at Jefferson Parish Juvenile Court, Louisiana.
