adayIntheLIFeoF …. aCourtCounSeL
Government lawyers Section Chairs : AlexaCline – StateAttorney ’ sOffice , ChristianKatchuk – 13thJudicialCircuitCourt & JudgeMarcMakholm – 13thJudicialCircuitCourt
Ittakesmanypeopleto efficientlyandeffectively operatethecourts ; I ’ mgratefulandproudto playmysmallpartinthe administrationofjustice .
Court Counsel — what ’ s that you ask ? A general counsel for the court system . In my world , the titles are synonymous , and I use them interchangeably . The titles explain the role . Like a general counsel for a business , court counsel is the general counsel of the assigned court . And like general counsels , court counsels are multi-focused and multi-purposed ; a “ jack of all trades , master of none ,” if you will . A necessity for the court system , particularly for larger circuits like those in the Tampa Bay region , you may be surprised to learn that less than half of Florida ’ s twenty circuits have general counsels . The general
job description of counsel for the court is the same for all , but the job duties may vary — a reminder of the unique demographics , geography , and needs of each circuit . I oversee the Office of Court Counsel ( also known as a legal department ), which houses three support staff and twenty staff attorneys , who provide legal research , legal writing , and legal advice to our sixty-nine judges . Court Counsel ’ s Office manages the many contracts of the court — think experts , mediators , language interpreters , and court-appointed attorneys — and directs the civil traffic hearing officer program , among other things . As Court
Counsel , I provide counsel to the Chief Judge and the Trial Court Administrator ( TCA ).
For me , as Court Counsel for the Sixth Judicial Circuit , the variety of my days reflects the array of my responsibilities . So rather than one single day , I ’ ll share a mashup . Most days begin early by choice . On the tenth floor of our office building next to the St . Pete Judicial Building , I work in the morning quiet , gazing at the breathtaking sunrise over Tampa Bay . By the time this article is published , our office will have relocated to a brand-new Annex facility next to the Criminal Justice
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