JUDICIAL CORNER
Top 10 List to Make our Judicial Assistants and
Courtroom Deputies' Lives Easier
JUDGE SAMANTHA FEUER
On March 10, 2020, I presented the following
Top 10 list at the Judicial Personnel
Appreciation Lunch hosted by the Palm
Beach County Chapter of the Florida
Association for Women Lawyers. These are
simple, yet important, recommendations
for attorneys and their staff. At the request
of PBCBA President, Jessica Callow, I am
pleased to share this list with all PBCBA
members. I hope you find them informative
and useful. Remember, court staff can be
your best friends or your worst enemies, so
please guide yourself accordingly.
1. Be nice!
The
Judicial
Assistant
(“JA”)
and
courtroom deputy (“deputy”) are an
extension of the judge, and you get more
with honey than you do with vinegar.
Also, the judges often speak to their staff,
and will surely hear about anyone who
might have been rude, inappropriate or
unprofessional. Furthermore, this includes
your conversations with opposing counsel
before or after a hearing while the deputy is
in the courtroom.
5. Please put your case number and case
name in your emails to the court.
This makes the JA’s life so much easier.
Believe it or not, we do not memorize every
case name and number! Leave the Court
off your emails with opposing counsel. We
don’t need to see those, and you probably
don’t want us to see them!
6. No gifts! Never ever, never!
Jurist of the Year
2020
This INCLUDES JAs and deputies.
7. The JA and deputy are not your therapists,
your parents, your paralegals, or your
associates.
Please do not treat them as such! It is not
their job to give you legal advice or mediate
your issues with opposing counsel. The
JA and the deputy work for the judge and
not for you. The deputy’s primary job is to
protect the judge, then the public.
8. Be careful befriending JAs and deputies
on social media.
You don’t want to be accused of ex parte
2. Be sure to check the Division Instructions communications.
and Local Rules before calling the JA.
9. Your word is your bond
If you are calling the JA with a question, it
might be answered there.
If you tell a JA or a deputy you are going to
do something, do it, because chances are
3. Be prepared to submit all orders electron- the judge knows about the commitment you
ically, even those after a hearing in court.
made.
We are moving to a completely paperless
system, pursuant to the Florida Supreme
Court, and all orders must now be electronic,
as opposed to paper handed in court. If you
have a hearing and the judge rules, everyone
will soon have a computer available in the
courtroom to draft your order and send
same to the judge to sign electronically. You
can also send the proposed orders ahead of
time to the court via the online system.
North County Section’s
10. Finally, and most importantly, thank the
JAs and deputies and thank them often.
Court staff work so hard and are paid so little.
A simple thank you is often overlooked, but
really goes a long way.
A sincere thank you to our amazing JAs
and deputies. The court system would not
be able to operate without their assistance,
time and dedication and we are eternally
4. The JA could be your best friend or your grateful for their service.
worst enemy, it’s up to you.
They are very busy, and they are human.
They have good and bad days like everyone
else. Treat them with kindness and respect.
After all you want your hearings set, right?
PBCBA BAR BULLETIN 13
The North County
Section’s Jurist of the
Year for 2020 has been
selected! But, due to
the Coronavirus, we’re
forced to postpone our
signature event until
Thursday, October 1.
Please save the date.
We look forward to
safely seeing you in
October!