National Association for Court Management
2017 Midyear Conference | February 5-7, 2017
Portland, OR
February 2017
Hosts and Reporters are encouraged to attend this brief informational session to get details about the important role they play at the conference and to get last-minute details about the sessions for which they have signed up. NACM leadership and NCSC staff will be on-hand to answer questions.
The Doctor Is In program is a special on-site service which is offered solely to attendees of various national, regional and state court conferences throughout the year. The program offers conference attendees an opportunity to speak with one or more of NCSC’s court services professionals on any desired court topic, for no charge and with no further obligation. If you would like to make an appointment, please contact Kent Kelly @ [email protected]
Stop by the conference desk to complete the registration process and pick up your name badge. Please remember that NACM is a green conference – you will not receive printed speaker materials or biographies. Those can be accessed on the conference webpage here. Staff is available at the desk to assist you with any questions you may have throughout the conference.
Speakers from the National Advisory Board on Community Engagement in the State Courts and from the Arkansas Administrative Office of the Courts will provide NACM members with an update on this important initiative, which is working to develop tools for courts to engage with minority and disadvantaged communities, ensure equal access to justice, and build public trust and confidence in the judiciary. Representatives will share work underway on the listening phase of the initiative, including the televised “Courting Justice” series.
Introduction:
Vicky Carlson, NACM President-Elect
Speakers:
James D. Gingerich, Director, Administrative Office of the Courts, Little Rock, AR
Hon. Jimmie Edwards, Circuit Judge, 22nd Judicial Circuit, St. Louis, MO
Rev. Aundreia Alexander, Esq., Associate General Secretary for Justice and Peace, National Council of Churches of Christ, USA, Washington, DC
Hon. Ronald B. Adrine, Presiding Judge, Cleveland Municipal Court, Cleveland, OH
Materials:
Handouts
Media
Racial equity is a state where outcomes are no longer predictable by race. The process to get there requires more than desire and will. The process requires intentionality and vision. Being aware. Naming what is. Accurately assessing. Acknowledging our complex history. Across the last few years, following national unrest after traumatic events like in Ferguson, Missouri, there has been a renewed spotlight trained on the many disparities still experienced by racial minorities not only in the St. Louis but across the Nation. Forward Through Ferguson, the organization catalyzing implementation of the Ferguson Commission report in the St. Louis region, is developing a set of tools to help visualize the complexity of achieving Racial Equity, map a path forward, and showing the various layers and entry points for people and institutions across the nation.
Speaker: David Dwight IV, Catalyst, Communications and Strategy, Forward Through Ferguson
Materials:
Slides
Handout 1
Handout 2
Handout 3
The NACM Core® is the centerpiece of NACM’s educational content for court management professionals. NACM’s intent in promoting these new competencies goes beyond providing competencies for professionals working in court administration but to also promote excellence in the administration of justice and court management. The presenters will give an overview of the Core®, a summary of the content of these two competencies and how the curricula can be used in your court for training and professional development programs. Included will be examples of activities and discussion topics. The session will be interactive, and will invite attendee questions and comments, in an effort to share ideas and best practices on delivering educational content to current and future court leaders.
Speakers:
Kathryn Griffin, NACM Board Member & Court Administrator, St. Joseph County Circuit, Probate Court, Centreville, MI
Kevin Bowling, NACM Past President & Court Administrator, 20th Circuit Court, Grand Haven, MI
Alfred Degrafinreid II, NACM Board Member & Chief Deputy Clerk, Chief Administrative Office, Office of the Criminal Court Clerk, Nashville and Davidson County, Nashville, TN
Materials:
Slides
Public trust in courts is achieved through understanding and maintaining transparency and accountability. Judicial performance review systems provide information to the public and feedback to judges. Drawing on the experiences of the Arizona and Minnesota state courts, this session addresses the purpose, benefits, and administration of judicial performance evaluation systems.
Speakers:
Marcus W. Reinkensmeyer, Director of Court Services, Administrative Office of the Courts, Arizona Supreme Court, Phoenix, AZ
Kent Batty, Court Administrator (retired), Pima County Superior Court, Tucson, AZ
Marcy Podkopacz, Director of Research and Business Practices Divisions, Fourth Judicial District Court of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
Materials:
Slides
Handout 1
Handout 2
Handout 3
This presentation discusses the COSCA Policy Paper, “The End of Debtors’ Prisons; Effective Court Policies for Successful Compliance with Legal Financial Obligations (2015-2016).” The focus is on specific practices that courts can adopt to minimize the negative impact of court debt while ensuring accountability for individuals who violate the law.
Speakers:
David Boyd,State Court Administrator, Iowa Judicial Branch, Des Moines, IA
Callie T. Dietz, State Court Administrator, Administrative Office of the Courts, Olympia, WA
Jeff Shorba, State Court Administrator, Minnesota Judicial Branch, St. Paul, MN
Speaker Materials: Policy Paper
Slides
The show brings over 30 companies to a single location, providing attendees with a “one-stop” visit. These companies provide products and services to courts across the country. Be sure to stop in and discuss the opportunities they have to offer you and your court. ***The Exhibit Show will be closed from 2:30 – 4:45PM BUT will re-open at 4:45PM for the NEW Social Hour to be held in the Exhibit Hall***
Using social media can provide courts with a fast, simple, and effective way to communicate with the public. This session provide tips and tricks on using social media, including “Twitter 101” and social trends that can connect the court with the public, such as Youtube, Hootsuite, Yelp and Geocaching.
Speakers:
Casey Kennedy, Director, IRM, Office of Court Administration, Austin, TX
Michael Sommermeyer, Public Information Officer, Nevada Appellate Courts, Las Vegas, NV
Materials:
Slides
The nation and our communities are changing in what they expect of courts. There is no better example of this than the recent CCJ–COSCA resolution calling for meaningful access to justice for all (100% Access). As court leaders we need to understand this vision of 100% access. Can we fill in some details? What trends will affect it? How should our courts respond? Using the “PollEverwhere,” voting app, Phil and Peter will spark a lively and fast paced conversation on the group’s concept of the resolution, how our court customers will perceive it, and the trends that will affect it in the years to come.
Speakers:
Peter C. Kiefer, Civil Court Administrator, Maricopa Superior Court, Phoenix, AZ
Phillip Knox, Principal, KSA Consulting Solutions, LLC, Phoenix, AZ
Materials:
Slides
Handout 1
Handout 2
Handout 3
Court leaders play an integral role in helping a court earn public trust and confidence. Attendees will discuss and identify challenges for courts and court leaders, and will evaluate actions to demonstrate activism (leadership), assessment (and reengineering) and accountability (performance measurement). Participants will begin a personal action plan.
Speaker:
Janet Cornell, Court Consultant, Phoenix, AZ
Materials:
Slides
Handout
Structured around the newly released User-Friendly Courts Guide, this interactive presentation will encourage participants to explore the significance of facility design, internal stakeholder relationships, resources and technology and true neutrality in customer relations in building user-friendly courts. Today, it is often the case that self-represented litigants outnumber attorneys. While both groups must be served in a neutral way, services that create that neutrality may in fact be different. This session will give participants a chance to explore what this means not just on paper, but also how to implement sustainable and neutral solutions that improve public trust and confidence.
Speaker:
Renee Danser, District Court Administrator, 43rd Judicial District of Pennsylvania, Stroudsburg, PA
James Beight, Director Justice Architecture, Dewberry, Fairfax, VA
Sue Humphreys, Director, Industry Relations, equivant, Chicago, IL
Materials:
Slides
Handout
Courts have been working for over twenty years to clarify what staff can and cannot tell court users – what is information and what is legal advice. This program will take the topic beyond the basics of the distinction to the issues that managers and supervisors face in implementing it in the workplace.
Speaker:
John Greacen, Principal, Greacen Associates, LLC, Regina, NM
Materials:
Slides
Illinois Policy
Colorado Directive
This session will discuss strategies to create welcoming, bias free courthouses for LGBT litigants and LGBT employees. Key LGBT terminology will be explained and significant legal issues that LGBT people may face will be examined.
Speakers:
Lisa Cisneros, LGBT Program Director, California Rural Legal Assistance, Inc., Watsonville, CA
Ming Wong, Supervising Helpline Attorney, National Center for Lesbian Rights, San Francisco, CA
Materials:
Slides
Handout
Free is a very good price! Tight budgets for courts often mean that staff training and professional development move to the back burner. This interactive session will focus on free (and cheap) online resources for staff training and development. Would you like to know where to find those resources, and how they’re being used in courts today? Or, have you used this approach in your court, and can you share resources or implementation ideas with the group? Please join us!
Facilitators:
Roger Rand, It Manager, Multnomah OR Judicial Dept., Portland, OR
Ellen Haines, Applications Training Supervisor, Multnomah OR Judicial Dept., Portland, OR
Materials:
Slides
Oh my, what is a Court Administrator to do? In a small court, not only do you have to run the courtroom and clerk’s office, you are also the IT Department, Finance Department, Security Department, HR Department, Information Officer, and the list goes on and on. With the lack of resources small courts often face, the administrator is forced to be a Jack of all trades.
This session is intended to provide a forum for discussing situations and dilemmas small courts often face, and how fellow courts have addressed those issues.
Facilitator:
Dawn Williams, Administrator, Bremerton Municipal Court, Bremerton, WA
The Doctor Is In program is a special on-site service which is offered solely to attendees of various national, regional and state court conferences throughout the year. The program offers conference attendees an opportunity to speak with one or more of NCSC’s court services professionals on any desired court topic, for no charge and with no further obligation. If you would like to make an appointment, please contact Kent Kelly @ [email protected]
Important questions have arisen over the last several years concerning the imposition and enforcement of legal financial obligations and the ways courts, in coordination with their justice system partners, manage the pretrial release of individuals awaiting trial. As a way of drawing attention to these issues and promoting ongoing improvements, in 2016 the CCJ and COSCA established the National Task Force on Fines, Fees, and Bail Practices to develop recommendations that promote the fair and efficient enforcement of the law. Scott Griffith, a member of the Task Force Executive Committee, will lead a discussion to explore the work of the National Task Force and progress being made across the country to address fines, fees, and bail practices.
Speakers:
Jeff Chapple, Court Administrator, O’Fallon Missouri Municipal Court, O’Fallon, MO
Scott Griffith, Director of Research and Court Services, Texas Office of Court Administration, Austin, TX
Yolanda L. Lewis, District Court Administrator, 5th JAD, Superior Court of Fulton County, Atlanta, GA
Materials:
Sllides
Handout
Media
Discussing bias can generate an unsavory combination of defensiveness and blame, which has discouraged many courts from addressing the topic. This interactive presentation will explain some productive techniques for working with community stakeholders, court staff and judges to improve equity within your court.
Speakers:
Judge Adrienne Nelson, Multnomah Circuit Court, Portland, OR
Barbara Marcille, Trial Court Administrator, Multnomah Circuit Court, Portland, OR
Roger Rand, Information Technology Manager, Multnomah Circuit Court, Portland, OR
Materials:
Slides
This workshop will explore the key elements of comprehensive language access planning, focusing on language access services outside of court proceedings, judicial branch education, qualification of language service providers, and monitoring mechanisms. Panelists will also review use of signage, remote technologies, audio-visual materials, and community partnerships.
Speakers:
Jacquie Ring, Manager, Language Access Services, National Center for State Courts, Arlington, VA
Cristina Llop, Attorney and Certified Interpreter, Occidental, CA
Materials:
Slides
Debt collection, landlord/tenant, small claims, and contract cases involving small amounts comprise almost 80 percent of civil caseloads. This session will examine challenges associated with high-volume civil dockets and discuss recommendations recently adopted by CCJ and COSCA to address challenges and strengthen public trust and confidence in the civil justice system.
Speaker:
Paula Hannaford-Agor, Director, NCSC Center for Jury Studies, Williamsburg, VA
Speaker Materials:
Slides
Handout
Courts all struggle with finding the right people to get the job done so that they can service the public better. This session will explore the gap between requirements for moving forward and maintaining a culture that embraces the past. It will also discuss the new world of technologists and how they can impact the services the court can deliver to the public.
Speakers:
Heather Pettit, Chief Information Officer, Contra Costa Superior Court, Martinez, CA
Shannon Stone, HR Director/Attorney, Contra Costa Superior Court, Martinez, CA
Materials:
Slides
This interactive workshop focuses on the next frontier of evidence based practices – how to integrate lessons from social sciences into access to justice initiatives, resulting in better self-help materials to better ways of developing metrics and evaluating new and established court programs.
Speakers:
Christopher Griffin, Research Director, Access to Justice Lab, Harvard Law School
Ericka Rickard, Associate Director of Field Research, Access to Justice Lab, Harvard Law School
Materials:
Slides
Handout 1
Handout 2
When a case draws a spotlight – because of a volatile crime, a mass tort or a celebrity – the public expects court leaders to be ready to respond. This session will provide tools for navigating high-profile cases, including special considerations for jury selection, security, and managing both news and social media.
Speakers:
Beth Riggert, CCPIO President & Communications Counsel, Supreme Court of Missouri, Jefferson City, MO
Rick Pierce, Judicial Programs Administrator, Administrative Office of PA Courts, Mechanicsburg, PA
Materials:
Slides
In today’s busy society, time is more valuable than ever. Increasing efficiency is not only beneficial for the communities we serve, but also for our external partner agencies and the court. Continuing tight budgets and increasing population exacerbate the need to bridge the service gap. The driving force of this session is how leveraging technology solutions, and innovative processes can help courts efficiently meet community expectations and needs.
Speakers:
Amber Emery, Criminal Operations Manager, Multnomah County Circuit Court, Portland, OR
Nancy Harlan Crean, Civil Operations Manager, Multnomah County Circuit Court, Portland, OR
Bud Lee, Administration Services Manager, Multnomah County Circuit Court, Portland, OR
Materials:
Slides
The 2015 national survey conducted by the NCSC revealed “deep distrust” of courts within communities of color – consistent with similar findings over the last 30 years. New research on procedural fairness and implicit bias supports a new emphasis on an old idea – the color of the faces seen by the public in their interactions with the court system can positively impact the public’s trust and confidence in the system. Workplace diversity is more important than ever.
Speaker:
James D. Gingerich, Director of the Arkansas Administrative Office of the Courts
Materials:
Slides
Media
Resource
Since the CCJ/COSCA July 2015 resolution on Reaffirming the Commitment to Meaningful Access to Justice for All, multiple organizations have committed resources to achieving the aspirational goal of 100 percent access to effective assistance for essential civil legal needs. What is going on? How can your court participate?
Speaker: Hon. Laurie D. Zelon, Justice, California Court of Appeal, Second Appellate District, Div. 7, Los Angeles, CA
Materials:
Resource