Real-Life Decision Making
You're a court clerk for Judge Susan Meadows. That means that you
sit in the courtroom when she is presiding over a case. In this part of the
job, you swear in witnesses, mark and keep track of exhibits and generally
keep the court flowing for the judge.
Outside the courtroom, you're responsible for organizing and scheduling
the judge. "They don't just magically appear for cases," says Mike Finney.
He is a court clerk. "Judges have to be scheduled."
Organizing a judge's calendar can be complex. They are often busy,
and they may be asked to many more engagements than they can attend.
You can't be running to the judge every time there is a conflict in
her schedule. Sometimes you have to make decisions on how best to schedule
the judge's time.
Currently, you're scheduling your judge to speak at a weekend conference
for lawyers. The organizers would really like her to give the keynote address
when the conference opens on Friday afternoon.
It's an honor to be invited to speak at this large conference, so
you look at the judge's schedule. Unfortunately, she is booked to be
in court on that day.
However, it's for a trial that has been scheduled for two weeks, and
the Friday is the last day. You highly doubt that the trial will last the
full two weeks. You think the judge will actually be free Friday afternoon.
What do you do?