The Clerk of Superior Court is elected for a four-year term and must be a resident of the county in which he or she is elected. Unlike clerks of court in other states, the Clerk of Superior Court in North Carolina has numerous judicial functions. As judge of probate, the Clerk has exclusive original jurisdiction over matters relating to the probate of wills, and the administration of estates, including appointing personal representatives, auditing their accounting, and removing them from office if necessary. The Clerk also presides over many other legal matters including adoptions, incompetency proceedings, condemnation of private lands for public use, and foreclosures. The Clerk is responsible for all clerical and record-keeping functions of the district and superior court. In addition, the Clerk receives and disburses money collected each year from court fees and fines.
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Position/philosophy statement
As the only licensed attorney in the race, I bring a deep understanding of the legal system, a commitment to ethical conduct, and a long-standing reputation for integrity.
Current Occupation
Attorney
Campaign Phone
704-699-0077
As the only licensed attorney in the race, I bring over 24 years of experience in the practice of law. I have run my law office in Concord since 2001 and am currently licensed and on active status in both NC and SC. During my time in practice I have handled cases in family law, small claims, personal injury, involuntary commitments, criminal defense, estate litigation and more. I am a former adjunct professor of business law at Montreat College, Vice President of a 501(c)(3) that promotes literacy, former Board Member of the Cabarrus County Teen Court and Mediation Department, former Teen Court volunteer Judge and worked at Duke Energy for 17 years before leaving to attend law school. I held several leadership roles while at Duke Power.
The Clerk of Court's office badly needs new leadership and management. The most important issue deals with personnel in the office and insuring that the right people are in the right positions. Morale needs to be improved and integrity needs to be restored. Employees need a sense or working towards a shared goal and leading by example is the best way to achieve that. There needs to be consideration of expanding the role of the Clerk where possible and to work more closely with all stakeholders in order to relieve stress placed upon the court system by population growth and the corresponding pressure that accompanies it. With increased pressure there will no doubt also be the need for technology and someone at the helm that understands it.
While some changes in personnel would be immediate, others would take a little time. During the first 60 days I intend to meet with each employee individually as well as stakeholders who depend on the Clerk's office such as law enforcement, attorneys, bondsmen, District Attorney, Judges and, most importantly, members of the public. The Clerk needs to understand what all of these stakeholders need from the office in order to lead the office effectively and to make the system function more efficiently. The Clerk also needs to communicate to these same stakeholders anything that may assist the Clerk's office in performing their role. Proper training also needs to be emphasized in order to reduce errors and duplicative work.
My goal is to make the Cabarrus County Clerk of Court’s Office the best and most efficient in the state of North Carolina. With strong leadership, clear communication, and a deep respect for the law and the people it serves, I will ensure the office operates with the highest standards of professionalism, responsiveness, and ethical responsibility. I am ready to serve with integrity and experience you can trust.
Candidate has not yet responded.
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