SALARY SURVEY

FOR THE

COURT OF APPEALS OF GEORGIA

POSITION:	Clerk/Court Administrator

ANNUAL SALARY:	$95,180.64

PAY RANGE:	Set by the Court

The clerk/court administrator is entitled to receive any annual merit increase appropriated by the General Assembly and approved by the Court. The clerk's duties are basically the same as outlined in the survey you provided. The functions of the court administrator are set out in the copies of the Internal Operations Manual which are attached. Basically, the court administrator functions deal with all management problems of the Court, outside of the classical clerk's office functions of being responsible for docketing, filing, tracking and publishing pleadings and opinions of the Court.

Included in that are the development and maintenance of the record retention schedule, the updating and distribution of the Court's Internal Operations Manual, the updating and publishing of the Court History, updating and publishing of the Court Rules, microfilming and developing of the microfilm protocol for the Court's documents, arranging and/or assisting in the arrangement of special Court functions such as swearing in the new chief judge, portrait unveiling or retirement ceremonies, meeting with the legislature and the governor's office on legislation effecting the Court of Appeals, developing and updating form orders used by central staff attorneys and staff attorneys with judge's offices, maintaining and updating the clerk's office Operations Manual, drafting and tracking legislation effecting the Courts, serving as a registered agent or lobbyist for the Court of Appeals to the General Assembly, serving as secretary to the Court's en Banc's meeting, preparing and distributing minutes of the Court's en Banc meeting, serving on the Electronic Dissemination Committee with representatives of the Supreme Court, State Bar Admissions, Supreme Court/Court of Appeals technical services division, preparing caseload statistical reports; assisting the Court's fiscal officer in budget preparation facilities and space management.

There are no statutory requirements for the position of clerk/court administrator. However, no clerk/court administrator has been hired that has not been a member of the State Bar of Georgia. Additionally, since I am the first clerk/court administrator of the Court, a background and a period of progressively responsible experience in court administration is required. The clerk/court administrator serves at the pleasure of the Court.

POSITION:	Deputy Clerk

Your position of chief deputy clerk is filled by my deputy. The deputy is responsible for the actual on-hand overseeing of the work of the other clerk's office personnel. The deputy can, and on occasion, does fill in for all of the positions in the clerk's office. The deputy receives all mail, opens it, clocks it in and dockets briefs and any filings pertaining to direct appeals of cases pending in the Court. The deputy assists in swearing-in new attorneys to the Court and answering questions of attorneys and pro se parties. The deputy marks and sorts briefs for the three divisions and the judges on those divisions. The salary is $53,579.04 and the pay range is set by the Court.

POSITIONS:	Docketing Clerks

There are two positions for docketing clerk. One position primarily handles civil and one position primarily handles criminal. The docketing clerks receive the records from the trial court. They check the record to make sure that the notice of appeal is proper and that a final appealable order is contained in the record. Additionally, they check the notice of appeal to ascertain that if a transcript has been denoted to accompany the record.

The docketing clerks assign the cases to the individual judges and divisions of the Court randomly assigned by using the four wheels on the Court's computer, the civil, criminal, interlocutory applications and discretionary applications. The docketing clerks answer questions from the trial court clerks regarding the preparation and transmission of the Court's records, deal with the attorneys regarding supplementing the records, send out docketing notices to the parties, prepare the Court's internal file on each case and send summary sheets to the judge's offices, that is sheets identifying the docketed appeal, lower court, county, judge, and the type of action. Salaries are $41,416.08 and $34,100.16. The difference in the salary is because of the longevity of the employees with the Court.

POSITION:	Orders/Calendar/Bench Docket Clerk

This position is responsible for sending out all orders from the Court, preparing the Court's oral argument calendars and sending them out, preparing the bench docket which is used by the Court during oral argument. Some of the Court's standard orders are generated by the orders clerk. Non- standard orders are prepared by the judges' offices and sent to the orders clerk to be disseminated to the attorneys. In addition the orders/calendar/bench docket clerk assists the clerk/court administrator or the deputy in the courtroom for check in at oral argument and stays in the courtroom during oral argument for the judges that require a clerk to be in the courtroom. Salary is $22,308.00.

POSITION:	Opinion/Remittitur Clerk

The opinion/remittitur clerk is responsible for sending out all opinions and remittiturs . The opinions clerk checks the judgment line, enters the Court's opinion on the Court's computerized docketing system, recording the vote of each individual judge on each case, whether concur, dissent, concurring judgment only, or the like. The remittitur clerk sends the remittitur out approximately 15 days after a final disposition in the Court, by order or opinion, unless a motion for reconsideration has been filed or a notice of intent. The remittitur clerk receives remittiturs from the Supreme Court on cert applications and sends the remittitur to the trial court and a notice of the remittitur to the attorneys. Salary is $27,473.76.

POSITION:	Applications Clerk

The applications clerk is responsible for receiving all interlocutory and discretionary applications, docketing same and sending out docketing notices. The applications clerk must check to make sure the applications contain a stamped file copy of the order being appealed, and on interlocutory applications, a stamped file copy of the certificate of immediate review. The applications clerk flags for central staff if any defects are in the application which may cause the application to be dismissed. The applications clerk sends out a standard form order for applications which have an amendable defect. The applications clerk also reviews the receipts and receipt list at the end of the day to double check the intake clerk's math and to identify any missing or lost receipts. Salary is $19,760.16.

POSITION:	Intake Clerk

The intake clerk is responsible for receiving all filings from walk-in parties, answering the telephone and directing calls to the respective areas of the clerk's office, answering telephone inquiries regarding rules and procedures, checking filings on the Court's computerized docketing system for telephone callers, having records pulled for attorneys and pro se parties who need the records to work on their brief; taking in all money and issuing receipts, processing attorneys who wish to get admitted to the Court of Appeals, putting published sites on the Court's computerized docketing system, updating, indexing and filing the role of attorneys who are admitted practice in the Court, having attorneys who are admitted to practice sign the role and receiving and signing for all deliveries made to the Court. Salary is $18,500.

POSITION:	Mail Clerk/File Clerk

This individual is responsible for picking up the mail two times a day, making a determination that all the certified mail signed for has actually been delivered, sorting the mail and delivering it to the judges' offices. Also makes entire Court deliveries to the judges' offices four times a day. The mail clerk/file clerk is responsible for filing all records, delivering records to the judges' offices when they are requested, making copies of briefs or records when requested, filing receipts, filing certified mail and registered mail lists and maintaining the general operation of the file room. Mail clerk/file clerk is also responsible for ordering and receiving copy paper, toner, envelopes and is responsible for the postage machine and ascertaining that there is always sufficient postage in the meter machine to accommodate the Court's needs. The mail clerk/file clerk is responsible for maintaining as well as retrieving and filing records from the Court's offsite records facility. The mail clerk/file clerk is also responsible for moving and storing any furniture. Salary is $33,589.68.

POSITION:	Administrative Assistant/Secretary to the Clerk/Court Administrator

Responsible for all stenographic and timely work to be done for the clerk/court administrator. Maintains the clerk's calendar and schedule. Assists the clerk in the implementation of the record retention schedule, contacting attorneys regarding records scheduled for destruction, prepares non- standard orders for the clerk/court administrator; research and administrative Court functions as the clerk/court administrator may direct. Responsible for assisting the clerk/court administrator in preparing for the Court's monthly Banc meeting; in preparation of Banc reports and other such reports. Assists the clerk/court administrator in the implementation of special projects by the Court. Assists the clerk/court administrator in providing administrative support to the chief judge, judge-in- charge of the clerk's office and the Court. Responsible for establishing and maintaining a filing system for active and closed files of the clerk/court administrator. Assists the clerk/court administrator in case assignments from judges' offices to the senior judge or to other judges on the Court. Serves as back up for personnel as directed by the clerk/court administrator. Salary is $32,433.85. Enclosed, please find a copy of the salary schedule for the Court's administrative assistant.

POSITION:	Fiscal Office

The fiscal office has two positions, the fiscal officer and the assistant fiscal officer. The fiscal office is responsible for auditing the receipts from the clerk's office, balancing clerk's office and other Court books, responsible for all payroll, taxes, purchasing, facilities management, budget preparation and budget appropriation, and ascertaining that the Court is in compliance with all State and Federal laws and regulations regarding payrolls and employees. The fiscal office also does entrance and exit interviews with all employees, explaining all available state benefits, both mandatory and optional, does all deposits for the Court, cuts and delivers all checks. Salary of the fiscal officer is $74,126.88, and the assistant fiscal officer is $45,011.28.

POSITION:	Central Staff Attorneys

The Court has five central staff attorneys positions. Central staff screens every case that is docketed with the Court to make sure it is jurisdictionally proper before the Court of Appeals. Central staff will fill out a jurisdictional review sheet or checklist of be included in the file folder. If jurisdiction is not proper before the Court, central staff will do a memorandum to the Court pointing out what central staff feels is the jurisdictional problem. Central staff also reviews each interlocutory and discretionary application coming before the Court. Central staff will make a recommendation as to whether the application should be granted or denied. A proposed order will go to the Court recommending granting or denying with attached memorandum explaining central staff's position. All staff attorneys are paid according to a scale, copy of which is attached.

POSITION:	Floating Staff Attorneys

The Court has three floating staff attorney positions. Floating staff attorneys fill in during staff attorney absences in judge's offices, due to vacation, maternity leave or vacancies. Some floating staff attorneys serve with senior appellate judges who assist the Court. One floating staff attorney serves as the permanent attorney for the senior appellate judge. Salary: See attached salary scale for staff attorneys.

POSITION:	Staff Attorneys

Each judge's office has three staff attorneys. Staff attorneys are responsible for reviewing records, transcripts, briefs, etc., and assisting the Court in drafting opinions.

POSITION:	Administrative Assistant

Each judge has an administrative assistant who performs secretarial duties and administrative duties for the judges' office. Duties include meeting and greeting the public, answering judge's telephone, maintaining an internal log in the judge's office if a case is assigned to a judge, making sure that cases are circulated properly to the Division, seven judge Court or the ten judge Court, responsible for the judgment line in cases in which the administrative assistant's judge offers the opinion, responsible for making copies of the opinions, bringing them to the clerk's office and logging them in when they are complete, and doing such other tasks and assignments as may be given to them by their respective judges. Salary: See attached salary scale for Administrative Assistants.

POSITION:	Floating Administrative Assistant

Floating administrative assistants serve in the judge's offices during vacancies or absences of the regular administrative assistant. Salary: See attached salary scale for Administrative Assistants.

POSITION:	Technical Services

Technical services corresponds to the information systems analyst in your survey. The Court has three technical service employees. The director of technical services and a first and second assistant. Technical services provide all programming, maintenance, training, upgrading, of the Court's computerized docketing system and all computers, wordprocessors, printers in the Court of Appeals and reporter's offices, approximately 100 machines. Also responsible for all wiring and anything associated with the Court's automated docketing system, electronic dissemination of cases and all technical services. Salary of the director of technical services works on a annual contract of $90,099.84. The Assistant Technical Services I salary is $52,333.92. The Assistant Technical Services II salary is $39,519.84 both are set by the Court.