Who Is In Charge?

Absent some emergency, if you are not on the court’s docket, you will not be able to see the Judge.  The person who is the gatekeeper is called the court coordinator.  Every court as a court coordinator.  This may be the singular most important important in the court, other than the Judge. 

A court coordinator manages, directs, supervises, coordinates and plans the operations of courts and to assist the judiciary in making certain decisions, except those judicial decisions required by law to be made by judges.  The court coordinator may dictate the amount of time you get in front of the judge and what may be set on any given day.  You do not want this person mad. 

After you filed your pleading, you should reach out to the court coordinator and request dates for your motion.  The court coordinator’s name and contact information should be on each specific court’s website through the county. Always remember to copy the opposing party or attorney in all your correspondence with the court.   If you fail to copy the other party or attorney in these correspondence, the court may reschedule the hearing.

Although the court coordinator is considered the gatekeeper, he or she is not typically an attorney and may not give you legal advice.  As frustrating as this may be to self-represented litigants, the coordinator cannot tell you what to file or what predict what the Judge will do.