Illinois Supreme Court Seeks Clerk

The Illinois Supreme Court is seeking an experienced attorney to serve as the court's clerk.

The clerk of the Supreme Court is an officer appointed by the Court (Ill. Const. 1970, Art. VI, § 18 (a)), reports to the court, and serves at the court’s pleasure. This senior level position is the court’s principal case processing and records manager who operates the clerk’s main office in Springfield and a satellite office in Chicago through a staff of 13 deputies whom the clerk recruits, selects, trains, and supervises. The clerk is also responsible for planning, developing, and implementing policies and procedures necessary to execute the responsibilities of the  office.

The start date for this position is December 1, 2021.

Responsibilities include:

• Oversees and evaluates the functioning of four distinct automated dockets and all associated processes to ensure compliance with Supreme Court rules and effective tracking and scheduling of cases from initiation to issuance of mandates and final orders.
• Plans, prioritizes, assigns, supervises, and reviews the work of 13 deputies and oversees the daily operations of the Office of the Clerk of the Supreme Court.
• Interprets and applies relevant Supreme Court rules and compiles, analyzes, and reports statistics on the court’s case load.
• Keeps track of Supreme Court boards and commissions vacancies and appointments.
• Coordinates the filing of Supreme Court opinions and rule amendments.
• Responsible for the Supreme Court’s active and closed files and permanent records, dating to 1818.
• Maintains the master roll of attorneys and oversees the licensing process.
• Registers and annually renews professional service corporations and associations, and limited liability companies and partnerships engaged in the practice of law.
• Files annual judicial financial disclosure statements required of state court judges.
• Routinely writes reports for the court on legal and administrative subjects, including a body of memoranda on attorney discipline cases ready for disposition each term of court; and initiates or undertakes projects as directed.
• Fosters critical working relationships with offices of the judicial branch, Supreme Court agencies, and state and county departments.
• Performs special projects and tasks as requested by the court and participates on project teams as necessary.

Experience and requirements: 

• Requires a Juris Doctor degree from ABA-approved law school and license to practice law in Illinois or other state or territory of the United States or District of Columbia.
• Minimum of 8 years of progressively responsible administrative experience in public or private sector which provided a thorough understanding of the functioning of an organization and a general understanding of court operations, including a minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible, substantial, and successful experience in a management or supervisory role. Through this experience the incumbent should have gained the ability to sustain a high level of organizational excellence, exercise consistently sound  judgment, and maintain unfailingly professional demeanor.
• Ability to communicate clearly and concisely, orally and in writing.
• The active practice of law may be substituted for up to 2 years of administrative and managerial experience; experience in the private practice of law is beneficial.
• Experience in court administration is desirable, including familiarity with electronic case processing/filing programs and software.
• Experience scheduling and facilitating remote meetings using programs such as Zoom, WebEx, or Microsoft Teams is also desirable.
• The successful candidate must possess the analytical, organizational, communication, and legal skills necessary to execute responsibilities at the highest level of competency.

Applicant must submit a letter of interest (addressed to the Honorable Anne M. Burke, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Illinois), resume, completed Judicial Branch Employment Application, and self-edited writing sample of no more than 5 pages to: courtemployment@illinoiscourts.gov

This position will remain open until filled. However, those individuals submitting materials by June 25, 2021 will be given first consideration.