clerk’s alert for

attorneys and staff

Betty J. Gould

Thurston CountyClerk

March 4, 2009______

Change in Process ofCalendar Confirmations

With the budget issues within the county and cuts put in place by the Board of County Commissioners, we have faced the loss of seven (7) staff. This has created a very large gap in the work required to meet the needs of the public, attorneys and judicial officers. As a result, the administrative team of the Clerk’s Office has made some decisions regarding processes and procedures that can be enhanced, changed or eliminated which will result in time savings for staff and hopefully a benefit to you also.

The first issue we addressed was calendar confirmations. It is the decision of this office to not accept faxed confirmations effective March 16, 2009. All confirmations will be handled through our website by clicking on “hearing confirmations”on the left side of the home page. The process is easy to use and you will receive verification of your confirmations. This new process is effective for all calendars requiring confirmations as follows:

TIME / DAY / CALENDAR / CONFIRM
9:00 / Tuesday / Family Law w/Attorney / 10:00 a.m. 2 court days prior to calendar
9:00 / Tuesday / Probate/Guardianship / 12:00 noon 3 court days prior to calendar
1:30 / Tuesday / Judge’s Motion to Revise; Change of Venue / 10:00 a.m. 3 court days prior to calendar
9:00 / Tuesday / RALJ Appeals / 12:00 noon 3 court days prior to calendar
9:00 / Thursday / Family Law w/Attorney / 10:00 a.m. 2 court days prior to calendar
9:00 / Friday / Civil Motion Calendars / 12:00 noon 3 court days prior to calendar
2:00 / Friday / Concurrent/Conflict FL Commissioner / 10:00 a.m. 2 court days prior to calendar
9:00 / Tuesday / Concurrent/Conflict Juvenile Commissioner / 10:00 a.m. 2 court days prior to calendar
9:00 / Friday / ALR/DOL / 12:00 noon 3 court days prior to calendar
10:00 / Friday / Unlawful Detainer / 12:00 noon 3 court days prior to calendar

Page Two

March 6, 2009

Updated Notices of Issue containing our confirmation process will be available on our website at by clicking on Forms Available.

On February 25, 2009 I forwarded information to you regarding placing the attorney Family Law Calendars for Tuesday and Thursday online. These calendars will reflect confirmation, strikes and continuances. It will not be updated after the initial posting to reflect any additional changes.

Information regarding the Family Law calendarsis now available online after the confirmation deadline. Confirmation deadline for Tuesday calendar is Friday at 10:00 o’clock. Confirmation deadline for Thursday calendar is Tuesday at 10:00 o’clock. We will be posting the calendars in the afternoon on the day of the confirmation deadline.

As indicated above - the calendars will reflect confirmation, strikes and continuances and will not be updated after the initial posting to reflect any additional changes. Originally we had anticipated e-mailing to local attorneys information regarding continuances of the case. We have reviewed that process and feel that it would be more beneficial to your office and the Clerk’s office if you simply viewed the calendar online. The calendar will reflect the status of your case.

Once you have had the opportunity to use this process, please feel free to express any concerns or suggestions that would be beneficial for all users. Thank you for your support.

THURSTON COUNTYCLERK

Betty J. Gould

BETTY J. GOULD

F:\CLERK ALERTS & MEDIA\Clerk Alert Email Confirmations2009.doc