Courthouse Confidential: Unveiling Lessons Learned in Leading and Managing Trial Court Organizations
Edition: 1
Copyright: 2022
Pages: 370
Edition: 1
Copyright: 2022
Pages: 370
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Courthouse Confidential provides a groundbreaking approach to the study of management and leadership in a justice environment. Through a variety of case studies drawn from the author’s professional experiences which he creatively blends with an extensive review of the literature, it coalesces the practical and intellectual, so that it is relevant, timely, and most importantly actionable. Centered on an empirically based paradigm around 10 core elements of court administration including court culture, leadership, strategic management and long-term planning, community engagement, stakeholder collaboration, human resources management and consultation, information technology management, operations management, funding and budget management, and caseflow management, this book is a primer for academics, administrators, and judges in the study and practice of leading and managing the trial courts.
Author’s Note
Acknowledgments
Foreword
Preface
INTRODUCTION
Purposes and Responsibilities of the Courts
Leadership
Court Culture
Caseflow Management
Information Technology Management
Community Engagement
Stakeholder Collaboration
Human Resources Management and Consultation
Operations Management
Funding and Budget Management
Strategic Management and Long-Term Planning
Generic Questions for Consideration
LEADERSHIP
Setting
Case Study
Aftermath
Lessons Learned
The Word Judge Is a Noun and Verb
The Implications of Judicial Decision Making
Widen When Appointed to Leadership Positions
Judges Are Only Human
Judges (as Public Sector Leaders) Are Human Beings with an *
LEADERSHIP
Setting
Case Study
Aftermath
Lessons Learned
Right Decisions Are Not Always Convenient
There Is Some Leverage to Being a New Leader
There Is a Chasm between Textbook Management and Actual Management
There Is an Art and Practice to Engaging the Chief Judge
Not Saying Something Sometimes Says Something in Time, There’s Truth
Successful Court Administrators Have Common Characteristics
Great Leaders Come from El Dorado
COURT CULTURE
Setting
Case Study
Aftermath
Lessons Learned
Organizational Culture Makes Everything Possible (and Impossible)
The Proof of Leadership Is in Its Actions, Not Its Statements
Normal Is Defined by the Court Culture
A Core Team Is Critical
Shifting the Culture Forward Sometimes Requires a Pause
CASEFLOW MANAGEMENT
Setting
Case Study
Aftermath
Lessons Learned
Judicial Leadership
Stakeholder Consultation
Court Supervision
Benchmarks
Continuance Control
Early Dispositions
Information Systems
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT
Setting
Case Study
Aftermath
Lessons Learned
Principles for Implementing Courthouse Technologies
Public Interest as the First Priority
Drive Change Based on Empirical Evidence
Develop a Technological Architecture That Is Versatile
Hone a Technologically Astute Court Culture
Build a Broad Coalition of the Stakeholders and Chart the Course
Do Not Change the Rules Without Informing the Users
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Setting
Case Study
Aftermath
Lessons Learned
Design Matters if Leaders Care About Policy Outcomes
Reliability
Validity
Court Communication Is Fundamental
Positive Messaging
Honesty
Accessibility
Openness
Understandability
Credibility
STAKEHOLDER COLLABORATION
Setting
Case Study
Aftermath
Lessons Learned
Collaboration Yields What Its Leadership Delivers
Judges Are Not the Problem; It’s the Horses That Cost Money
There Are No Universal Program Applications
You Cannot Manage What You Do Not Measure
The Truth Is in the Details
Collaborations Are Driven by Relative Levels of Stakeholder Influence and Interest
HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT AND CONSULTATION
Setting
Case Study
Aftermath
Lessons Learned
Judges Manage Judges
Court Management Is (at Bottom) a People Business
Workplace Aggression Comes in a Variety of Shapes and Sizes
People Work for People, Not Organizations
Acta Non Verba
The Employment Life Cycle Is a Front-Loaded Process
Listening as the Most Critical Skill
Align Staff Wants with the Court’s Needs
OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT
Setting
Case Study
Aftermath
Lessons Learned
The Breadth and Depth of the Court Lie in Its Operations
Use the Power of the Desk Wisely
Trust but Verify
Operations Are Perpetual, Including Knowledge Attainment
A Flowchart Paints a Thousand Words
Know the When and How of Workflow Auditing
FUNDING AND BUDGET MANAGEMENT
Setting
Case Study
Aftermath
Communication
Core Areas
Expenditure Assessment
Organizational Restructuring
Lessons Learned
The Short and Long of Court Budgeting
People Are the Court’s Most Valuable Asset
Money Should Be Connected to Assigned Value and Deliverables
Good Public Stewardship Necessarily Means Fiscal Responsibility
The Importance of Communication Cannot Be Overstated
Extraordinary Crisis Brings Extraordinary Opportunity
Planning Is Pivotal
STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT AND LONG-TERM PLANNING
Setting
Case Study
Aftermath
Lessons Learned
First Things First: Define, Document, and Distribute the Plan
Recruit and Support Expert Personnel to Institute the Strategic Plan
Support and Incentivize Those Who Can Affect the Strategic Plan
Strategic Plans Must Be Adaptive and Necessitate Resources
Strategic Plans Are Cyclical and Must Be Regularly Actionable
The Strategic Management Journey Begins with a Single Step
CONCLUDING LESSONS (IN BRIEF)
This Above All: To Thine Own Self Be True
Begin with the End
Know Thy Chief Judge
Know Thy Management Team
It’s Not the Change, It’s the Transition
What You Count, Counts
The Court Is Not My Farm
A Trusted Mentor Is Priceless
The Craft Consumes
Strip or Retire
Concluding Thoughts
Appendix A
Appendix B
References
Giuseppe M. Fazari is a faculty member in the Criminal Justice Department at Seton Hall University. Prior to his current role in academia, he was a Chief Administrative Officer and Court Executive for the New Jersey Judiciary where he had overall responsibility in the areas of caseflow management, court facilities, projects and services, financial management, human resources, information systems, jury utilization, probation services, and records management. He also serves as faculty for the National Center for State Courts where he teaches caseflow management and court performance standards. He has served as a consultant and subject-matter expert throughout the United States and several countries spanning five continents. He is widely published in the field and is also the writer, director and producer of the award-winning feature documentary, Why They Kill, based on the book by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Richard Rhodes. Courthouse Confidential: Unveiling Lessons Learned in Leading and Managing Trial Court Organizations, is his second book. He holds a Ph.D. in higher education administration from Seton Hall University and is a Fellow of the Institute for Court Management.