Employee performance management is a fundamental component of leadership and directly supports the judiciary’s mission to uphold the rule of law. After all, employees are the backbone of the court. To that end, in my career as a court administrator I made improving employee performance a high priority. In that time, I learned a lot … Continue reading Performance Previews, NOT Reviews
AVA and the Courts: What Can We Learn from Alaska’s Bold Experiment with Artificial Intelligence?
February 17th, 2026, Court Leader’s Advantage Podcast Episode Brought to You in Cooperation with the National Association for Court Management Alaska has quietly become a brave path-finder in court-based artificial intelligence. Last month, the state released the Alaska Virtual Assistant (AVA), an AI chatbot designed to help court users navigate the probate court system. The path … Continue reading AVA and the Courts: What Can We Learn from Alaska’s Bold Experiment with Artificial Intelligence?
Workplace Mediation: Can It Change the Way We Handle Conflict? What Courts Need to Know
January 20th, 2026, Court Leader’s Advantage Podcast Episode Brought to You in Cooperation with the National Association for Court Management Workplace mediation is rapidly becoming an accepted management tool across the U.S. Organizations facing rising conflict, legal exposure, and employee burnout are increasingly turning to mediation to resolve disputes and restore working relationships. In fiscal year … Continue reading Workplace Mediation: Can It Change the Way We Handle Conflict? What Courts Need to Know
Can Hiring a Court Manager Be Merit-Based?
December 16th, 2025, Court Leader’s Advantage Podcast Episode Brought to You in Cooperation with the National Association for Court Management There are strong arguments favoring selection of court managers based on objective merit-focused criteria. While there is little desire to expand the “merit system” to the managerial level, hiring and promotion decisions rooted in proven … Continue reading Can Hiring a Court Manager Be Merit-Based?
Court Leadership and Professional Competencies, Issue #11 – Six Essential Leadership Skills
This issue includes six essential leadership skills.
2025 WJP Rule of Law Index
The 2025 Rule of Law Index of the World Justice Project paints a dismal picture of the state of the Rule of Law around the world. We need to take action to reverse the downward trend in far too many countries.
Fulfilling the Public’s Trust: Competency
Competency is the sum of the knowledge and skills required for effective performance.
Court Leadership and Professional Competencies, Issue #9 – Court Administration Hierarchy
This issue reviews a hierarchy of court leader KSAs.
Disengaged and Disappearing: What Is the Threat to Our Courts?
September 16th, 2025, Court Leader’s Advantage Podcast Episode Brought to You in Cooperation with the National Association for Court Management Employee disengagement is a critical national issue, one that quietly undermines productivity, economic growth, and workplace culture across the United States. According to a 2024 Gallup Corporation report: Only 33% of Employees are Actively Engaged … Continue reading Disengaged and Disappearing: What Is the Threat to Our Courts?
NACM’s 40th Anniversary Conference’s Outstanding Education Program
Last month I attended the National Association for Court Management (NACM)[i] annual conference in Omaha, where we celebrated NACM’s 40th anniversary. As a Charter Member of NACM, it was wonderful to see how much NACM has grown and achieved over the decades. At the conference there was great professional networking, a fine vendor exhibition, and … Continue reading NACM’s 40th Anniversary Conference’s Outstanding Education Program
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