From:	Clark V. Stewart

To:	Circuit Judge Shaun Malone

Presiding Circuit Judge Allen Millican

Re:	Law Clerk I Position

I am in a rather difficult situation regarding my employment with the Etowah County Courthouse. As it stands my daily income as a part-time level I bailiff is $82.40 per day with no benefits. I am requesting that I be hired on a full-time basis as a Level I Law Clerk when the new budget takes effect in October. Below is an outline of my reasoning.

I. Current Situation

1. I currently earn $82.40/day with No Benefits. This is the standard pay for part-time bailiffs.

2. Unlike the other bailiffs, I work 40 hours/week, or full-time.

3. I am the Sole Source of Income at this time for my wife and I.

4. We cannot afford to visit the hospital without insurance.

5. I also have financial responsibilities that I must meet: bills, expenses, law school, etc.

If I am employed at the current starting pay for a full-time Level I Bailiff I will be taking a large pay cut per day. This is money that I desperately need to support my wife and I.

1. As a full-time Level I Bailiff I will earn approximately $66.21 per day.

2. This is a $16.19 pay cut from my current status as a part-time bailiff.

I understand that insurance will also be factored in as a benefit of this full-time employment, but I am also obligated to pay my wife's insurance premiums as well to provide for her healthcare. This money would be on top of the pay-cut I would receive.

This obviously places me at a financial disadvantage.

II. Level I Law Clerk

I would request to be hired as a Level I Law Clerk for the following reasons:

1. I am Uniquely Qualified for this position. No other bailiff meets the criteria of enrollment in a school of law.

2. I would be paid for services that I am already trained to do such as correspondence, research, and general clerical duties.

3. I would still maintain my duties as a Level I Bailiff. This new title simply adds the ability to research for His Honor.

4. Such a position would allow me to further aid His Honor, and thus increase the productivity of this office.

A. Salary

1. A Level I Law Clerk earns $96.69 per day.

2. This merely a $14.29 increase over my current salary.

This small raise would allow me to afford to pay my wife's insurance premiums as well as meet my current financial obligations.

B. AOC Salary Funds

The Administrative Office of Courts has entrusted our Presiding Judge Allen Millican with the duty of disbursing the limited funds to support the bailiffs, and such duty requires careful consideration. I understand that I would be taking a bigger portion of the available funds as a law clerk than a bailiff, but my request is a sensible one.

1. With Judge Rhea's bailiff retiring there is more money available for my position.

2. If hired as a Level I Law Clerk I would still make less money than Judge Rhea's bailiff did at her current pay tier.

III. Bottom Line

1. With the responsibilities of a Level I Law Clerk I could better assist Judge Malone on a day-to-day basis.

2. I will still be obligated to perform my duties as Judge Malone's bailiff.

3. I would be a bargain in that I could perform two tasks (that of maintaining court room order as a bailiff, and researching and clerical duties as a law clerk) at a cost less than that of a bailiff with 14 years experience who was very near the top of her pay scale.

4. Hiring me full-time would free up more of the county supplement for the other bailiffs.

5. With the increased salary I could better provide for my family.

Your Honor, you are in the position of increasing my value to this Court at far less than what it cost to maintain other bailiffs. Increasing my salary would not strain the funds as much as was the recent case. I could continue to provide a service - one that I feel is valuable and refreshing to the order, productivity, and reputation of this Court with less money on your part. I feel that I am a good fit here, a bargain, and I truly love what I do.

Your Honor, you are in the position to mutually benefit me, my family, and this Court. Please consider my request carefully and with a compassionate state of mind.

Sincerely,

Clark Vann Stewart