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February 17, 2013

Circuit Clerk office work brings Lawson something different every day

By MATT CHRISTIAN Princeton Times

PRINCETON — No two days are the same for Mercer Chief Deputy Circuit Clerk Wendi Lawson.

Lawson explained during a break in the action that the circuit clerk’s office handles so many issues that she never knows what to expect from day to day. One day, it seems the front part of the office will receive nothing but divorce cases. Another day will bring people seeking personal recognizance bonds.

“You just never know what to expect,” Lawson said. “There are no typical days. We do anything domestic.”

Needless to say, the people who come into the circuit clerk’s office are not enjoying the best part of their lives. At times, they become overwhelmed with the paperwork required by state laws.

Lawson is quick to say that she and the ladies working in the circuit clerk’s office are not allowed to dispense legal advice. They’re also not allowed to fill in the forms for someone that comes into the office.

“When we see someone that’s upset, we try to be supportive and guide them along,” Lawson said.

She can also sympathize when someone comes in seeking a divorce. Lawson’s been down that road before as well. And she knows that it’s a road marked with potholes and speed bumps of all shapes and sizes.

“We try to answer all of the questions that people have up here,” Lawson said. “I know it can be frustrating to have to go to a lot of different people when you’re upset.”

Having started working in the circuit court office in 1991, Lawson said she’s pretty much handled a little bit of everything that goes through the office. When she first started, Lawson handled the issuing of divorce papers.

As she explained, when someone files for divorce, the party who they are divorcing has to be served a notice of their former partner’s actions. Once they have officially been served the paperwork, they have 30 days to answer the request.

Lawson also pointed to working within the court system as well. When a jury trial begins the circuit clerk is charged with asking the jurors questions and gathering information about them.

Depending on how many jurors the judge requests, this process can be a time consuming one.

She added that her job doesn’t end at the end of the workday either.

“A lot of times when I’m out somewhere, someone will see me and recognize me,” Lawson said as a slow day turned into a much faster one. “They’ll ask me questions about the processes while I’m grocery shopping.”

When she’s not at work or answering questions, Lawson enjoys spending time with her daughters, Haleigh, a freshman at West Virginia University, Kyleigh, and Joleigh. Lawson added that she made sure each girl would have her middle name, Leigh, as a part of their first names.

— Contact Matt Christian at mchristian@ptonline.net.

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