Mary Lou Martinson is the judicial assistant to Chief Judge Donald Moran. On July 1 she was elected president of the local Judicial Assistants Association of Florida, representing the 4th Judicial Circuit.
HOW LONG ON THE JOB?
She has been Moran’s judicial assistant since 1990. Previously, she was a J.A. for the late Judge Giles Lewis.
HAS SHE ALWAYS BEEN IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR?
“I was a legal secretary for a private practitioner [Alfred Scott] for 17 years. Because he was a new sole practitioner he had extra time, until he built up his clientele, to show me how to use statutes and law books to do research and look up cases.”
HOW DID SHE MOVE INTO THE COURT SYSTEM?
“Giles Lewis was a practicing attorney on the floor above us [when she worked for Scott]. After Lewis was appointed to the bench, he called and asked if I would be his assistant. When he retired, I went to work for Moran.”
HOW DIFFERENT IS THE
JOB NOW?
“Back then, Nassau County didn’t have a full-time judge so we [Martinson and Lewis] were in Nassau two days a week. A year later we were reassigned to Clay County. Then we came back to Duval. Around that time, Moran’s J.A. left. We [ [Martinson and Moran] were in the division for a year. He ran for chief judge, was elected, and has been here ever since. This is his sixth term.”
WHAT DOES HER JOB INVOLVE?
“Because Moran is the chief judge, he doesn’t necessarily run a calendar. There are 49 judges in the circuit and I work for them all. If they have a problem or a need, they call us. I do all the trial schedules for the judges and assign courtrooms every Monday morning. I also work with the court administration on problems or court items that need to be addressed. If a J.A. has a problem with the way the court system works, I arrange a meeting to smooth it out. I also deal with the chief judges across the state and the senior judges in Tallahassee. When a J.A. is out, I assign temporary floaters. If people are unhappy with their day in court, they usually end up here.”
SO SHE PROVIDES CUSTOMER SERVICE?
“My job is to have them leaving, hopefully, smiling. I have had people so irate that I can’t deal with them. I’ve had them poke me and shake their fingers in my face. I had one lady lock my door with us inside.”
HOW DOES SHE HANDLE THESE SITUATIONS?
“We have panic buttons under the desks to call officers to remove them. It’s not very often that I’ve had to do that. In the 10 years we’ve been here, I’ve only done that three times.”
WHY WAS THE J.A. ASSOCIATION FORMED?
“Our salaries and benefits are decided through the legislature, not the judges, so the J.A.s formed an association to hire a lobbyist to work on our behalf.”
WHAT ELSE DOES THE ASSOCIATION DO?
“We pick projects at Christmas for needy families. We’ve also contributed to the Sulzbacher Center for the Homeless and to Hubbard House. At meetings, we’ll share information to make our jobs easier.”
HOMETOWN
Jacksonville.
MAKING LEMONADE FROM LEMONS
“I come from a very large family; I am the oldest of six children. My mother has been widowed most of my life. By the time I was in ninth grade, I realized there was not much chance I would go to college because I needed to help my mom. Like many people, I had the dream of going to college.” While working part-time at St. Luke’s Hospital, Martinson went to night school for training in shorthand and typing. After graduating, she went to work for Scott.
FAMILY TIES
Martinson and her husband live on the Southside next door to her son. She has two grown children, Richard and Tommy, two grandchildren and one more grandchild on the way.
OFF THE CLOCK
Martinson enjoys swimming, aerobics, jazzercize, shopping and bingo.
— by Monica Chamness