Salary board approves pay raises for law clerks, creates chief deputy position
The Butler County Salary Board approved significant pay raises for judicial law clerks and created a deputy chief clerk’s position in the commissioners’ office.
The board approved the raises for the law clerks after President Judge Michael Yeager said the clerks perform the same work as assistant district attorneys and public defenders, but are paid less.
Yeager said people in those three jobs prepare cases for trial. They have the same qualifications and could be hired for any of those positions, he said.
“We rely upon our law clerks,” Yeager said, speaking on behalf of all seven Common Pleas Court Judges.
The main difference is that law clerks don’t have to be members of the Bar Association when they are hired, but they have to become members within a year of being hired, he said.
Another difference is that assistant district attorneys and public defenders are under more stress because they appear in court to present their cases, Yeager said.
However, law clerks review and make corrections in court documents, he said.
In addition, few people apply for law clerk jobs because of the low pay, he added.
Assistant district attorneys and public defenders are represented by a union, and law clerks are not unionized, county officials said.
He asked for the six law clerks to be moved from pay grade 7 to grade 11 and then move up another grade after they pass the Bar exam.
The hourly wage in pay grade 7 ranges from $21.70 to $30.38 an hour. For pay grade 11, hourly pay ranges from $56.71 to $79.40.
The board unanimously voted to approve the request. County Commissioner Kimberly Geyer said she didn’t know the extent of the work that law clerks perform until the raises were discussed in an executive session.
The raises will take effect in the next pay period.
One clerk currently being paid $23.30 an hour, another making $21.97 an hour and two others making $21.69 an hour will receive annual salaries of $68,063.54. Another clerk currently making $21.69 an hour will receive an annual salary of $61,875.95. The highest paid clerk who makes $27.82 an hour will receive an annual salary of $72,827.99.
The board also approved the creation of a deputy clerk’s position in the commissioner’s office and transferring Maria Malloy, the confidential administrative assistant to commissioners Leslie Osche and Geyer, to the new job. The change goes into effect Aug. 1.
Malloy will continue serving as Osche’s administrative assistant in her new job, Osche said. She said Geyer will probably hire a new administrative assistant.
The new job comes with a pay raise from $27.79 an hour to an annual salary of $67,139.94. The hourly rate included a $4,000 annual stipend for serving as the county Right to Know Law officer. Malloy will continue serving as the officer, but the stipend was removed from her pay.
Osche said she and Geyer used to have their own administrative assistants, but they had decided to share one to save money.
Creating the position is part of a plan to put experienced people in key positions in advance of some “significant retirements in the not too distant future,” Osche said.
The deputy clerk will have additional responsibilities in the commissioners’ office including preparing news releases, updating information on the county website, preparing information for public meetings and following up on actions approved by the commissioners, Osche said.
