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.
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