Glossary
Clerk
The court official who keeps the official record of a case: files, orders, judgments, and exhibits. The clerk's office is where you file documents, look up case records, and pay filing fees.
There are actually two related "clerk" roles. There's the clerk of court: the elected or appointed administrative head of the court system in that jurisdiction, whose office maintains all official records. And there's the courtroom clerk: the person sitting near the judge during a hearing, marking exhibits, swearing in witnesses, and making notes for the official record.
For pro se litigants, the clerk's office is often your first stop. Clerks can give you forms, tell you the filing fee, and explain procedural deadlines: but they can't give you legal advice.