THE OFFICE & DUTIES OF
THE CLERK OF COURT

In Louisiana, the Clerk of Court is:

The Recorder of Deeds;

The Chief Election Official for the Parish;

A member of the Jury Commission; and

The Custodian of Court Records.

As the Recorder of Deeds the Clerk of Court is:

Entrusted with the filing, indexing, storage, retrieval, and safe keeping of your public documents.

Services Rendered by the Clerk of Court's Office:

• Issuance of Marriage Licenses;
• Handling of Passport applications;

Filing, recording, and preserving the following Deeds and Documents:

• Land records,
• Mortgage records,
• Corporate records, and
• Miscellaneous records of importance to the public.

Clerk of Court's Office Practically Self-Sufficient

Although, the Lafourche Parish Council is required by law to provide the Clerk of Court with all necessary office furniture, equipment, supplies, and record books, the Clerk of Court's Office has been self-supporting. The Clerk of Court's Office has not required the Parish Council to provide any of the above equipment.

The exception to the above is that the Parish Council provides and maintains the building which houses the Clerk of Court's Office and provides $20.00 per court day to the Clerk of Court's Office, to help defray the expense of having a minute clerk in court.

The Clerk of Court considered a Treasurer
In addition to the responsibilities described above, the Clerk of Court must impose sound record-keeping and accounting procedures in accordance with law and by the Legislative Auditor's Guidelines.

Three main accounts are established by the Clerk of Court for fiscal accountability.

The Clerk's Salary Fund accounts for all receipts and all salaries
and office expenses.

The Advance Cost Account maintains lawsuit accounting of deposits for court costs.

The Registry of the Court Fund holds escrow accounts for various parties in lawsuits.

Financial and Budget Information

In order to properly perform the duties and functions of the Clerk of Court's Office, it is necessary to operate on an annual budget.

The Budget provides for adequate funding to:

• Acquire and maintain equipment and supplies,
• Hire personnel,
• Conduct the operations of the Clerk's Office.

The budget consists of anticipated revenues and expenditures for each fiscal year notwithstanding any unforeseen change in our economic status for that year.

As Chief Election Official for Lafourche Parish and a Member of the Parish Board of Election Supervisors:

• The Clerk of Court is responsible for conducting all elections
   held in Lafourche Parish; and

• The Clerk of Court must tabulate all election returns.

• The Clerk of Court is currently serving as Secretary of the
   Board of Election Supervisors.

As a Member of the Jury Commission, the Clerk of Court:
Must maintain a general venire from which juries are drawn; and oversees the random drawing of prospective jurors.

The Clerk of Court in his capacity as Clerk for the District Court is:
Responsible for: All court filings;

• Lawsuits,
• Criminal cases,
• Successions,
• Juvenile matters,
• Adoptions, and
• Court minutes.

The issuance of all court notices.
The storage and retention of records.

Documents in all phases of the Clerk of Court's Office are kept permanently and are a part of our history and heritage. Consequently, there are expenses inherent in protecting and preserving these documents.

The Clerk of Court Operates his Office on Fees Received

The Clerk of Court's Office operates on fees received for services rendered, consisting of:

Recordation fees for land documents and other documents,

Fees for copies made by the office,

Court costs in lawsuits and criminal cases, and

Fees for various other services. (Notarial, Passports, Cancellations, Mortgage Certificates, etc.)

Through the cooperation of the employees and meticulous and prudent spending, the Lafourche Parish Clerk of Court's Office has accumulated sufficient funds within which to efficiently operate the office and plan for the future.

Hopefully the Clerk of Court's Office will continue to be self-supporting, and no outside funding from the Lafourche Parish Council will be required.

You are invited to visit my office at any time, or tour the office by appointment.

  Vernon H. Rodrigue                 
Clerk of Court                      
Lafourche Parish