A court is a place (such as a chamber) for the administration of justice. And while most people think of judges (of which Seattle Municipal Court [SMC] has seven elected judges), there is more to making a court an official assembly for the transaction of judicial business.
Today, SMC is introducing a new blog series—essentially a “Who’s Who at SMC” —that lets you get to know the people behind the scenes who make the day-to-day interactions at the court function. Our first person for you to meet is Gabe Pimlott, SMC’s chief clerk. In future blog posts, you’ll meet a magistrate, bailiff, marshal, court cashier, jury coordinator, probation counselor, PR screener, court clerk and more. Stay tuned!
What does a chief clerk do?
I am the head of the clerk’s office at the court. I support the records department, as well as the courtroom clerks and bailiffs—a team of 41 people. I am the official custodian of caseflow, calendar management, criminal records, warrants and no contact orders and oversee the compliance of these orders with the Washington State Patrol. SMC is unique in that we are the only court in the state to provide this information directly into WSP’s database. Additionally, I am the lead on legislative matters and the court’s liaison to the legislature. My role is to track the various bills that may impact the court during legislative session and provide updates to judges and staff as many bills that become law impact the way we do our work. I am also the court’s liaison between the King County Department of Public Defense and the City Attorney’s Office.
How long have you been in this role?
I was promoted to this position this fall. However, I am not new to the court. I have held a variety of positions here since I first began working at SMC in 2018. I am a native of Redding, Calif., and had prior experience working in the judicial system in my home state.
However, my girlfriend at the time—and now-wife—had just moved up to Seattle, and I was eager to make a change, so I started applying for jobs and got offers from two different courts. I chose SMC due to its innovative ways of working with technology. My first job here was as a court clerk, but when I was initially hired, I told my supervisors and those interviewing me that I was also interested in getting into a leadership role.
During the height of the pandemic, I was an out-of-class supervisor, where I worked with others to bring the court up-to-speed with Adobe Sign, WebEx and other tools so that we could fully function as a remote court. I later worked in a temporary role as a management systems analyst before a permanent supervisor position became available. However, I was still eager to do more, so I temporarily left SMC in late 2022 before returning five months later to be the court’s judicial executive assistant. In this role, I was able to support the court’s vision, yet I still held a deep desire to return to court administration. When our last chief clerk resigned for a position with another court, I applied for the job, and here I am!
What is it about SMC—or working in the judicial system in general—that you find so intriguing?
I was part of a jury panel in California when I was in my 20s and I found the work simply fascinating. I determined quickly that the judicial system was an area I wanted to explore professionally. So, after months of applying, I finally landed a role as an administrative professional at Shasta County Superior Court, one of the busiest trial courts in California. I worked my way up there to a court clerk. Ironically, this is also where I first met my wife, yet back then we just worked together over court filings and then later became friends. It was years later that we started to date and get serious about a future together.
Do you have any advice for others who may want to work at a court? What would you tell them to do based on your own experience?
My biggest piece of advice when coming to work for a court or anywhere is to be honest with yourself and your purpose. Working for a court is hard work but can also be extremely fulfilling. You are providing a service to the community that they may not even realize is a service, but you get to provide it. I think that everyone should experience the criminal justice system from this point of view. I think having more perspectives working within the system is how the system can and will change to meet the people it serves.