By Jo Mathis
Legal News
As an 18-year-old English major eight years ago, Meg Smith had no clear vision of the direction her career would ultimately take.
But it certainly didn’t include wearing a belt linked to a taser and handcuffs.
“I’m normally shy and reserved, so it’s weird being the muscle in the courtroom,” said Smith, law clerk for Jackson County Circuit Judge Thomas D. Wilson, who also serves as bailiff. “I never expected to have a job where I wear a taser belt. I’m not used to handcuffing people.”
Smith, 26, was in her last semester of law school at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale and worried about job prospects when her mother asked a neighbor—a local judge—for advice. The judge knew of an opening for a law clerk, and suggested Smith submit a resume.
That turned into an externship, which became a fulltime job after she graduated in May.
Now when she sits down at her desk in the morning, she doesn’t have to remind herself she works in the courthouse. Her desk is actually in the courtroom.
“It’s interesting because you meet a lot of people you wouldn’t otherwise encounter in your everyday life,” she said, explaining how her attention must cover the entire courtroom when she’s serving as bailiff.
Judge Wilson, along with most trial judges in Michigan, also handle some appellate matters, so she serves two roles.
She much prefers the clerking side of the job.
“I’m much better at researching than wondering if somebody’s going to start a fight,” she said. “I’m not as authoritative as I would like to be or probably should be. People don’t have as much respect for the courtroom, and sometimes it’s frustrating when you’re trying to talk to them and they don’t want to follow basic rules.”
For some people, it’s a huge deal to be in court, and emotions are high, she said. On the other hand, others are blasé about it and have no respect for the process.
“So I definitely prefer being able to sit and type up opinions and go through it deliberately and slowly.”
Because she didn’t take a whole lot of criminal law in school, she’s sometimes surprised to learn that—unlike “Law and Order”—defendants don’t always have a reason behind the crime.
“Sometimes people just do bad things and there’s no real explanation of why. There’s no real motive. You’re led to think there’s always going to be that reason they did a terrible thing. But, no. Sometimes they just did it.”
A typical day might include an arraignment followed by criminal hearings, which she summarized the night before and provided the judge. She helps with divorce matters, Personal Protection Orders, and sentencings.
“It seems like you wake up on Monday and the next thing, it’s Thursday afternoon and you’re running around,” she said. “It keeps you busy, which I appreciate.”
Court Officer/Law Clerk Jenny Stone says Smith is known for outstanding work.
?“She always goes the extra mile to research the issues thoroughly before making her recommendations,” said Stone. “But my personal favorite thing about Meg is her awesome sense of humor! Whenever things get a little stressful around here she is always there to lift the mood.”
As much as she enjoys what she does, Smith knows it’s a “bridge job” between law school and practice. She expects that after another year or so, she’ll find something else—and knows she may have to move to another state to work.
Smith is interested in intellectual property because it will allow her to be involved in creative fields without being an author or artist herself.
“Until then, this is a good place to learn a lot,” she said, adding that it’s easier to learn things when you’re actually doing it rather than just reading about it.
For now, she lives at home with her parents in Jackson, which is working out great because she doesn’t have to pay rent.
“And it’s nice to have family around,” she said.
Her younger brother, Daniel, attends the Charlotte School of Law in North Carolina, and says their tie to the law has deepened their relationship.
As for that taser: She hasn’t had to use it yet and hopes she’ll never have to. In fact, when she went through training, she had to remove the taser dart from the back of a fellow law clerk and still winces when she recalls the pain she put him through.
So I’ve told people, “‘You really don’t want me to taze you,’” she said. “You really don’t.”
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