Clerk of Courts & Orphans' Court

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Clerk of Courts & Clerk Orphans' Court

Kelly A. Lawver, the Clerk of Courts is an elected officer of the Court and has custody of a seal of the Court. She is elected by the people of Adams County, and commissioned by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. She is the Clerk of Orphan's Court and the Clerk of the Criminal Court.

Mission – The mission of the Adams County Clerk of Courts Department is to constantly maintain, properly record and preserve accurate court records, while providing professional and respectful services to all. We will always remember to excel by constantly educating and improving ourselves so that we may serve others with courteous and professional results. Aware that how we act and react in our daily dealings with others is our challenge, we will strive to always make each contact with the public and with each other a pleasant experience. Our goal is to deliver more than expected!

Vision - The Adams County Clerk of Courts Department is committed to being a highly effective and empowered team of professionals dedicated to providing superior individualized services to each contact. Through constant training, education, and the efficient use of technology, we will meet the challenges of the always fluctuating workload.

Principles & values of the Clerk of Courts:

Establish and confirm regularly that the court institution is greater than any of its members, and that its stability and reliability are vital to the quality of community life.

Convey clearly and through daily action that the court earns respect for the services it performs within society, and that its leaders are selected to serve the community, holding office by the will of the people they serve.

Treat all those who interact with the court, as well as coworkers, with dignity and respect.

Create and maintain a long-term approach to recruitment, hiring, and orientation, and to find and develop the best talent suited to the needs of the Clerk of Court.

Train and develop leaders to further the mission of the Clerk of Court by applying their energies and resources to shaping events and opportunities.

Support and encourage life fulfilling experiences for court workers to make work life more enjoyable, to counter the demoralization that so often accompanies this labor.

Support mentoring and professional development that build on natural strengths, talents, and established expertise.

Actively encourage innovative approaches to Clerk of Court operations, and invite experimentation with office operations to ensure the most efficient, cost effective process.

Challenge all assumptions that limit expectations and regularly assess performance with an eye to creating new opportunities to expedite processing and increase productivity.

Identify and recognize good ideas and successful outcomes wherever and whenever they occur.

Build collaborative partnerships (teamwork) with all organizations that serve the County, sharing opportunities whenever possible. Understanding our work affects others outside of the Clerk of Courts.

Strive to resolve the issues within the Clerk of Courts Office that may disrupt effective operations or that waste human energy and talent, and work as partners to find mutually satisfying solutions whenever possible.

Continuous employee education and training are the strengths of any successful organization. Employees must take advantage of training opportunities whenever possible which focus on basic and advanced concepts including on tools that may be applied to their daily work environment.

Maintain confidentiality and fidelity to preserve the dignity of the individual, and to further public confidence and trust in the institution of the court.

Maintain integrity of our case files by ensuring the electronic and physical records are accurate, complete and preserved.

Enthusiastic dedication to innovating public service and to customer-driven service and personal growth.

The Clerk of the Court of Quarter Sessions and Oyer and Terminer has existed in Pennsylvania since the first organization of English government in colonial America. A change in the Pennsylvania Constitution consolidated all the various courts into the Court of Common Pleas with the clerk now being known as the Clerk of Courts.

Services

Criminal/Juvenile Court: Cases from all District Justice Offices and their related papers are received here and processed. Collection of fines, costs and restitution ordered by the court, and disbursed to the County, State, and crime victims.

Miscellaneous Court: The indexes for Roads, Boroughs, Townships, Tax Collector's Bonds, and appointments.

Orphan's Court: Accounts, Adoptions, and Guardians are filed in this office. Index to birth records from 1852 to 1855 and 1893 to 1905*, index to death records from 1852 to 1855 and 1893 to 1905*, index to marriage records from 1852 to 1855 and 1855 , orphans' court records from 1800 to present.

Marriage Licenses: applications taken, licenses issued, reported to the state.

Common Pleas Case Management System: The Adams County Clerk of Courts is now online with CPCMS with public access to criminal case information at the following address: ujsportal.pacourts.us

*Birth and death records after 1905 are recorded in New Castle, PA.