She wanted to be a legal secretary, and that was her first job after college. But Amy (Showalter) Leftwich ’90 is now the chief administrator of a court in the Virginia judicial system.
Her title is “clerk of court” for Campbell County General District Court in Rustburg, Virginia. That means she oversees day-to-day operations, supervising four deputy clerks and working with three state judges.
Leftwich and her staff process the judges’ caseloads, collect fines and court costs, manage the court’s budget, ensure compliance with laws, and relate to the public. “Every day is different, and it’s a fast pace,” she says. “I especially like interacting with the different offices and law-enforcement agencies.”
Her interest in the legal profession started at Broadway (Va.) High School. As a member of Broadway’s Future Business Leaders of America club, she got to spend a day with a lawyer. “I really enjoyed what I saw that day and thought I might like to be a legal secretary,” she says.
Leftwich enrolled at EMU, graduated with a major in business, and got a job as a legal secretary for the law firm of Harris, Black & Allen in Lynchburg, Virginia. Through her interaction with the court system, she became interested in working in a court setting.
In 1993 she became a deputy clerk in the local district court, where she has been ever since. In 2011 she was appointed clerk of court. Every year Leftwich is required to earn 12 academic credits in Continuing Legal Education. “I’ve also taken some online classes related to management to help me with my job,” she says.
Photo by Kara Lofton