Executive Director's Report, 1117 ALBJ, 78 The Alabama Lawyer 414 (2017)

• Author: Phillip W. McCallum

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S REPORT

Vol. 78 No. 6 Pg. 414

Alabama Bar Lawyer

November, 2017

Phillip W. McCallum

phillip.mccallum@alabar.org

The State of the Bar

This is the first in a series of articles to better educate members about the workings of the Alabama State Bar and pressing issues facing the legal profession.

Where Has the Money Gone? Court Funding and the Legislative Process

The Alabama court system is a large, unified entity that generates nearly half a billion dollars of revenue each year. Quick question for attorneys-do you know how much of that money is directed back into the system? Roughly half of all revenue generated by rising court costs and filing fees is allocated to the courts. The perception is that court costs, fines and fees are for the administration of the system as a whole; however, the numbers tell us a different story.

The Alabama State Bar, in partnership with Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Lyn Stuart, recently gathered data related to court funding and made it available online at https://www.alabar.org/resources/judicial-court-information/ disbursements-by-county/.You are able to search by county and get a breakdown of where your money goes each year. We encourage you to do some research on the numbers in your area and see where the funds are being disbursed. To us, the numbers paint a clear picture of the courts acting as an economic engine for the state with tremendous impact on local communities. Without the monetary support from the court system, the general fund and many state agencies would not be properly funded. Although these executive branch agencies...