Judge: The Judge is the most important officer of the court, a public official invested with the authority and duty to hear and determine questions of law. The Judge is a referee who sees that correct legal procedure is followed in a trial; that evidence given is relevant to the case; and that jurors are properly selected. In essence, she makes sure that all litigants are afforded equal, fair, and evenhanded justice under the law.
Attorney: An attorney/lawyer who practices in Virginia must pass the Virginia State Bar Examination and be a member of the Virginia State Bar. The client who hires a lawyer engages not only the lawyer's knowledge and skill but also the lawyer's honor and integrity. Every pleading filed by an attorney on behalf of a client must be filed in good faith and not for the purpose of delaying a case or harassing the other side.
Clerk: The Clerk is the chief administrative officer of the court. Some of the Clerk's courtroom duties are swearing in witnesses and jurors and reading charges against the defendant. The Clerk hires several Deputy Clerks to carry out the numerous functions of his office.
Out of court, the Clerk maintains records of court proceedings and files documents such as wills, maps, deeds, deeds of trust, and records of marriages. The Clerk prepares bonds, delivers official court papers to the proper authorities, and makes reports to the Virginia Supreme Court of business handled in his court.
The Clerk's position is a constitutional office filled by local popular election.
Court Reporter: A court reporter is a stenographer who takes down and transcribes legal proceedings verbatim. Generally, a qualified court reporter has had two years of specialized training and is able to take down 225 words per minute with 98 percent accuracy.
Jury: The jury is composed of private citizens who are at least eighteen years old. As much as possible, jurors should represent a cross section of the community chosen by a process of random selection.
The duty of the jury is to listen to the evidence as presented, follow the judge's instructions, determine the facts, and then render a fair and impartial decision based on the evidence and the instructions.
Court Interpreter: A court interpreter is a "language conduit" whose participation allows an individual who does not speak or understand English to participate meaningfully in a judicial proceeding. The interpreter has a two-fold duty: (1) to ensure that the proceedings in English reflect precisely what was said to and by a non-English-speaking person; and (2) to place the non-English-speaking person on an equal footing with those who understand English.
Guardian ad litem: The Guardian ad litem is a lawyer appointed by the Judge to defend or prosecute a case on behalf of a party who is a child or an incapacitated adult.
Magistrate: The Magistrate is a judicial officer with limited powers who handles certain preliminary matters such as issuing warrants, determining bail, issuing emergency protection orders and temporarily committing people to mental health facilities.
Bailiff: The Bailiff's responsibility is maintaining order in the courtroom. The Bailiff announces the entry of the judge and has custody of the jury. Bailiffs are deputy sheriffs hired by the Sheriff's Department.