Trial Court Administration Overview

The judges of the Trial Court, led by Chief Judge Donald E. Shelton, rely upon the Trial Court Administrator, Dan Dwyer, and his staff to oversee and manage all the non-judicial functions of the Court. These activities include caseflow and jury management; human resources; budgeting and finance; purchasing; space management; community and media relations; liaison with other governmental entities at the state and local level; and technology development, implementation and use. The Court Administrator works closely with the judges in defining the Court's goals and objectives, developing short and long-term strategic plans, and designing management strategies to meet the needs of the public and the Court.

The administration of the Washtenaw County Trial Court includes several professional court managers who serve as heads of important divisions or work units:

Robert Carbeck, as the Deputy Court Administrator-Referee, serves alongside the Court Administrator and oversees budget and fiscal operations.  He also serves as the Central Assignment Coordinator, responsible for case event scheduling and managing the civil Case Evaluation Program.

Barry Joseph serves as the Court Services Director, responsible for all clerical activity in the Civil/Criminal and Family divisions of the trial court, including the clerks in the courtrooms. 

R. Scot Cannell serves the entire court as Administrator of Technology Development and Support.

Cynthia Bostwick serves as the Probate Register/Referee, responsible for day-to-day activities in the probate division.

Linda Edwards-Brown serves as the Juvenile Court Administrator in which role she is responsible for the day-to-day activities of the juvenile division.

Judah Garber serves as the Friend of the Court, overseeing daily operations.