Candidate Biography (submitted by candidate):

On January 1, 2009 Steven Cogburn was appointed Clerk of Superior Court, Buncombe County. While serving, as Clerk since January 2009, Steve has promoted an atmosphere that both demands and encourages friendly and efficient customer service. People who work daily at the courthouse can attest to this service.

Before being sworn in as Clerk of Superior Court, Steve practiced law throughout western North Carolina. During his over 25 years in private practice, Steve appeared in the courts of at least thirty counties and represented thousands of people. As a trial attorney Steve handled a wide variety of cases ranging from contract and property disputes to will caveat and negligence cases. He also appeared in Federal Court and the Cherokee Tribal Court. Steve was a partner in the firm of Roberts, Stevens and Cogburn (now Roberts and Stevens) before becoming a partner in the firm of Cogburn, Goosmann, Brazil and Rose.

Steve is a lifelong resident of Buncombe County. The son of Mary and the late Max Cogburn, Steve grew up in Candler and graduated from Enka High School in 1975. He received his undergraduate degree from U.N.C. Chapel Hill in 1979 and his law degree from the U.N.C. School of Law in 1982. Upon passing the North Carolina bar exam Steve clerked for Justice J. William Copeland at the North Carolina Supreme Court from 1982 to 1983. Steve has attained an AV rating (Martindale-Hubbell) from fellow attorneys. This high rating represents both competency and integrity. Steve is a member of the North Carolina Governor's Crime Commission and serves on the Criminal Justice Improvement Committee. He is also a member of the Resource Committee for the North Carolina Conference of Clerks.

Steve is married to Carolyn Cogburn and he has three sons Chris, Clint and Jake.

It has been an honor to serve as Clerk of Superior Court since January 1, 2009. I take my duties as clerk very seriously. The role of the Clerk is broad. It touches every aspect of the court system. The Clerk provides critical core services for the smooth operation of the judicial system. The Clerk is the judge, record keeper, administrator and comptroller.

The Clerk oversees family estate matters, appoints personal representatives and audits accountings. The Clerk presides over many proceedings. These include incompetency, guardianship, adoption, name change, foreclosure and partition hearings. As record keeper the Clerk must maintain accurate and secure filings in the over 70,000 cases commenced each year. The Clerk keeps court minutes, secures evidence and assists in the preparation of judgments.

As administrator I supervise 64 deputy and assistant clerks. I am responsible, as comptroller, for the implementation of policies and procedures that promote the best practices for the office. Our office receipts, for the state, between 10 and 12 million dollars in court costs, fines and forfeitures. A portion of the fines and forfeitures are returned to Buncombe County for the schools and last year that total was $1,027,756. I am also responsible for the investment and safekeeping of millions of dollars placed with the courts.

The Clerk should understand the law, exercise common sense and have the ability to reason. The Clerk must be decisive while also compassionate and understanding. I have proven my ability to handle the many diverse duties of this office. I understand the need to forge good working relationships with other agencies in order to provide the best service possible. I am proud that the last two clerks of court have endorsed me. I stand by record since becoming Clerk.