About Paul
Paul Ferguson has served as Clerk of the Circuit Court of Arlington County and the City of Falls Church since January 1, 2008. Mr. Ferguson served as a Member of the Arlington County Board from 1996-2007, serving as Chairman in 1999, 2003 and 2007.
His community activities and awards include:
- Virginia Court Clerk’s Association (VCCA) President in 2018.
- The Virginia Access to Justice Commission.
- Current Chair of the Arlington County Bar Foundation.
- Current Chair of the Community Criminal Justice Board (CCJB)
- NOVA Parks Board of Directors as one of two appointees from Arlington County.
- Wakefield Alumni Educational Foundation
- Community Criminal Justice Board
- Mr Ferguson is especially proud of the Equality Award he received from AGLA for his support of Same Sex Marriages before they became legal in 2015
- Arlington Kiwanis Club member since 1993
- Leadership Arlington Founding Class of 1999
Working for You
Paul Ferguson is constantly working to make Arlington’s government the best it can be.
Jury Process
As Clerk of the Circuit Court, Paul Ferguson is in charge of the juror process. He has long been an advocate of raising the daily reimbursement amount received by jurors. The General Assembly took action this year to raise the reimbursement amount received by jurors from $30 to $50 a day.
Expungement Fair
Earlier this year, the Circuit Court Clerk’s Office partnered with the Office of the Commonwealth Attorney, Attorneys from the Public Defenders Office and attorneys in provide practice to provide offsite assistance to those who were interested in filing expungement proceedings with the court. For many, a conviction on even a minor charge years in the past prevents them from finding optimal employment.
Easier Access to Records
As Clerk of the Circuit Court, Paul Ferguson is responsible for maintenance of property records in Arlington and the City of Falls Church. Below are two recent articles concerning some of the work to make access easier and to preserve historical records.
Accomplishments
Some of the accomplishments during Mr. Ferguson’s tenure as Clerk of the Circuit Court include:
- Reducing the length of jury service to one day/one trial (most trials last more than one day so if selected for a trial, jury service could be multiple days).
- Back scanning of all deeds and marriage licenses
- Ability to transmit all fees to court by internet
- Implemented electronic case files for civil and criminal court records, with automated workflows and order generation. This initiative received the County Manager’s 2014 Excellence award.
- Redacted Social Security Numbers from all land records documents to comply with state mandate.
- Developed information packet in English and Spanish with sample forms for self-represented parties seeking an uncontested divorce.
- Provided bilingual assistance for the public in all sections of the Circuit Court office.