Offices

Office of the Circuit Executive

The Office of the Circuit Executive provides support to the Circuit Judicial Council, the Circuit Judicial Conference, and the courts of the Fourth Circuit. The Circuit Executive serves as media contact with regard to judges and the operations of the circuit.

Office of the Clerk of Court

The Office of the Clerk administers the court's caseload, oversees attorney admissions and appointments, implements local rules and procedures, coordinates oral argument, and issues opinions and orders. Each case is assigned to a case manager who serves as the primary contact for counsel and litigants in the case. The clerk, chief deputy, and counsel to the clerk are available to answer questions from the public or the media about the court's procedures, and help desk phone numbers are provided on the Contact page for questions about eFiling, CJA appointments, calendaring and oral argument. 

Office of Staff Counsel

Staff Attorneys in the Office of Staff Counsel work under the direction of the court as a whole, doing legal research and preparing memoranda for the panel in cases decided without oral argument. The Senior Staff Attorney also manages the court's Discretionary Panel, which is used when the court determines that counsel should be appointed to present briefing and oral argument in a pro se case.

Library

The Fourth Circuit Library is the central research facility for the federal judiciary within the circuit.

Office of the Circuit Mediator

The Fourth Circuit Mediation Program provides a mediation setting where attorneys can confidentially discuss their pending case on appeal with a trained neutral Circuit Mediator. The Circuit Mediator, usually by conference telephone call, discusses the case with the parties' counsel, asks questions about their respective positions and interests and explores the possibilities of settlement.