Understanding the Work of Doug Welborn, Clerk of Court of East Baton Rouge Parish

By Woody Jenkins, Editor, Central City News — The office of Clerk of Court Doug Welborn has prepared this report on the services it is now providing to the citizens of East Baton Rouge Parish, the 19th Judicial District Court, the Family Court, and the Juvenile Court.   

The Clerk’s Office is self-funded and receives virtually no tax monies for its operation.  The office has consistently focused on updating technology to meet the needs of both occasional and frequent users as well as the staffs of the courts and other agencies involved in its procedures and processes. 

The overall services of the office are numerous and fall under two types: court records/services and land records/public service.  

Court Services.  In 2019, a new case management system was activated in the court services operations of the office.  Among its goals are flexibility and durability to build into the future the highest level of data and evidence sharing with law enforcement agencies, and streamlining and simplification of procedures between the Clerk of Court and the various Court offices, resulting in expedited communication for the public.  

Court Filings Continued 24/7 During COVID-19.  A central goal of the upgrade was to make electronic filing of court matters more available.  This feature’s potential was fully realized during the COVID-19 closures in early 2020.  Attorneys and law firms were able to continue filing suits and pleadings with no interruption in processing from the Clerk’s Office.  E-filing has continued to expand in use with the convenient, 24/7 ability to submit matters.  This has proven very popular with the legal community. 

Real Estate Filings Continued During COVID-19 with Drive-Thru at Airline Branch.  When the closures of 2020 could have resulted in a massive backlog for the real estate industry on the land side of the operations, Clerk of Court Doug Welborn developed a plan that served the community while adhering to the mandated public closure.  A drive-thru system was created at the Airline branch office in which recorded documents were dropped off and carried inside by staff members, where a small crew of recorders was able to process work while the customer waited.  The service was appreciated by the real estate community.  

Improved Online Search of Records Was Made Available during COVID-19.  During COVID-19, work continued in the land and public service operations with a technological upgrade, similar in scope and ambition to the court project.  2022 saw the introduction of the result.  Features for the new system include a 24-hour online subscription service for short-term research as well as improved search features with mortgage and conveyance indexes searchable back to the 1800s.  

As with the court side, the centerpiece of the land records update has been the introduction of a fully enhanced electronic recording model.  Where the e-filing feature has been primarily used by the legal community, e-recording is available to frequent users in the real estate industry and any member of the general public who might have a document to record but cannot make the trip to the office.   

Airline Branch Office Offers Convenience.  The Airline Highway Branch Office continues to be a popular option, having relocated from the former Coursey Boulevard location.  The office offers closer proximity parking, a more centralized location and improved physical layout for the office’s public service areas and election-related responsibilities. 

Elections Department.  The Clerk of Court is the Chief Election Officer for the Parish.  The Elections Department has its offices housed exclusively at the Airline Branch.  Election commissioner training, qualifying of candidates and the return of results on election night have improved with the new Airline location.  The same drive-thru option created for the 2020 closures has been adopted for commissioners to drop off their results on election night without having to leave their vehicles.  The former admissions entrance of the original Woman’s Hospital location, where the office is housed, is working well for this purpose. 

Election commissioner recruitment, training and support are chief duties of the Clerk’s Office and efforts are regularly made to fill openings in needed areas in the parish.  Commissioner classes are held periodically throughout the year with some currently available online. Interested registered voters may contact the department for information. 

The Clerk of Court has the massive task of hiring and training more than 2,700 commissioners for each parishwide election.

Birth Certificates and Death Certificates are available at the Downtown office at 222 St. Louis Street. Certificates are generated while the customer waits. This is a great improvement from when service was only available through the state system.  To correspond with the state database, the department is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.  

Domestic Violence Assistance. The Domestic Violence Department offers assistance in obtaining temporary restraining orders to those in need of the service.  The department works with the Family and 19th Judicial District Courts depending on the nature of the protection sought and works closely with the Sheriff’s Office and other process servers to ensure expedited service. 

File Sharing with the Courts. The FileOnQ evidence system adopted by the office has enabled and enhanced the ability to link and share information between the Clerk’s Office — and the Courts that it serves — with law enforcement agencies (Sheriff’s Office, Baton Rouge City Police, and others) and the East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney’s office.  This system has resulted in increased efficiency for all agencies involved. 

Subscribers Can Access Records and File Documents Remotely. 

Online Services are available to subscribers, providing the ability to work from home or office.  Both court and land record research is available in the package.  Feedback concluded that since land research often leads to legal matters and vice versa, the combined package is a convenient way to have it all available and more efficient than the dual upgrades of recent years. Full document viewing and print capability are available through the service.   

Genealogical Research is frequently conducted in the Clerk’s Office.  Staff members of the various departments, including Public Service and Archives where the parish’s many historical documents are housed, regularly assist individuals and groups in this area. 

The Kids ID Program is an outreach service by the Clerk’s office that provides safety cards for parents to keep with their child’s picture, thumbprints and information.  It is offered by the office at various community events. 

The Clerk of Court’s website features a great deal of information and resources about the departments of the office and the services offered.  A variety of printable forms are available, including passport applications, marriage license worksheets, birth and death certificate applications, recording instruction sheets and requests for mortgage certificates.

The Clerk’s offices are at 222 St. Louis St. downtown and 9050 Airline Hwy., Suite 100.  For further information, go to ebrclerkofcourt.org or call 225-389-3950.