Clerk carries a big hammer

Smart lawyers already know this: Be nice to the courthouse clerks.

As you can tell from this photo, Lee County Clerk of Court Linda Doggett knows how to wield a sledgehammer — in heels and with a smile.

Actually, Doggett is smiling in this picture because contractors are building a passageway on the second floor of the Justice Center in downtown Fort Myers. As the Clerk, Doggett took the ceremonial first swing at the wall that separates those areas.

The demolition project will improve the flow of traffic in the building for attorneys and jurors, who now have to navigate a circuitous route that includes slow elevator rides.

So next time you have to file paperwork at the courthouse in Fort Myers, be nice to the clerks. And remember who wields the sledgehammer.