Assistant Judicial Case Manager - Worcester Probate & Family Court

Job Description

Job Description

Official Title: Assistant Judicial Case Manager - Worcester Probate & Family Court

Starting Pay: $134,389.69

Salary Notes: Salary for this position is set by Statute.

Departmental Mission Statement:  Departmental Mission Statement: To deliver timely justice to the public by providing equal access to a fair, equitable, and efficient forum to resolve family and probate legal matters and to and assist and protect all individuals, families, and children in an impartial and respectful manner.

Probate and Family Court Organization Profile

Notes: 

This position is designated as a management position and is covered by the Trial Court Personnel Policies and Procedures Manual.

Position Summary: This position involves a high level of professional legal and case management work of complex difficulty. The employees in this position assist the First Justice, Associate Justices, and Judicial Case Manager in performing their legal and administrative duties as set forth in state statutes, court rules, standing orders and court policies.

This employee is appointed by the First Justice of the Division, pursuant to G.L. Chapter 217, Section 23D, with the approval of the Chief Justice of the Probate and Family Court Department.

Duties: (Note: Assistant Judicial Case Managers may perform any or all duties listed below and may perform other duties not articulated in this job description as determined by the First Justice and/or Judicial Case Manager.)
• Assistance with the daily judicial operation of a court division
• Assists Judges in the courtroom sessions.
• Assists Judges with management of Individual Judicial Assignment case calendars and Departmental Time Standards.
• Conducts case management conferences and Pathways mediations as assigned by First Justice. Handles uncontested sessions, as assigned by First Justice.
• Assists Local Dispute Resolution Coordinator with referrals to approved ADR providers.
• Assists in the implementation and use of the MassCourt case management system.
• Administers Oaths.
• Approves Bonds; Reviews requests for determination of indigency.
• Participates in regular meetings with other Judicial Case Management team members: Judges, Judicial Case Manager, Sessions Clerks and Judicial Secretaries.
• Reviews case management reports and assists Justices with development of work and case flow changes to improve case management and achieve Departmental and Trial Court goals; Assists with preparation of statistics and reports.
• Assists with preparation of case management reports.
• Enters case data into automated case management system.
• Assists both attorneys and self–represented litigants to access the Court by providing legal and procedural information.
• Ensures the proper issuance of writs of capias, writs of ne exeat regno, mittimuses, habeus corpus, discharges from jail, executions, attachments and summonses to trustee at the request of the Register.
• Implementation of work and case flow policies and new laws and court mandates.
• Participates in the implementation of programs and processes designed to expedite work and case flow and improve case management.
• Adheres to any checklists, protocols, procedures and memoranda developed by the First Justice and/or Judicial Case Manager which implement new laws, court rules, standing orders and policies of the Probate and Family Court.
• Provides legal expertise to Judges in technical areas of probate and family law.
• Assists with the implementation Supreme Judicial Court Rule 1:07 regarding fee generating appointments.
• Case file and legal document review.
• Reviews case papers being submitted to the court and/or court sessions.
• Reviews legal sufficiency of subpoenas and transmits copies of records when properly requested by other courts and parties.
• Provides legal and technical support to the court staff, as requested.
• Represents the court division on committees, task forces and working groups as designated by First Justice or Chief Justice.
• Implements and participates in pilot projects as designated by First Justice or Chief Justice.
• Attends meetings and training at the request of the Chief Justice or First Justice in order to assist in the development of uniform court policies and procedures among divisions.
• Performs related duties as required.

Job Competencies: Thorough knowledge of relevant state statues, court rules and case law which prescribe the authority of the court and an ability to interpret and apply them to the cases before the court.

• Thorough knowledge of court procedures, legal documents, and laws pertaining to the court.
• Thorough knowledge of the organization, functions, jurisdiction and authority of the court.
• Thorough knowledge of principles and practices of caseload management.
• Ability to maintain effective working relationships with Judges, court officials, attorneys, court employees and the general public.
• Ability to identify and resolve case flow issues.
• Ability to use automated case management systems for input, retrieval and tracking.

Minimum Requirements: These are the minimum requirements necessary to apply for a position of Assistant Judicial Case Manager. 

A law degree or a graduate degree in a relevant field (for example: criminal justice, public administration, or business administration); and knowledge, skills and abilities acquired through 2 or more years of relevant work experience. 

OR

A bachelor’s degree and knowledge, skills and abilities acquired through 6 or more years of relevant work experience in criminal justice, public administration or business administration including supervisory experience; or an equivalent combination of higher education and relevant experience equal to 10 years total. 

A Law degree preferred