Administrative Clerk/Deputy Clerk of District Court-Fargo

Deputy Clerk of District Court

If you would enjoy reviewing documents to determine conformity to court procedures and rules and are obsessed with details and accuracy, this opportunity may be right for you.

The Ideal Candidate:

• Thrives in a highly structured, deadline-oriented, and fast-paced environment.
• Enjoys applying many procedures and rules.
• Pays strong attention to detail ensuring accuracy of work.
• Gives excellent customer service.
• Easily adapts to changes.
• Shows initiative and dependability.

The Ideal Candidate Minimum Qualifications:

• Requires a high school diploma and two years of related experience. Any combination of education, training, or experience which demonstrates the ability to successfully complete the major responsibilities and essential functions may be substituted for the experience requirement.

Major Responsibilities & Essential Functions

The Deputy Clerk of District Court is responsible for performing and assisting other court personnel in duties associated with case management activities of criminal, civil, traffic, or other cases before the district court from initial filing to final disposition, and for assisting other court personnel in completing these duties. If assigned, makes a verbatim record of district and juvenile court proceedings using audio recording equipment, creates and maintains annotations/tags, notes appearances and essential events during the proceedings. Performs courtroom duties.

• Performs court operations involved in the scheduling, handling, and preparing of court calendars in accordance with the directives of the Clerk of Court.
• Receives and reviews incoming documents to determine conformity to court procedures, laws, and rules. Routes documents to proper offices and persons.
• Ensures that cases are assigned to judicial officers in accordance with the district's caseflow plan. Provides proper notice to parties of case numbers and judge assignments.
• Records incoming documents, case proceedings, and dispositions into the court's case management system. Processes court orders, notices, and reports in accordance with business practices and established procedures.
• Receives and records all fees, fines, bonds, restitution, or other receipts submitted to the Clerk of Courts Office. Generates checks, balances tills, prepares deposits, and assists with month-end financial activities.
• Receives, answers, and routes telephone calls to appropriate parties. Provides assistance to the public in their requests for information that does not involve legal advice, confidentiality, or right-to-know laws.
• Implements court procedures and rules and clerks hearings, as directed by the Clerk of Court. Organizes cases daily to ensure each judge attending court, and coordinates the court session with the judge, court security, attorneys, and parties to ensure it is managed and completed efficiently and effectively. Relates court documents to hearings and relates events to each other.
• Searches criminal, civil, traffic, and judgment records.
• Participates in the management of the District Court jury program.
• Ensures quality of court records by reviewing files and monitoring various reports so that the court's records are maintained accurately and timely.
• Prepares courtroom duties:
• Performs sound check for all microphones in the courtroom, and performs test recording prior to court.
• Manages the software for hearings as co-host, admitting participants, renaming participants, muting participants, requesting participants to un-mute, and creating and monitoring break-out rooms during hearings.
• Ensures interpreters and participants are present and connected for hearings as needed.
• Troubleshoots and resolves any issues with courtroom technology.
• Performs clerk duties, administers oaths, marks documents, maintains logs and other forms, and transfers storage devices, files, and records to the clerk of district court for reference.
• Accurately records court and jury trial proceedings. Takes court notes during hearings to identify appearances and to note significant events during the hearing and to locate and present prior testimony.
• Requires travel to other counties within and outside of the district for court proceedings assigned to the judicial officer.
• Performs other duties of a comparable level or type.

Minimum Qualifications & Certification or Licensing Requirements

Requires a high school diploma and two years of related experience. Any combination of education, training, or experience which demonstrates the ability to successfully complete the major responsibilities and essential functions may be substituted for the experience requirement. Valid driver's license or evidence of equivalent mobility. If assigned recording duties, then requires the DAR (Digital Audio Recording) certification or the AAERT (American Association of Electronic Reporters and Transcribers) CER (certified electronic court reporter) certification or ability to obtain within six months of assignment. A comparable certification by another state court or federal court may be substituted for the AAERT certification.

Knowledge, Skill, & Physical Requirements

Knowledge Requirements:

• Knowledge of general office procedures.
• Knowledge of grammar.
• Knowledge and understanding of legal terminology, court documents, court routines, and operations.
• Knowledge of office etiquette.
• Knowledge of general laws, rules, policies, and procedures pertaining to the court.

Skill Requirements:

• Effective, courteous, and professional Interpersonal and customer service skills adaptable to a diverse range of individuals.
• Skilled in district court operations and routines of case processing and scheduling.
• Skilled in preparing and processing of legal documents, orders, judgments, or reports.
• Skilled in reading, understanding, and applying statutes and legal procedures/terminology.
• Written communication skills to prepare reports, memos, and letters.
• Strong attention to detail ensuring accuracy of work.
• Ability to efficiently organize and prioritize work to process court documents in a timely manner.
• Proficiently uses required software programs.
• Ability to work in a highly structured and fast-paced environment.
• Ability to quickly and positively adapt to frequent changes.
• Ability to show initiative.
• Must be dependable.
• Skilled in the operation and use of office equipment.

Physical Requirements:

• The essential functions of the job typically require: grasping, sitting, stooping, kneeling, standing, walking, talking, hearing, seeing, feeling, reaching, and fingering requirements or other reasonable methods that accommodate an individual in completing the essential functions of the job.
• Work is performed in a comfortable office work environment.
• Employee is subject to some travel in the performance of the job. Employee has control over scheduling and travel arrangements and can adjust schedules due to adverse weather or travel conditions.
• Physical requirements can typically be characterized as Light: Work involves exerting up to 20 lbs. of force occasionally, and/or up to 10 lbs. frequently, and/or a negligible amount of force constantly to move objects.

Benefits

The North Dakota Court System offers an excellent benefits package including employer paid family health insurance premiums, retirement contributions and generous vacation and sick leave accruals.