Law Clerk

Job Title and Description

Under general supervision, this position performs a variety of professional legal work and legal research for Circuit Court judicial officers. Reports to assigned Circuit Court Judge.

Essential Job Functions:

• Performs legal research on a variety of issues and presents findings to Circuit Court Judges.
• Drafts bench briefs, memoranda and case summaries for presentation to the Circuit Court Judges; and drafts court orders for review by Chief Judge or designee.
• Reviews and drafts proposed responses to correspondence received by the Judges and the Clerk of Court.
• Attends Court hearings and provides support to judges as directed.
• Performs other related work as required. Individual assignments will be determined by supervisor based on current workload and department needs.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

Knowledge of Job: Has some knowledge of principles, practices, and procedures of Virginia law pertaining to the operations, authorities, and responsibilities of the circuit court. Has some knowledge of statutory provisions applying to rules of order. Knowledge of the principles of legal writing and legal research sources and methodology. Is able to use office equipment such as computers, telephones, copiers and fax machines. Is able to compile technical information from a variety of sources and prepare clear and concise reports. Is able to exercise considerable initiative and independent judgment in analyzing and applying standards to a variety of situations. Is able to exercise considerable tact, courtesy and discretion in contact with judges, attorneys, and the general public. Is able to establish and maintain effective working relationships as necessitated by work assignments.

Quality of Work: Maintains high standards of accuracy in exercising duties and responsibilities. Exer­cises immediate remedial action to correct any quality deficiencies that occur in areas of responsibility. Maintains high quality communication and interacts within court, and with co- workers and the general public.

Quantity of Work: Maintains effective and efficient output of all duties and responsibilities as described under "Essential Job Functions."

Dependability: Assumes responsibility for doing assigned work and meeting deadlines. Completes assigned work on or before deadlines in accordance with directives, city policy, standards and pre­scribed procedures. Accepts accountability for meeting assigned responsibilities in the technical, human and conceptual areas.

Attendance: Attends work regularly and adheres to city policies and procedures regarding absences and tardiness. Provides adequate notice to higher management with respect to vacation time and time- off requests.

Initiative and Enthusiasm: Maintains an enthusiastic, self-reliant and self-starting approach to meet job responsibilities and accountabilities. Strives to anticipate work to be done and initiates proper and acceptable direction for completion of work with a minimum of supervision and instruction.

Judgment: Exercises analytical judgment in areas of responsibility. Identifies problems or situations as they occur and specifies decision objectives. Identifies or assists in identifying alternative solutions to problems or situations. Implements decisions in accordance with prescribed and effective policies and procedures and with a minimum of errors. Seeks expert or experienced advice and researches problems, situations and alternatives before exercising judgment.

Cooperation: Accepts supervisory instruction and direction and strives to meet the goals and objectives of same. Questions such instruction and direction when clarification of results or consequences are justi­fied, i.e., poor communications, variance with city policy or procedures, etc. Offers suggestions and recommendations to encourage and improve cooperation between all staff persons within the depart­ment.

Relationships with Others: Shares knowledge with supervisors and court staff for mutual and departmental benefit. Contributes to maintaining high morale among all department employees. Develops and main­tains cooperative and courteous relationships with department employees, external attorneys and the general public so as to maintain good will toward the department and project a good departmental image. Tactfully and effectively handles requests, suggestions and complaints from other departments and persons in order to maintain good will.

Coordination of Work: Plans and organizes daily work routine. Establishes priorities for the completion of work in accordance with sound time-management methodology. Avoids duplication of effort. Esti­mates expected time of completion of elements of work and establish a personal schedule accordingly. Attends meetings, planning sessions and discussions on time. Implements work activity in accordance with priorities and estimated schedules. Maintains a calendar for meetings, deadlines and events.

Safety and Housekeeping: Adheres to all safety and housekeeping standards established by the city and various regulatory agencies. Sees that the standards are not violated. Maintains a clean and orderly workplace.

Education, Experience & Special Requirements

Requires a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science, Business Administration, or related field or any combination of education and experience. A Juris Doctorate degree is required.

Physical Demands

Minimum Qualifications or Standards Required to Perform Essential Job Functions:

Physical Requirements: Must be physically able to preform detailed work on multiple, concurrent tasks with frequent interruptions and under time constraints. Must be able to operate a variety of office machines which include computer, adding machine, calculators, copiers, facsimile machines, telephones, etc. Must be able to exert up to 20 pounds of force occasionally and/or a negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects. Sedentary Work involves sitting most of the time, but may involve walking or standing for periods of time.

Data Conception: Requires the ability to compare and/or judge the readily observable, functional, structural, or compositional characteristics (whether similar to or divergent from obvious standards) of data, people or things.

Interpersonal Communications: Requires the ability of speaking and/or signaling people to convey or exchange information. Includes giving instructions, assignments and/or directions to subordinates or assistants.

Language Ability: Requires the ability to read a variety of correspondence, reports, records, forms, statistical summaries, policy manuals, etc. Requires the ability to prepare reports, correspondence, records, forms, etc., using prescribed formats and conforming to all rules of punctuation, grammar, diction, and style. Requires the ability to speak before groups of people with poise, voice control and confidence.

Intelligence: Requires the ability to apply principles of logical or scientific thinking to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions; to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions in mathematical or diagrammatical form; deal with several abstract and concrete variables.

Verbal Aptitude: Requires the ability to record and deliver information, to explain procedures, to follow oral and written instructions. Must be able to communicate effectively and efficiently in a variety of technical or professional languages, including legal, medical and insurance terminology.

Numerical Aptitude: Requires the ability to utilize mathematical formulas, to add and subtract, multiply and divide. Must be able to utilize decimals and percentages; interpret graphs.

Form/Spatial Aptitude: Requires the ability to inspect items for proper length, width and shape.

Motor Coordination: Requires the ability to coordinate hands and eyes rapidly and accurately in using automated office equipment.

Manual Dexterity: Requires the ability to handle a variety of items, office equipment, control knobs, switches, etc. Must have minimal levels of eye/hand/foot coordination.

Color Discrimination: Does not require the ability to differentiate between colors and shades of color.

Interpersonal Temperament: Requires the ability to deal with people beyond giving and receiving instructions. Must be adaptable to performing under minimal levels of stress when confronted with persons acting under stress.

Physical Communication: Requires the ability to talk and/or hear: (talking - expressing or exchanging ideas by means of spoken words; hearing - perceiving nature of sounds by ear).

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Requirements

The City of Portsmouth is an Equal Opportunity Employer. ADA requires the City to provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities. Prospective and current employees are invited to discuss accommodations.

This is a class description and not an individual position description. A class specification defines the general character and scope of duties and responsibilities of all positions in a job classification, but is not intended to describe and does not necessarily list the essential job functions for a given position in a classification.