JUDICIAL OPERATIONS ASSISTANT

Judicial Operations Assistant

The main function of the Judicial Operations Assistant (JOA), a.k.a. Courtroom Clerk, is to attend all trials and hearings in court and capture the overall outcome and the parties in attendance.

Our department is responsible for having a JOA present at each court trial/hearing to take minutes and receive any documents or exhibits for filing. The JOA position is an exciting role within the Clerk's Office and plays a vital part in the judicial system. We cover all hearings, calendars, and trials in all matters filed with the Superior Court. There is a wide variety of matters and various opportunities to learn and grow. We work closely with Judges, attorneys, law clerks, and the general public in a professional courtroom setting. We are looking for candidates with attention to detail and a passion for learning more about the judicial system. For a more detailed description of duties please see the job description below.

There is one (1) full time position to fill from this posting.

Job Duties

STATEMENT OF ESSENTIAL JOB DUTIES

1. Prepares complex and detailed contemporaneous minutes and exhibit indices on high-volume court hearing calendars and trials in a Superior Courtroom setting for the following Superior Court case types: Criminal, Civil, Domestic, Probate/Guardianship, Adoption/Parentage, Involuntary Treatment, and Juvenile.
2. Maintains and controls all court documents, exhibits and depositions received and used during a trial; identifies, numbers, categorizes and maintains security of exhibits offered during court proceedings including high risk and contaminated exhibits such as weapons, drugs, money, and items containing bio-hazardous materials; maintains confidential records and/or information as directed by state law and court rules.
3. Administers jury oaths in open court; maintains records of jurors excused or impaneled during court proceedings; creates record of witnesses called and sworn; provides jurors with all admitted exhibits for deliberation; reads jury verdict in open court and polls each juror for verification of verdict.
4. Receives and creates a record of all legal documents, exhibits and depositions filed in open court; obtains signatures of attorneys and litigants on pertinent documents before submission to the judge/commissioner; reviews documents, records, and exhibits for accuracy prior to filing ensuring compliance with state laws and court rules; enters, retrieves and updates information on statewide databases and Clerk Case Management System (CMS) relating to individual cases and calendars.
5. Assists the general public, attorneys, legal staff, Superior court employees, Judges and Commissioners, and government agencies in person, by telephone or in writing by providing technical assistance and information; explains procedures and schedules; locates and provides information from Superior Court records while maintaining security and confidentiality as required; evaluates and diffuses sensitive and/or potentially volatile people and situations and reacts appropriately including contacting security when necessary; directs customers to other departments and agencies for further research assistance as needed.
6. Acts as liaison on behalf of the Clerk's Office to Judges, Commissioners, law clerks, members of the legal community and the public.
7. Researches, sorts, and routes court documents including statutorily confidential and court ordered sealed documents and records.
8. Performs all functions of Jury Management including answering telephones, data entry, receiving and processing mail, and preparing payroll for submission to the Finance Department; under strict timelines, prints and mails all jury summons for Superior and District courts; collects, records and tabulates statistics in a database; may implement special studies required for local, state, or departmental purposes; provides technical assistance and customer support to Superior and District court jury system users and jurors. Prepares and provides professionally written responses to public inquiries regarding jury management.
9. Utilizes voice mail and email for purposes of electronically scheduling, confirming, continuing, and striking hearings in order to prepare the daily motions calendars; maintains and monitors the Clerk's Office confirmation's website and electronic distribution and public displays of calendars.
10. Performs related duties of a bailiff in his/her absence including coordinating changes to Judge's schedule, opening and closing court, and acting as liaison between the court, attorneys, public and jurors.
11. Trains and/or reviews work of Judicial Operations Assistant trainees and supports staff in departmental procedures; when conducting training, meets with trainees on a weekly basis to discuss training status; prepares reports for the manager, supervisor and lead on trainees' progress; prepares and updates training manuals.

STATEMENT OF OTHER JOB DUTIES

1. Recommends and assists in writing and updating procedures; collects, analyzes and reports division productivity data; designs and recommends new forms, information systems, and reports as appropriate.
2. Performs select duties of Judicial Operations Assistant Lead as assigned; provides back up and peak work load coverage for co-workers and for other divisions in the Clerk's Office; performs Judicial Process Assistant and Judicial Accounting Assistant duties as assigned.
3. Testifies in court cases as a subject matter expert regarding Clerk's Office policies and procedures and statutory responsibilities as required.
4. Serves on a variety of teams and committees as needed; may perform other related duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

Associate's degree in criminal justice or paralegal studies or completion of an accredited legal assistant program; AND one (1) year experience of legal clerical work, legal document/record processing work or legal customer service experience; OR, any equivalent combination of training and/or experience that provides the required knowledge and abilities. Must pass job related tests. SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS Typing of forty-five (45) wpm required.

Additional Information

KNOWLEDGE AND ABILITIES Knowledge of:

• processing court documents in accordance with state laws, appellate and general rules, Superior Court Local Court Rules and Administrative Orders
• state and local databases and Clerk's CMS
• legal terminology
• courtroom operations
• computer software applications including Microsoft Office Suite
• office policies, practices and procedures and commonly used equipment
• employee training methods, practices, and techniques
• Clerk's Office procedures and policies

Ability to:

• establish and maintain effective working relationships with superiors, peers, and other staff
• learn, understand and execute complex and technical court operations policies and procedures
• learn, research and provide answers to public regarding court operations questions;
• learn and teach trainees the distinction between offering legal advice and providing excellent customer service and applying this knowledge in the workplace
• use proper English, spelling, grammar, punctuation and word usage
• follow complex oral and written instructions
• listen and understand complex Judicial oral decisions and reduce them to written form
• communicate effectively orally and in writing
• work independently and effectively under pressure
• work with minimum supervision and make consequential work decisions in accordance with state laws, court rules and Court and Clerk policies and procedures
• communicate effectively with customers including a culturally diverse population, or angry or distraught customers in a courteous and professional manner. May be required to obtain information from defendants in the face of hostility and dispute
• operate standard and specialized office and courtroom equipment including computers, printers, copiers, telephones, data entry retrieval programs, and digital recorders
• maintain public databases including entering data, performing data verification and making corrections to data
• update and write new procedures when necessary
• operate in a lead capacity when assigned
• train and provide support to other staff
• exercise good judgment under stressful circumstances
• analyze and solve work related problems
• acquire knowledge of specialized procedures and subject matter encountered in work assignments

SUPERVISION The employee in this class receives administrative direction from the Judicial Operations Assistant Lead, Judicial Operations Assistant Supervisor or Division Manager. Assignments are made indicating generally what is to be done, the quantity of work expected and any deadlines to be met. The employee carries out recurring assignments on his/her own initiative and receives additional specific instructions for new or unusual assignments. Work is spot checked to ensure conformance with policies and procedures.

WORKING CONDITIONS The work is performed in all areas of the Clerk's Office and Superior Court, including the Denney Juvenile Justice Center and off-site locations. PHYSICAL EFFORT The employee must be able to perform physical tasks including lifting boxes and material weighing up to thirty (30) pounds, daily crouching, bending, kneeling, and reaching, and sitting and/or standing for long periods of time; use of ladders/step stools may