Tribal Court Clerk II

Job Description

Job Description

Position Title: Tribal Court Clerk II
Department: Tribal Court
Salary Grade: NE6
Position Status: Full-Time
Status: Non-Exempt

Position Summary
Under general supervision of the Chief Judge or designee, this position is responsible for serving as the Clerk of Court for the Santa Clara Pueblo Tribal Court. This role requires dealing with the public via the telephone and greeting visitors. Entering case information into data systems, handling all filings and case management for criminal, civil, and juvenile matters. Additionally, this role is responsible for handling civil traffic, conservation, and animal control citations issued by the Pueblo of Santa Clara law enforcement officers and performs the duties of a Tribal Court Clerk as needed.

This job description is illustrative only of the responsibilities performed by this position and is not an all-inclusive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required of personnel in this classification. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities
•Ensure the courthouse is ready to open to the public each morning.
•Responsible for greeting visitors in person, answering telephones, and directing inquiries to appropriate court staff in a kind and professional manner.
•Must have knowledge of the jurisdictional difference between civil and criminal jurisdiction.
•Responsible for all Court Clerk duties, including the administrative case management of all matters filed with the Tribal Court. This includes criminal charging documents, civil pleadings, juvenile and family matters, domestic violence, and citations issued for traffic, conservation or animal control matters from filing until final disposition; case management shall be through court records management systems and paper files.
•Collect and account for filings fees and payments to the Court.
•Issue service of process for summonses, subpoenas, complaints, and hearing notices;
•Responsible for weekly deposits of collected fines and fees to the accounting department;
•Responsible for compiling monthly, quarterly and yearly statistics on court matters.
•Responsible for opening new matters, creating files, and managing cases through the Santa Clara Tribal Courts using the Court's information management systems and other programs.
•Attends all hearings and acts as the Clerk during proceedings.
•Assists in maintaining the public window of the Court for information, complaints, filing, and fund collections.
•Follow-up on court ordered referrals.
•Responsible for accurate data entry with the court recorder system.
•Must be proficient in and perform basic filing and recovering of identified materials within an established filing system.
•Accept documents for filing in Court matters from attorneys and litigants, approve or deny for filing.
•Prepare for signature and issue service of process for subpoenas, hearing notices, and complaints to be served by law enforcement.
•Coordinating scheduling of hearings and other matters with the other court staff.
•Assists in grant-writing.
•Notarizes documents for the public.
•Maintains confidentiality of all privileged information.
•Contributes to team effort.
•Performs other duties as assigned or required.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
•Excellent interpersonal and customer service skills on the phone and in person.
•Knowledge of Tribal and department policies and procedures.
•Familiarity with tribal, federal, and state laws and regulations related to the court.
•Effective conflict resolution.
•Problem solving techniques.
•Strong interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence.
•Ability to write professionally and draft letters and reports and fill out forms for routine operations.
•Ability to function as an effective team member to interact and communicate effectively with staff and tribal leadership and able to recognize changing conditions, develop alternative strategies and take appropriate action.
•Ability to be decisive and use sound reasoning to arrive at a conclusion/decision and to recognize and correct unsafe practices and conditions.
•Ability to effectively listen, strong speaking, and writing skills.
•Ability to perform computer skills such as word processing, software applications, advanced accounting software, email, internet and spreadsheets.
•Ability to perform duties under stressful and adverse conditions, such as long work hours, and emergency situations.
•Ability to read, analyze, and interpret complex documents, including policies and procedures.
•Ability to deal with employees and community members regarding sensitive, confidential information.
•Ability to handle multiple tasks, meet project deadlines and prioritize workload.

Minimum Qualifications
•An AA or BA degree in any field plus at least one (1) experience with law enforcement, the courts of any jurisdiction, legal practice or background, or paralegal experience.
•Must become a licensed notary public within the first three months of employment.

Physical Requirements and Work Environment

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; and talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to reach with hands and arms. The employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 lbs. Not to exceed 25 pounds. If an item is above 25 pounds, lifting shall be done by two or more Tribal staff members. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, color vision, and ability to adjust focus. Work is performed in a professional office environment with a moderate noise level, occasionally working under stressful conditions and for extended periods of time. This position is routinely exposed to Visual/Video Display Terminal (VDT) and extensive personal computer and phone usage. Travel may be required. May be required to work occasional nights and/or weekends. The employee is occasionally exposed to weather.