Court Clerk Trainee/Court Clerk - South Lake Tahoe

Application Deadline: Open Until Filled 

Under close and general supervision, the Court Clerk Trainee/Court Clerk performs a full range of clerical duties in support of Court operations, inside and outside the courtroom, including a variety of legal processing, public contact, clerical support, records management and courtroom clerk duties. 

Court Clerk Trainee 

At the entry level, a Court Clerk Trainee is expected to perform tasks of moderate difficulty under supervision. As proficiency increases, more independent job duties are assigned. Positions in this class may perform some courtroom clerk duties; however, the focus of their duties is legal processing, records management, clerical support and public contact (e.g., customer service). As experience is acquired, the incumbent performs duties with increasing independence. Generally, a Court Clerk Trainee advances to Court Clerk after a 12-month probationary period is completed with satisfactory performance. This class receives close supervision from a supervisor/manager and may receive training and assignments from a Court Clerk or Senior Court Clerk. This class is distinguished from the higher class of Court Clerk in that the latter is the journey-level classification within the series. 

Court Clerk 

This is the journey level in the Court Clerk series. Positions in this class are flexibly staffed and are typically filled by advancement from the Court Clerk Trainee classification, or, when filled from the outside, require prior clerical experience in a court or legal office setting. Prior to appointment to Court Clerk, an incumbent must be able to perform the full range of duties at the journey level and meet the qualification standards of the higher class. Court Clerk is distinguished from the higher class of Senior Court Clerk in that the latter is the advanced journey level in the series, provides lead work assistance and performs highly complex clerical work with a great degree of independence. The Court Clerk receives general supervision from a supervisor/manager and may receive training and assignments from a Senior Court Clerk. This class is distinguished from the higher class of Senior Court Clerk in that the latter is the advanced journey-level classification within the series.

The Court reserves the right to assign or reassign duties as required to achieve business and operational objectives. When assigned, all the essential functions and duties listed below must be accomplished effectively, are standard, and may not be inclusive of all functions and duties that may be assigned. Essential functions and duties may include, but are not limited to those listed below. 

• Reviews, files, conforms and processes documents; enters data and/or scans documents into the case management system; updates hard copy case files as needed. 
• Interprets and applies a variety of policies, rules, procedures and regulations; understands statutes, court terminology and instructions related to court proceedings; explains and assists the public with legal filing processes, procedures and policies of Court operations; explains applicable laws, rules, policies and procedures to the public, justice partners and other staff in person and over the telephone. 
• Performs daily accounting as required in accordance with Court policy and procedures; accepts fines and routine filing fees, computes filing and related fees, makes appropriate journal entries, issues receipts and balances cash drawers. 
• Assists the Court in meeting reporting requirements by accurately maintaining case statistics and grant timesheet reporting. 
• Performs calendaring functions such as copying, distributing and posting calendars after removal of confidential information; prepares, notates/marks with needed information and updates calendars; locates and pulls all hard copy cases on calendar; ensures all documents relevant to proceedings are in the case file (electronic/hard copy); routes hard copy cases to appropriate bench officer; updates tentative ruling system; records, processes and/or schedules remote appearances as required; processes all requests for setting trials, continuances and/or requests to advance or drop hearings; contacts Court-appointed counsel regarding availability; makes appointment changes in the case management system as needed; schedules hearings, prepares and sends applicable notice to litigants and posts fees as required. 
• Performs courtroom functions such as assisting the bench officer in all aspects of Court procedures, status of cases, fines, calendar and special circumstances; marks, admits and keeps track of all exhibits by creating a list; secures all exhibits daily; swears in all witnesses and keeps a record in the minute order; swears in prospective jurors, jurors and alternates and keeps track of hardships, peremptory challenges by counsel and maintains a juror seating chart; maintains paperwork necessary for the jury coordinator to perform duties; attends court sessions, takes notes and prepares minute orders for all Court proceedings to include mandatory wording pursuant to state law for the official court record; calculates and tracks required court reporter and jury fees at the end of each trial day; prepares, reviews and distributes orders, rulings, judgments, jury instructions, verdicts, prison abstracts and correspondence as required; prepare orders, rulings, judgments and correspondence for the bench officer; updates case management system(s) as required. 
• Processes all appeals filed with the Court. 
• Performs jury functions such as preparing the jury payroll; generating the Jury Failure to Appear Report; preparing and sending Orders to Show Cause; checks in jurors and updates system(s); prints courtroom reports as needed; prepares all other related notices; allocates, prints and mails summons as needed; answers phones; processes juror requests; takes messages off jury line and returns calls; interacts/coordinates activities with the jury management system vendor; updates Elections Department regarding changes in voter status. 
• Provides informal or formalized training to other Court staff in procedures, processes or duties in areas of proficiency; assists in procedure development and changes; performs long-term, specialized assignments or projects. 
• Establishes and maintains effective working relationships with judicial officers, other staff, members of the public, the parties and others encountered during work. 
• Performs a wide variety of technical Court operations duties as necessary to provide back-up coverage for other staff. 
• Travels between Court facilities to perform duties as required. 
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications 

Court Clerk Trainee 

Either I 

Education: High School Diploma or equivalent GED. 

AND 

Experience: One (1) year of experience performing clerical duties. Knowledge of legal documents and court processes and the ability to apply rules and procedures pertaining to court actions is desirable. 

Or II 

Education: High School Diploma or equivalent GED. 

AND 

Experience: One (1) year of work experience which required the use of customer service skills likely to produce the required knowledge and abilities in order to work well under pressure and exercise good judgment, tact and initiative in stressful situations. 

Or III 

Education: Completion of an Associate of Arts degree or higher level of education from an accredited college or university in a course of study related to the knowledge, skills and abilities for the classification. 

Court Clerk 

Either I 

Education: High School Diploma or equivalent GED. 

AND 

Experience: One (1) year experience in the class of Court Clerk Trainee in El Dorado County Superior Court service. 

Or II 

Education: High School Diploma or equivalent GED. 

AND 

Experience: Two (2) years’ experience performing duties that required a knowledge of legal documents and court processes and the ability to apply rules and procedures pertaining to court actions. 

Substitution: 1) Completion of an Associate of Arts degree or higher level of education from an accredited college or university in a course of study related to the knowledge, skills and abilities for the classification; or 2) Completion of a legal assistant or paralegal certificate program from an accredited business school, college or university may be substituted for the required experience up to a maximum of one (1) year. 

Desirable Qualifications 

Experience working in a court setting or the legal field. 

Knowledge and Abilities 

Knowledge of: 

• The legal system and Court procedures, practices and terminology. 
• Court office processes procedures including filing, conforming and processing legal documents; records management practices and procedures; organizing and maintaining accurate files and records. 
• Statutes relating to court legal processes and procedures, including but not limited to the California Rules of Court; Code of Civil Procedure; Penal Code; Welfare and Institutions Code; Vehicle Code; and other applicable statutes, processes and procedures applicable to work assignment. 
• Clerical, courtroom, appellate and jury procedures and processes. 
• Business arithmetic and basic accounting. 
• Training principles and practices. 
• Modern office methods and technology including the use of a personal computer and related software and case management systems. 
• Principles and practices of sound business communication; correct English usage, including spelling, grammar, punctuation, and vocabulary. 

Ability to: 

• Keyboard and typing skills to prepare timely, error-free correspondence, reports and other documents and to ensure the workflow is processed timely and accurately.
• Listening skills to enable the individual to ascertain and note important points in Court proceedings and to take notice to the degree that workflow in courtroom trials and hearings is processed timely and accurately. 
• Work under the pressure of deadlines, conflicting demands and emergencies. 
• Perform a set of tasks in accordance with established policies, procedures, statutes and standards. 
• Prepare clear, accurate and effective correspondence, reports, policies, procedures and other written materials. 
• Enter and retrieve data from case management systems accurately and efficiently. 
• Organize and prioritize work, meet critical deadlines and coordinate multiple tasks. 
• Work independently, overseeing and coordinating assigned responsibilities. 
• Make decisions under pressure in a fast-paced, high-volume environment. 
• Perform detailed, complex and difficult courtroom support work quickly and accurately. 
• Exercise initiative and sound independent judgment within established guidelines. 
• Use strong interpersonal skills to establish and maintain effective working relationships with all levels of Court staff, elected and appointive bodies and members of the general public. 
• Use work-related computer applications such as e-mail, word processing and/or the internet. 
• Maintain confidentiality of information where standards require and exercise discretion and independent judgment. 
• Maintain accurate records. 
• Support operational and administrative goals. 
• Understand and follow oral and written directions and instructions. 
• Communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing. 

Other Requirements 

• Possession of a valid driver’s license may be required depending on the position or the ability to provide alternate methods of transportation that meets job requirements. 
• Candidates are required to pass a fingerprint clearance by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Department of Justice (DOJ). Convictions, depending on the type, number and date, may be disqualifying. 
• All Court employees must take the Oath of Allegiance. 

The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an incumbent to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Physical Requirements: Strength, dexterity, coordination and vision to use a keyboard and monitor; hearing to communicate with the public and Court staff; ability to sit for extended periods of time; walk or otherwise move within the Court facilities; reach with hands and arms; vision to read and write material; sufficient strength to lift, carry, push or pull materials weighing up to 25 pounds; lifting position may be from floor to waist, and/or from the waist to an overhead position; to stoop, kneel, squat and crouch to pick-up or move objects, office equipment and records; speak clearly on the telephone and before groups.

Working Environment: Work is performed in an office environment with little exposure to outside temperatures or dirt and dust. Incumbents are expected to work inside buildings, along or closely with others. The working conditions are typically quiet but may be loud at times at some locations. The noise level and traffic level in the work environment are similar to a busy office. Normal business hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Work outside of these hours may be necessary in certain circumstances.

NOTE: The statements herein are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by individuals assigned to this job classification, and are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of responsibilities, duties and skills required of personnel so classified. Furthermore, they do not establish a contract for employment and are subject to change at the discretion of the employer.