Court Clerk

Career Opportunity:

The Court is now accepting applications for Court Clerk. This recruitment is an open examination to establish an eligibility list to fill one immediate vacancy, and to use for future vacancies. 

Under general supervision, incumbents perform varied and complex legal clerical tasks and courtroom support functions for various collaborative justice courts and programs, which includes compiling and preparing information and files required for Court proceedings; attending hearings; performing statistical data entry; providing information to legal counsel, probation, service providers, and other collaborative partners; and performing related work as required. 

The Court Clerk is responsible for complex legal document processing, statistical data entry, and clerk activities within the collaborative justice courts.   Incumbents regularly work on tasks that are varied and complex, requiring considerable discretion and independent judgment.  Positions in this classification rely on experience and judgment with a broad understanding of court operations.  The work involves problem-solving of unique issues or increasingly complex problems without precedent and/or structure.  Assignments are given with general guidelines and incumbents are responsible for establishing objectives, timelines, and methods to complete the work. The Court Clerk is distinguished from the Legal Process Assistant III in that the latter performs legal document processing duties not specific to the courtroom.

• Prepares, updates, and maintains Court calendar; researches, reviews, verifies and compiles data necessary for Court proceedings; prints and distributes calendars.
• Attends Court hearings; creates minute order entries for the Court database system; tracks and documents incentives and bus passes provided to clients.
• Performs post Court hearing administrative functions; inputs hearing results into the Court’s database system; prints Court minutes and judgements to place in appropriate files; faxes or emails correspondence to various Court departments, local law enforcement, and/or other agencies as needed.
• Verifies, enters, corrects, and updates statistical data in the court database system; inputs all statistical data regarding treatment provider information, outcome data, and other data elements as required by Court grants.
• Provides the appropriate criminal information to local law enforcement agencies in order to coordinate arrests.
• Prepares and issues various legal orders, which may include warrants, subpoenas, and other legal documents on behalf of the court; orders and issues warrants, modifies judgments, and opens cases in accordance with established codes and court procedures.
• Processes assessments; schedules assessments; follows up on assessment results; sends results to the Court; inputs results into the Court database system. ? Provides clerical support for cases handled by Compliance Officers; acts as an Clerk to Compliance Officers.
• Provides lead direction and training to assigned staff.
• Maintains various files, records, and statistic associated with the collaborative justice courts and programs.
• Assists in the preparation of Annual Drug Court program commencement.
• Operates standard office equipment, including job-related computer hardware and software applications, facsimile equipment and multi-line telephones.

Education and Experience:

Any combination of training and experience that would provide the required knowledge, skills, and abilities is qualifying.  A typical way to obtain the required qualifications would be:

Knowledge of:

• Purpose and processing procedures of a variety of complex court related legal documents, forms, and records. 
• California codes and local rules pertaining to Superior Court operations. 
• General clerical tasks such as filing and record keeping. 
• Principles and practices of lead direction and training.
• Modern office practices, methods, and computer equipment and applications, including word processing, database, and spreadsheet applications.
• Organization and operation of the court and of outside agencies as necessary to assume assigned responsibilities. 
• Basic arithmetic. 
• English usage, spelling, vocabulary, grammar, and punctuation.
• Techniques for providing a high level of customer service by effectively dealing with the public and court staff.

Ability to:

• Respond to and effectively prioritize phone calls and other requests for service.
• Learn, interpret, explain, and apply court policies and procedures. 
• Compose correspondence and reports independently or from brief instructions; maintain records and databases.
• Make accurate arithmetic computations.
• Perform responsible clerical support work with accuracy, speed, and minimal supervision.
• Organize, maintain, and update court database and records systems. 
• Schedule and coordinate projects; set priorities; adapt to changing priorities; meet critical time deadlines.
• Enter and retrieve data from a computer with sufficient speed and accuracy to perform assigned work.
• Operate modern office equipment, including computer equipment and word-processing, database, and spreadsheet application programs. 
• Use English effectively to communicate in person, over the telephone, and in writing.
• Use tact, initiative, prudence, and independent judgment within general policy and legal guidelines in politically sensitive situations.
• Establish, maintain, and foster positive and effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work.

Physical Demands

Must possess mobility to work in a standard office setting and use standard office equipment, including a computer; vision to read printed materials and a computer screen; and hearing and speech to communicate in person and over the telephone.  This is primarily a sedentary office classification although standing and walking between work areas may be required.  Finger dexterity is needed to access, enter, and retrieve data using a computer keyboard, typewriter keyboard, or calculator and to operate standard office equipment.  Positions in this classification occasionally bend, stoop, kneel, reach, push, and pull drawers open and closed to retrieve and file information.  Employees must possess the ability to lift, carry, push, and pull materials and objects up to 25 pounds with the use of proper equipment.

Environmental Elements

Employees work in an office environment with moderate noise levels, controlled temperature conditions, and no direct exposure to hazardous physical substances.  Employees may interact with upset staff and/or public and private representatives in interpreting and enforcing departmental policies and procedures.