Court Clerk I, II, III, Or IV

SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF EL DORADO

Invites Applications for the Position of

Court Clerk I, II, III, IV (DOE)

Locations – Placerville

Approximate Monthly Salary: (DOE)

Court Clerk I $2,650.27 - $3,220.53

Court Clerk II $2,917.20 - $3,544.67

Court Clerk III $3,201.47 - $3,889.60

Court Clerk IV $3,522.13 - $4,284.80

Final Filing Date: February 14, 2021 at 11:59 p.m.

Tentative Interview Date: February 26, 2021

*In order to be considered for this position, human resources must receive a complete application packet AND answers to the supplemental questions. Visit El Dorado County Superior Court website to obtain a complete application packet. Please see additional instructions for applications below.

The Position: Under direction of the Operations Supervisor, incumbents perform a variety of court support services that involve legal processing, courtroom support and related judicial support and administrative tasks.

Court Clerk class level selection will be determined based on candidate’s experience and meeting minimum qualifications. Below is a summary of essential duties and minimum qualifications for each class level. Please visit the Court’s website for complete job descriptions.

Court Clerk I is an entry level class. It is distinguished from the Court Clerk II class in that it is a training position.

Essential Duties: Representative functions include, but are not limited to:

• Reviewing, filing, conforming, and processing of all documents;
• Preparing Court calendars as required;
• Processing case dispositions;
• Performing ongoing records management, e.g., organizing documents in files, placing files on file shelves in proper order, purging, archiving;
• Providing assistance and backup to all coworkers as required;
• Assist the Court in meeting reporting requirements by accurately maintaining case statistics;
• Explain to and assist the public with legal filing processes, procedures, and policies of Court operations; explain applicable laws, rules, policies, and procedures to staff, public, other agencies, attorneys, and bail bond companies in person and on the telephone;
• Perform daily accounting as required in accordance with Court policy; accept fines and routine filing fees, compute filing and related fees, make appropriate journal entries, issue receipts, and balance cash drawers;
• Perform all other related duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications: Court Clerk I - High School diploma or equivalent GED and one year of general clerical or office assistant experience. Court volunteer/intern experience is acceptable for general clerical or office experience. A Bachelor’s degree or Paralegal certificate can be substituted to meet the above minimum qualifications for education and experience.

The Court Clerk II class is an intermediate class in which incumbents have demonstrated proficiency in at least one function or department of the Court (Civil, Small Claims, Traffic, etc.).

Essential Duties: Representative functions include, but are not limited to:

In General:

Support Court operations by:

• Reviewing, filing, conforming, and processing of all documents;
• Preparing Court calendars as required;
• Processing case dispositions;
• Performing ongoing records management, e.g., organizing documents in files, placing files on file shelves in proper order, purging, archiving;

Providing assistance and backup to all coworkers as required;

• Assist the Court in meeting reporting requirements by accurately maintaining case statistics;
• Explain to and assist the public with legal filing processes, procedures, and policies of Court operations; explain applicable laws, rules, policies, and procedures to staff, public, other agencies, attorneys, and bail bond companies in person and on the telephone;
• Perform daily accounting as required in accordance with Court policy; accept fines and routine filing fees, compute filing and related fees, make appropriate journal entries, issue receipts, and balance cash drawers;
• Assist with jury coordination as needed;
• Perform informal training to other Court staff on a regular and ongoing basis;
• Perform all other related duties as assigned.

Calendaring:

• Copy, distribute, and post calendars; locate and pull all cases on calendar; check upcoming hearings; update calendars as needed; mark calendar with jury trials and estimate amount of days needed; ensure all documents relevant to proceedings are in the case file; route cases to appropriate bench officer; place rulings on telephone message line and website; obtain daily vCourt conference attendees reports from the telephonic appearance system;
• Process all requests for setting trials, continuances, and/or requests to advance or drop hearings;
• Contact Court-appointed counsel regarding availability; make appointment changes in case management system as needed;
• Schedule hearings, prepare and send applicable notice to litigants, post fees as required.

Minimum Qualifications: Court Clerk II - Any combination of education and experience: A typical pattern is a High School diploma or equivalent GED and one year general clerical or office assistant experience and one year of experience in receiving, preparing and processing a variety of legal documents and/or recording Court proceedings such as found in a court or legal setting, at a level equivalent to the Court’s class of Court Clerk I. A Bachelor’s degree or Paralegal certificate can be substituted to meet the minimum qualifications for education and experience stated above.

Court Clerk III is a journey-level class in which incumbents have a demonstrated proficiency in at least three functional areas or departments of the Court (Civil, Small Claims, Traffic, etc.); OR have been assigned a specific complex function and have demonstrated proficiency in a courtroom environment or two functional areas or departments of the Court; OR have demonstrated proficiency in a courtroom environment.

Essential Duties: Representative functions include, but are not limited to, all functions associated with the Court Clerk I and II classes, plus the following: Courtroom:

• Assist the judge in all aspects of Court procedures, status of cases, fines, calendar, and special circumstances;
• Mark, admit, and keep track of all exhibits by creating a list; secure all exhibits daily;
• Swear in all witnesses and keep a record in the minute order;
• Swear in prospective jurors, keeping track of hardships and peremptory challenges by counsel; swear in jurors and alternates; keep track of potential jurors on a seating chart; fax paperwork for payment to the jury coordinator;
• Attends court sessions, take notes and prepare minute orders for all Court proceedings to include mandatory wording pursuant to state law for the official court record;
• Perform informal training to other Court staff on a regular and on going basis;
• Supply statistics to operations manager timely on a monthly basis;
• Calculate and track required court reporter and jury fees at the end of each trial day and forward checks with the Daily Trial Fee Collections Summary to Accounting;
• Prepare, review, and distribute orders, rulings, judgments, jury instructions, verdicts, prison abstracts, and correspondence as required;
• Prepare orders, rulings, judgments, and correspondence for the judge.

Appeals:

• Process all appeals filed with the El Dorado Superior Court.

Jury:

• Prepare jury payroll and audit weekly; forward to accounting;
• Generate Jury Failure to Appear Report; update as needed; prepare and send out Orders to Show Cause;
• Check in jurors daily and update systems; print courtroom reports; prepare all other related notices;
• Allocate, print, and mail summons; answer phones; process mail and fax requests; take messages off jury line and return calls; grant, postpone, or deny juror excuses; update Elections Department regarding changes in voter status.

Legal Process:

• Serve the needs of the Court by providing backup in the courtroom and/or working in three or more Court functions or departments as required.
• Provide in-courtroom backup as needed.

Minimum Qualifications: Court Clerk III - A typical pattern is a High school diploma or equivalent GED; AND two years of full-time court support or law-related experience working in a government agency, legal clinic or law office at a level equivalent to Court Clerk II. Completion of course work from a law/paralegal school or major course work from an accredited college, university, business school or training school in a field that is related to the knowledge and abilities specified for this classification (24 semester units or 36 quarter units equal one year of experience) may be substituted for a maximum of two years’ experience.

Court Clerk IV is the advanced journey class in which incumbents conduct formal, assigned training for Court staff; OR perform long-term, specialized assignments or projects; OR, in addition to a courtroom assignment, demonstrate proficiency in at least one functional area in each of three Court departments in either the courtroom or legal processing and provides ongoing support in the processing of Court documents.

Essential Duties: Representative functions include, but are not limited to, all tasks associated with the Court Clerk I, II, and III classes, plus the following:

• Conducts training classes by providing Court-specific, job specific, and general training to Court staff as required;
• Supports operations by performing formal assigned training for new employees and cross-training for existing employees on an ongoing basis;
• Enhances training effectiveness by evaluating training and preparing reports;
• Maintains professional and technical knowledge by attending educational workshops, reviewing professional publications, and remaining actively involved in Court operations on a daily basis;
• Assists the manager as needed by reviewing Court procedures and providing input;
• Performs long-term, specialized assignments and/or projects as required.

Minimum Qualifications: Court Clerk IV - Any combination of education and experience: A typical pattern is a High School diploma or equivalent GED; AND three years of full-time court support or law-related experience working in a government agency, legal clinic or law office at a level equivalent to Court Clerk III. Completion of course work from a law/paralegal school or major course work from an accredited college, university, business school or training school in a field that is related to the knowledge and abilities specified for this classification (24 semester units or 36 quarter units equal one year of experience) may be substituted for a maximum of two years’ experience.

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.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT

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. The incumbent's 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. This position is exempt from the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act and is not eligible for overtime.

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 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.

BENEFITS

• Vacation: Accruals start at ten (10) days per year for full-time employees (increases with years of service).
• Holidays: Ten (10) paid holidays plus four (4) floating holidays for full-time employees.
• Sick Leave: Twelve (12) days per year for full-time employees.
• Health Benefits: Medical, dental and vision insurance coverage is offered to employees and their eligible dependents, with a significant portion of the health benefit contributions paid by the Court.
• Retirement: CalPERS retirement is the benefit offered by the County CalPERS program in effect at the date of hire. The Court does not contribute to Social Security.
• Life and Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D) Insurance: The Court provides basic employee life and AD&D insurance. Employees may elect to purchase supplemental life or AD&D insurance subject to the provisions of the respective insurance plan.
• Long-Term Disability (LTD) Insurance: The Court provides and pays for LTD insurance subject to the provisions of the respective insurance plan.
• Flexible Spending Account: The ability to deduct a portion of your salary before taxes to apply towards qualified medical expenses and/or child care expenses.
• Employee Assistance Program: Employees may use this program for up to six (6) visits per year at no cost to the employee. Services are completely confidential.
• Deferred Compensation: The Court offers two (2) deferred compensation plans for employees who wish to participate through payroll deduction.
• Pet Healthcare Program: Voluntary employee-paid benefit.

RECRUITMENT AND APPLICATION PROCESS

Applicants must submit a completed application packet that includes a Court application, resume and responses to the supplemental question contained in this job announcement. Applicants may email the application packet to human resources. The application packet may also be delivered between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. from Monday – Friday or mailed to:

Superior Court of California, County of El Dorado

Attn: Human Resources Dept.

2850 Fairlane Court, Ste 110

Placerville, CA 95667

• Application packets must be received by the filing deadline.
• Application packets will not be accepted at any other Court location.
• Faxed application packets are not acceptable.
• Resume may not be substituted for any portion of the application.
• It is not acceptable to complete the application or the supplemental question with statements such as “see/refer to resume” or “see attached.”
• Incomplete application packets will not be processed.
• All materials submitted become the property of the Court and will not be returned.

If you require a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please contact Human Resources at (530) 621-7427.

The Superior Court of California, County of El Dorado is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Supplemental Questionnaire Court Clerk I-IV

To better assess the qualifications of each applicant, completion of the below supplemental questions is required. Please take the time to provide a thoughtful and thorough response. All work experience that is described or included in your response must be included in the “Work Experience” section of your application. Do not refer to a resume or other document.

1. Tell us what makes you an outstanding candidate for this position; include specific examples of related experience as well as personal characteristics.

2. Please describe your experience providing customer service in a professional setting.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $15.29 - $24.72 per hour

Education:

• High school or equivalent (Required)