Judicial Assistant I

This is a Countywide Recruitment (Santa Maria, Santa Barbara, and Lompoc). We are currently hiring at our Lompoc Court campus.

This is the front-line position in the Court. People in the Judicial Assistant I position may work in different units, such as Civil, Criminal, Jury, Juvenile, Records, or Traffic, helping members of the public with filing and questions they may have about the status of their case. You will work in the Court’s Case Management System reviewing and updating legal documents and case information. The people in these positions help to keep the Court running smoothly and provide valuable service to the public.

ADDITIONAL MONETARY/BENEFIT VALUE:

In addition to the base wage listed, employees in this classification receive:

The Court pays 100% of employee health premium

80% of the health premium for Employee + Dependent

80% of the health premium for Employee + Family

14 Paid Holidays + 1 Floating Holiday

Paid Vacation and Paid Sick Time

Biweekly Court contribution of $18.79 towards the cost of the dental premium

Biweekly Court contribution of approximately 32.47% of gross wages towards employee's mandatory retirement account

Additionally, employees from current public employers (federal, state and/or local government) may qualify for:

- Retirement reciprocity

- Time and service credit towards vacation accrual rate

Under general supervision, performs a variety of courtroom, judicial and/or program support duties including, but not limited to legal processing, records, jury services, calendaring, pre-trial, probate, family law, juvenile, customer service, intake/screening and other court-wide clerical, administrative and technical support work; and performs related duties as required.

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS

This is the entry and journey level of the Judicial Assistant series. This is a very broad court clerical, administrative and technical support series that includes a wide range of court support functions. Positions may be assigned to perform support duties in a singular area of emphasis or may be assigned a variety of courtroom support, judicial support and/or court program support and court program-related support services. Experienced and/or knowledgeable employees in the Judicial Assistant I/II classification may be assigned to provide peer training and/or act as a resource for less experienced and/or knowledgeable Judicial Assistants, but are distinguished from the Judicial Assistant III – Office Assignment classification in that the Judicial Assistant I/II is not assigned formal and/or primary responsibility for leading, training and assigning the work of subordinate Judicial Assistants within an office-based work unit, and/or formal responsibility for overseeing, leading, training, and/or assigning a unique or specialty workload. Experienced and/or knowledgeable employees in the Judicial Assistant I/II classification may occasionally be assigned to provide in-courtroom support, but is distinguished from the Judicial Assistant III – Courtroom assignment in that the Judicial Assistant I/II is not assigned formal and/or primary responsibility of in-courtroom judicial support work.

Examples of Duties

Greets public and answers phones; provides information and assistance to staff, attorneys, and public regarding cases, rules, and procedures of the court; explains filing processes, court actions, forms, and procedures; explains fees and fines; assists individuals in locating material and information; composes and types correspondence in response to inquiries; schedules appointments; types court reports and correspondence.

Receives and examines legal documents for accuracy, completeness and conformity to requirements; processes documents related to the filing and adjudication of cases; returns unacceptable documents; affixes seals and stamps to endorse, certify, and/or file documents; determines appropriate fees according to type of document; accepts payment of fees, bail, and fines; operates and balances cash register and maintains appropriate records.

Prepares and maintains documents, exhibits and/or updates case files; enters information from legal documents into computer; locates and pulls proper files; organizes the storage of, and purging of files; searches files, dockets, and computer records for information; obtains additional information as necessary; retrieves, arranges and delivers files and documents to judicial officers or other appropriate parties; maintains court records and files.

Conducts research pertaining to document filing requirements to ensure conformance; determines time requirements for specific calendar documents needing judicial approval; reviews files for completeness and for background material to issue summonses, citations, writs, and abstracts of judgments.

Prepares and issues legal orders such as warrants, writs, orders, subpoenas, abstracts, and other official documents on behalf of the court; recalls warrants, exonerates bail, prepares judgments and dismisses or seals cases in accordance with established codes and court procedures.

Prepares court calendars and/or calendars cases for hearing, conferring with the appropriate individuals according to established procedures; prepares and distributes calendars and related case files for review; prepares a variety of documents related to court operations and coordinates the flow of documents necessary for court assignment.

Impanels, assembles, orients, excuses, and answers questions of jurors; maintains juror attendance records and compensation due jurors; processes reimbursement claims; records challenges.

Provides specialized clerical support to various court programs and/or court-related programs and functions as assigned; screening and intake of program participants; assisting in the completion of forms; maintaining manual and electronic records; developing basic reports; coordinating meetings and appointments; and providing basic referral services.

Performs related duties as assigned.

Employment Standards

Judicial Assistant I:

Graduation from high school, AND two years of clerical experience; OR

Any combination of training, education, and experience equivalent to the above stated requirements, as determined by the Court, and would provide the required knowledge and abilities.

Judicial Assistant II:

Two years as a Judicial Assistant I (see "Flex Series Note" at end of Employment Standards); OR

Any combination of training, education, and experience equivalent to the above stated requirements, as determined by the Court, and would provide the required knowledge and abilities.

Knowledge of: Good customer service skills; office practices; basic mathematics; proper grammar and spelling; computer usage.

Ability to: Maintain confidentiality; utilize sound judgment in performing court-related duties; pay attention to detail; understand, explain, and comply with a variety of detailed procedures; organize work tasks; establish and maintain professional, courteous working relationships with staff, legal community, and the public; establish work priorities; communicate effectively both verbally and in writing; use a computer and associated equipment, and applications to complete the work of the Court.

Desirable Qualifications: Possession of education or experience in legal procedures, court activities, or legal office support. Ability to speak Spanish preferred for some positions.

Supplemental Information

Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of the required application.

Human Resources will review applications to identify candidates who meet the minimum qualifications, therefore, it is to your benefit to include all relevant work experience.

FLEX SERIES NOTE: Judicial Assistant I/II is a flexibly-staffed series. As such, employees working in the classification of Judicial Assistant I/II shall move from Judicial Assistant I (entry level) to Judicial Assistant II (journey level) under the following conditions:

The employee meets all of the minimum qualifications for Judicial Assistant II and has at least two years of service as a Judicial Assistant I, with satisfactory performance.

"Satisfactory performance" in item 1 means that the individual has at least a satisfactory or "3" in each category of his or her most recent Employee Performance Review ("EPR"). Satisfactory performance is shown by the employee achieving at least a "3" in each of the following EPR categories: quality of work, productivity, professional conduct, interpersonal relations, performance with minimum supervision, oral communications, job knowledge/skills, and judgment; and a "satisfactory" or "S" in the following categories: attendance and punctuality.

For operational purposes or for outstanding performance, Court Administration may move an employee from Judicial Assistant I to Judicial Assistant II even though they do not meet the criteria outlined above.

Required Testing: As part of the application process all applicants will be required to participate in online testing. Once your application is received, you will be sent a link to complete an online assessment.