Assistant Judicial Case Manager - Hampden Probate & Family Court

Massachusetts Trial Court•Springfield, MO

10d

About The Position

The Assistant Judicial Case Manager performs high-level professional legal and case-management work of complex difficulty in the Hampden Probate & Family Court. The role assists the First Justice, Associate Justices, and Judicial Case Manager with legal and administrative duties under state statutes, court rules, standing orders, and court policies. The position is designated as a management position and is covered by the Trial Court Personnel Policies and Procedures Manual. The employee is appointed by the Division’s First Justice, with approval from the Chief Justice of the Probate and Family Court Department.

Requirements

A law degree or a graduate degree in a relevant field, such as criminal justice, public administration, or business administration, and knowledge, skills, and abilities acquired through at least 2 years of relevant work experience; OR a bachelor’s degree and at least 6 years of relevant work experience in criminal justice, public administration, or business administration, including supervisory experience; OR an equivalent combination of higher education and relevant experience totaling 10 years.
Thorough knowledge of relevant state statutes, court rules, and case law governing the authority of the court, and ability to interpret and apply them to cases.
Thorough knowledge of court procedures, legal documents, and laws pertaining to the court.
Thorough knowledge of the organization, functions, jurisdiction, and authority of the court.
Thorough knowledge of caseload-management principles and practices.
Ability to maintain effective working relationships with Judges, court officials, attorneys, court employees, and the general public.
Ability to identify and resolve case-flow issues.
Ability to use automated case-management systems for input, retrieval, and tracking.

Nice To Haves

At least 5 years of Probate and/or Family Law experience.
Bilingual candidates are encouraged to apply.

Responsibilities

Assist with the daily judicial operation of a court division and support Judges during courtroom sessions.
Assist Judges with managing Individual Judicial Assignment case calendars and Departmental Time Standards.
Conduct assigned case management conferences and Pathways mediations, and handle uncontested sessions as assigned by the First Justice.
Assist the Local Dispute Resolution Coordinator with referrals to approved alternative dispute resolution providers.
Assist with implementation and use of the MassCourt case management system, including entering case data.
Administer oaths, approve bonds, and review requests for determination of indigency.
Participate in regular meetings with Judicial Case Management team members, including Judges, the Judicial Case Manager, Sessions Clerks, and Judicial Secretaries.
Review case-management reports and assist Justices in developing work and case-flow changes to improve case management and achieve Departmental and Trial Court goals.
Assist with preparing statistics, reports, and case-management reports.
Provide attorneys and self-represented litigants with legal and procedural information to help them access the Court.
Ensure proper issuance of specified writs and other process at the Register’s request, including capias, ne exeat regno, mittimuses, habeas corpus, discharges from jail, executions, attachments, and trustee summonses.
Implement work and case-flow policies, new laws, and court mandates, and participate in programs and processes to expedite work and improve case management.
Adhere to checklists, protocols, procedures, and memoranda established by the First Justice and/or Judicial Case Manager.
Provide Judges with legal expertise in technical areas of probate and family law.
Assist with implementation of Supreme Judicial Court Rule 1:07 regarding fee-generating appointments.
Review case files, legal documents, case papers submitted to the court or court sessions, and the legal sufficiency of subpoenas.
Transmit copies of records when properly requested by other courts and parties.
Provide legal and technical support to court staff as requested.
Represent the court division on committees, task forces, and working groups as designated by the First Justice or Chief Justice.
Implement and participate in pilot projects as designated by the First Justice or Chief Justice.
Attend meetings and training at the request of the Chief Justice or First Justice to assist in developing uniform court policies and procedures among divisions.
Perform related duties as required.