Bilingual Court Clerk 1 - Justice Court

Marion County • Salem, OR

1d • Onsite

About The Position

Under general supervision, this role performs violations court clerk duties related to case processing and adjudication for traffic citations, wildfire and county ordinance violations, civil disputes under $10,000, and evictions. The position also handles limited and routine violation trial tasks, civil case tasks, and finance processes. This position provides services to monolingual Spanish-speaking individuals, requiring fluent bilingual Spanish/English skills.

Requirements

• High school diploma or equivalent.
• One year of related court experience.
• Any satisfactory combination of work, education, training, or experience relevant to the position, as determined by Marion County.
• Fluent bilingual Spanish/English skills are required.
• Must be able to obtain Law Enforcement Data System (LEDS) certification within 6 months of hire.
• Must pass a criminal history background check, including fingerprinting.
• Working knowledge of customer service techniques.
• Working knowledge of office operations, procedures, and equipment.
• Working knowledge of cash handling procedures.
• Working knowledge of business math.
• Working knowledge of English spelling, punctuation, grammar, and composition.
• Working knowledge of Oregon Revised Statutes including the vehicle code and code.
• Working knowledge of Department of Motor Vehicle Rules.
• Working knowledge of Law Enforcement Data System (LEDS) Rules.
• Working knowledge of General Court Orders and court procedures related to traffic and violation matters.
• Working knowledge of office equipment, including computers and software programs, scanners, copiers, telephones, their functions, and capabilities.
• Working knowledge of concepts and techniques of prioritizing and organizing work.
• Working knowledge of strategies for dealing with a variety of individuals from various socio-economic, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds.
• Skill to provide assistance and information to customers.
• Skill to explain applicable court policies and procedures without giving legal advice.
• Skill to work effectively in a multi-task, detail and deadline driven environment.
• Skill to handle a high volume of customers by telephone and in person.
• Skill to review documents for completeness.
• Skill to independently, accurately and effectively perform assigned tasks and duties following established procedures, regulations and program policies.
• Skill to effectively operate office equipment, personal computers and software applications including databases and scanning software.
• Skill to perform data entry and arithmetic calculations with speed and accuracy.
• Skill in cash handling.
• Skill to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, including drafting effective and concise correspondence.
• Skill to establish and maintain effective working relationships with staff, Justice of the Peace, law enforcement and court personnel, parties and attorneys, other agencies, and the public in a courteous, professional manner.
• Skill to maintain composure under stressful conditions.
• Skill to maintain confidential information in accordance with legal standards and county regulations.

Nice To Haves

• Finalist will be required to pass a verbal Standardized Spanish/English Fluency Assessment as part of the hiring process.

Responsibilities

• Provide customer assistance to the public in person, by mail, email, and telephone.
• Receive and respond to general questions regarding violation plea options, citation, and collection processes.
• Gather relevant information and coordinate with a supervisor or lead worker for resolution of traffic cases.
• Communicate basic case information to external law enforcement and collection agencies.
• Maintain workflow of cases using the court case management program.
• Review and compare citations to the court docket verifying all necessary information is accurate and correct.
• Prepare and proofread the arraignment docket and any specialty dockets such as show cause hearings.
• Update and close a traffic or violation case if an individual enters a plea and pays the fine.
• Send conviction abstracts to Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) as assigned.
• Print and provide motions to the Justice of the Peace filed by the public as well as law enforcement motions to dismiss or amend a citation.
• Decide traffic and violation cases at the court window, online, by mail, fax, or telephone according to the violations' bureau order.
• Access driving records as allowed by Law Enforcement Data System (LEDS) guidelines to reduce a fine under the violations' bureau order.
• Assist the public with payment options.
• Verify documents including proof of vehicle insurance and registration.
• Inspect vehicles to confirm necessary corrective action complies with court findings.
• Open, distribute, and process mail.
• Receipt for mail payments.
• Review letters from the public addressed to the Justice of the Peace and create draft response letters for review and approval.
• Generate and review reports, including failure to appear in court and failure to comply with payment plan contract.
• Send letters and notices for failure to appear and failure to comply.
• Create and submit documents to the DMV requesting notification of suspension or license clearance.
• Monitor cases for eligibility to reinstate driving privileges.
• Cashier, receipt, process and track fees, payments, and bonds collected for traffic or violation fines.
• Set up payment plan contracts.
• Complete internal records.
• Balance transactions, receipts, and the cash drawer.
• Submit cases to the collection agency.
• Receive and review status updates from the collection agency.
• Perform routine violation trial tasks in traffic violations cases as assigned.
• Prepare and proofread the trial docket.
• Enter and remove driving records in the electronic case file.
• Scan documents, and add parties to the case.
• Send subpoenas, notify parties of a trial date reset, and other limited duties.
• Perform assigned LEDS related tasks.
• Perform routine duties in civil, small claims, and landlord-tenant cases as assigned.
• Enter and scan initial and primary information electronically and in person.
• Ensure accuracy of civil dockets, including small claims and landlord-tenant cases by comparing the docket to court software files.
• Perform routine finance duties such as preparing the daily bank deposit and daily deposit summary.
• Prepare check disbursements for civil cases.
• Enter data on the civil trust spreadsheet for deposit and disbursement tracking.
• Reconcile payments received from collections.
• Prepare the accounts payable voucher for monthly billing statements.
• Process refunds.
• May sit in as a witness for wedding ceremonies.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• An additional 5% will be added to the hourly wage as compensation for bilingual skills.
• Eligible for overtime.
• Marion County is a qualifying public employer for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program.
• Veterans’ Preference is available.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: High school or GED