Clerk's Judicial Proceedings Specialist

County of Thurston•Tumwater, WA

10d•Onsite

About The Position

The Thurston County Clerk’s Office is seeking a professional, motivated, and dependable candidate for the position of Judicial Proceedings Specialist to join their team. This is an exciting opportunity for those with excellent customer service experience seeking to begin their career in the court system, work in a great environment, and receive excellent benefits. The role serves as a technical legal and courtroom specialist for the County Clerk's Office by providing customer service, legal process support, courtroom administration, records management, and judicial proceedings support. The specialist ensures the accuracy, integrity, and confidentiality of court records while maintaining permanent records of judicial proceedings. The role reviews legal documents for compliance with statutes, court rules, and judicial orders; coordinates courtroom operations and jury trials; manages case processing from filing through appeal; and provides technical assistance to judicial officers, attorneys, law enforcement agencies, governmental organizations, and the public. The position performs a variety of specialized legal and administrative duties in support of the judicial system.

Requirements

Associate of Arts degree in paralegal studies or other related field.
Four years of progressively responsible office experience in a legal or court environment.
Additional experience may be substituted for education on a year for year basis.
Ability to type 55 wpm and utilize a personal computer and related software packages to perform word processing, analysis, information retrieval and tracking.

Nice To Haves

Completion of an accredited Paralegal or Legal Assistant program.
Experience supporting courtroom proceedings and jury trials.
Knowledge of appellate court procedures.
Passport Acceptance Agent certification or ability to obtain certification.
Experience with statewide judicial information systems.
Strong notetaking, shorthand, or speedwriting skills.

Responsibilities

Provide technical assistance and detailed information regarding court procedures, legal processes, statutory requirements, and case management.
Explain legal procedures and filing requirements while ensuring compliance with applicable statutes and court rules.
Verify, receipt, and process legal financial obligations, court fines, fees, bail, judgments, and penalty assessments and ensure all financial transactions comply with established court procedures.
Coordinates jury trials: manages, identifies and marks exhibits, identifies and verifies juror presence, maintains jury panel and seating list, administers oath, prepares/maintains witness record, and distributes jury instructions.
On-call duty for immediate notification of jury questions or verdict and notification of appropriate personnel.
Interprets, summarizes and reports decisions of Judicial Officer maintaining accurate record of proceedings and trial court time.
Monitors case disposition for compliance with court orders.
Reviews petitions, applications, affidavits, oaths and court orders prior to issuance of writs, subpoenas, letters testamentary and arrest warrants verifying the accuracy and completeness of legal documents.
Identifies inconsistency with statutes and provides technical information for compliance.
May restrict access as ordered by the court or mandated by statute.
Manages complex system for clerk's dismissals, exhibit tracking, administrative law review cases (receipt and return) and dismissal and remand of lower court appeals.
Prepares dismissal calendar and pleadings, notifies all parties and responds to inquiries.
Analyzes and completes judicial process for notices of appeal and discretionary reviews to Court of Appeals/Supreme Court.
Maintains system to ensure compliance with strict timelines.
Prioritizes work accordingly to prevent liability to the County.