Court Operations Associate, Hennepin County, Ridgedale Criminal Division

Minnesota Judicial Branch•Minneapolis, MN

4d•$44,788 - $73,999•Hybrid

About The Position

Hennepin County District Court is hiring a Court Operations Associate for the Ridgedale Criminal Division in Minnetonka, Minnesota. The role performs a variety of administrative and courtroom assignments, individually and as part of a team, using independent judgment and available resources. Associates provide customer service to community members and other court customers and stakeholders, including judges, law enforcement officials, attorneys, prosecutors, defense attorneys, and probation officers. The Ridgedale Courthouse handles misdemeanor criminal and traffic cases for numerous western Hennepin County communities. Assignments rotate daily and include front-counter service, administrative tasks, lobby check-in, payable calendars, and courtroom clerking. The position is primarily onsite, with potential for occasional remote work depending on business needs. Typical hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, with some flexibility based on business needs. The role is non-exempt under the Fair Labor Standards Act and is represented by AFSCME. The expected starting pay for external candidates is at least $23.50 per hour, potentially higher depending on qualifications. Eligible employees receive Minnesota Judicial Branch benefits.

Requirements

High school diploma and one year of relevant job experience, or an equivalent combination of post-high-school education and experience totaling one year.
Ability to prioritize assignments, work under pressure in a high-volume, fast-paced environment, and adapt to change.
Effective written and verbal communication skills.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and ability to learn other job-related software.
Ability to accurately process financial transactions with attention to detail.
Excellent customer-service and interpersonal skills, including patience, cultural awareness, and the ability to de-escalate difficult interactions.
Commitment to an inclusive, multicultural environment and to collaborating and learning as part of a team.

Nice To Haves

Two years of customer-service and/or administrative experience.
Experience in a legal setting, such as courtroom clerk or paralegal experience.
Experience with document imaging, indexing, and cases or documents from electronic workflow queues.
Detail orientation and ability to continually learn and retain new material, concepts, and procedural changes.
Strong organizational and analytical skills.
Experience handling financial transactions.
Ability to hold a simple conversation in Spanish, such as asking for a name, date of birth, or address.

Responsibilities

Process payments by cash, credit card, or check for fines, bail, and other matters.
Recall warrants.
Schedule hearings with the court and hearing officers.
Answer court-customer questions and provide directions in a professional, courteous, and respectful manner.
Assist court customers, prosecutors, defense attorneys, probation officers, and law enforcement in person, by phone, and electronically.
Print and mail documents; review and process court filings for timeliness, statutory compliance, and proper document security.
Back up the front counter as needed.
Check court customers in for court and enter minor case updates using court technology systems.
Collaborate with prosecutors and defendants to resolve financial cases and schedule hearings on payable calendars.
Provide courtroom users with case documents and discuss next steps; review updates entered by the other courtroom chair and provide assistance as needed.
Accurately call cases, update calendars, perform high-level case processing and data entry, and schedule hearings.
Act as the judge’s clerk in high-volume, fast-paced courtrooms.
Coordinate with team members to complete assignments and case updates efficiently and accurately.