Judicial Assistant - County Court (State Funded)

Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Florida•Miami, FL

5d•Onsite

About The Position

This is responsible work performing a variety of administrative and secretarial duties in managing the office of a County Court Judge. The position is responsible for administrative, secretarial and clerical tasks of high responsibility. Work involves displaying initiative, good judgment, professionalism, follow-through, the ability to multi-task and readily adapt to fast-changing priorities, neatness and organizational skills, and a strong work ethic. Frequent working contacts are made with judges, Office of the Clerk of Court, Administrative Office of the Courts, State Attorney's Office, Office of the Public Defender, private attorneys, law clerks, state and local law enforcement, witnesses, court specialists, criminal justice and social service professionals, the news media, and general public. Work is often of a sensitive and confidential nature. The Judicial Assistant must observe high standards of conduct. Work requires independent judgment and is performed under the general supervision of a County Court Judge.

Requirements

High School Diploma or GED.
One (1) year of college or vocational school education in paralegal, secretarial skills, computer operations or a closely related field.
Three (3) years of responsible experience as a legal secretary or paralegal.
Excellent interpersonal, typing, legal secretary and administrative skills.
Working knowledge of trial court rules in civil, traffic, and criminal procedures.
Ability to operate standard office equipment including personal computers and word processing and data entry applications for case management.
Excellent computer software knowledge in Microsoft Office 365, to include, but not limited to Outlook and Zoom; Criminal Justice Information System (CJIS), Odyssey, E-Filing, and Mocha.
Thorough knowledge of business English, spelling and punctuation.
Ability to communicate clearly and concisely, orally and in writing.
Ability to be a self-starter, independent, work with minimal supervision, recognize and establish work priorities.
Ability to handle sensitive matters with integrity and confidentiality.
Ability to handle individuals who are under stress with courtesy, tact and patience.
Ability to organize and coordinate schedules of various individuals and/or groups on the court calendar.

Nice To Haves

Bilingual in English/Spanish preferred.

Responsibilities

Prepares and manages the judge’s court and professional calendar to coordinate and schedule motions, hearings, conferences and trials at the request of the judge.
Interacts with attorneys, litigants and family members to resolve problems such as scheduling conflicts or other case-related issues.
Prepares and distributes orders as directed by the judge; and assists judge in preparing a calendar for several months in advance.
Reviews case files for accuracy, format compliance and completeness prior to submitting files to the judge; ensures presence of all required files; maintains trial dockets, continuances and trial orders.
Screens telephone calls and visitors to the judge’s office; provides information, resolves issues, directs callers/visitors to proper personnel or agency, and/or takes messages.
Performs routine clerical tasks such as reviewing, distributing and responding to incoming mail, performing data entry, ordering office supplies, maintaining files/records, faxing and photocopying.
Composes and/or edits correspondence, memoranda, directives, notices, orders, reports, e-mails, and other documents observing strict confidentiality; organizes papers for filing; and prepares compensation and travel vouchers.
Prepares yearly financial disclosures forms; and makes travel arrangements.
Interacts with judges, clerks of courts, litigants, attorneys, law enforcement personnel, court specialists, social services, witnesses and the general public to exchange information or to facilitate task completion.
Performs research on defendants utilizing databases from the Clerk’s Office and the jail system; and may conduct limited case law research using an electronic database such as LexisNexis.
Performs related work as required.