Judicial Case Manager - Berkshire Probate & Family Court

Massachusetts Trial Court•Pittsfield Charter Township, MI

1d•Onsite

About The Position

This position involves a high level of professional legal and case management work of complex difficulty with supervisory responsibilities. The employees in this position assist the First Justice and Associate Justices in performing their legal and administrative duties as set forth in state statutes, court rules, standing orders and court policies. This employee is appointed for a term of three years by the First Justice of the Division, pursuant to G.L. Chapter 217, Section 23C, with the approval of the Chief Justice of the Probate and Family Court Department.

Requirements

Applicant must have a law degree and admission to the practice of law in Massachusetts or a graduate degree in a relevant field (such as criminal justice, public administration or business administration); and knowledge, skills and abilities acquired through 4 or more years of relevant work experience, including supervisory and/or courtroom experience, within a Trial Court Division (Register's Office, Probation Office, Judge's Lobby) or an equivalent office.
For External Applicant, a law degree and admission to the practice of law in Massachusetts and knowledge, skills and abilities acquired through 4 years of legal or supervisory experience.
Knowledge of relevant state statutes, court rules and case law that prescribe the authority of the court and an ability to interpret and apply them to the cases before the court.
Thorough knowledge of court procedures, legal documents, and laws pertaining to the court.
Thorough knowledge of the organization, functions, authority, and authority of the court.
Thorough knowledge of principles and practices of caseload management.
Ability to plan and supervise the work of subordinates when appropriate
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

Law Degree Preferred
Strong legal research and writing skills
Proficient in MUPC practice and procedure
Experience and certification in mediation and/or conciliation

Responsibilities

Oversight and assistance with the daily judicial operation of a court division
Assists the First Justice with the daily judicial operation of a court division.
Schedules daily assignments of Assistant Judicial Case Managers, Sessions Clerks and Judicial Secretaries, including managing coverage in any satellite court sessions.
Supervises Assistant Judicial Case Managers and Sessions Clerks and Judicial Secretaries.
Assists Judges with the management of the Individual Judicial Assignment case calendars and Departmental Time Standards.
Conducts case management conferences and pretrial conferences as assigned by the First Justice.
Conducts uncontested sessions and manages all matters filed for administrative approval, as assigned by the First Justice.
Manages all matters filed for administrative approval.
Assists Local Dispute Resolution Coordinator with referrals to approved ADR providers and assist with court-connected alternative dispute resolution Services.
Assists in the use of the MassCourts case management system.
Administers Oaths
Conducts regular meetings with Judicial Case Management team members: Judges, Assistant Judicial Case Managers, Sessions Clerks and Judicial Secretaries.
Participates in regular meetings with First Assistant Register and other Registry staff as well as the Probation, Security, and Facilities Departments.
Reviews case management reports and assists First Justice with development of work and case flow changes to improve case management and achieve Departmental and Trial Court goals, including metric goals
Assists with the preparation of annual statistics and reports.
Assists with the preparation of case management reports.
Enters case data into automated case management system.
Assists both attorneys and self–represented litigants with access to the Court by providing legal and procedural information.
Ensures the proper issuance of writs of capias, writs of ne exeat regno, mittimuses, habeus corpus, discharges from jail, executions, attachments and summonses to trustee as necessary
Implementation of work and case flow policies and new laws and court mandates.
At the direction of the First Justice, coordinates with other divisions in developing and drafting guidelines, checklists, protocols, procedures, and memoranda outlining work and case flow changes to implement new laws, court rules, standing orders and policies of the Probate and Family Court.
Provides legal expertise to Judges in technical areas of probate and family law.
Oversees management of Supreme Judicial Court Rule 1:07 lists for all fee-generating appointments.
Casefile and legal document review
Reviews case papers being submitted to the court and/or court sessions.
Reviews legal sufficiency of subpoenas and transmits copies of records when properly requested by other courts and parties.
Provides legal and technical support to the appeals clerk, as requested.
Provides other legal and technical support to court staff as needed.
Program and project management
Assists with the management of the Lawyer for the Day program in those Divisions that do not have a Family Law Facilitator.
Assists with the organization of bench/bar seminars and meetings.
Assists First Justice with the preparation of the division's budget and expansion budget requests and internal audits.
Represents the court division on committees, task forces and working groups as designated by the First Justice or Chief Justice.
Implements and participates in pilot projects as designated by First Justice or Chief Justice.
Attends meetings and trainings at the request of the Chief Justice in order to assist in the development of uniform court policies and procedures among divisions.