Justice Court Clerk Senior

Gila, County of•Payson, AZ

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The purpose of this position is to facilitate the administrative processes of the courts and to provide customer service to the public and assistance to subordinate employees on more complex cases. This position completes and enters cases from arraignments and sentencing cases. The position administers the court calendar, performs accounting duties, logs complaints and citations, issues summonses, and provides customer assistance. The Justice Court Clerk Senior acts on behalf of the supervisor, the civil specialist, and the research clerk in the absence of those persons. Assists in courtroom on a regular basis preparing forms for the judge, swearing in witness, marking and tracking evidence. Assists with more complex case processes, including arraignments, complex DUI sentencing, disposition reporting. Assists subordinates in mail processing for fine payments, motions and other correspondence. Must recognize the proper court as it relates to the case and adhere to proper procedure relating to that specific court.

Requirements

High School Diploma or GED.
Four (4) years Justice Court clerical experience; demonstrated computer skills in working with word processing, spreadsheet and email software; or equivalent combination of education, training and experience.
Skill in typing with speed and accuracy at a net rate of 40 words per minute from printed copy; may be required to obtain additional specific skills training and technical certifications.
Must possess and maintain a valid Driver’s License if position duties require.
Database management; clerical; customer and personal service; accounting and banking.
Legal terminology and judiciary principles and practices; Arizona Judicial Code of Conduct; legal terminology and documentation; methods and standards for processing legal documents; principles of records management, storage and retrieval processes; forms, records, document processing procedures; structure and function of judicial system; customer service standards and protocol; Justice court procedures and protocol; laws and rules that apply to civil, criminal and traffic cases; correct business English, including spelling, grammar and punctuation; business arithmetic; court calendaring systems; business and personal computers and business office software applications.
Active listening; communicating diplomatically; customer service; problem solving; diversity awareness; time management; multi-tasking; typing and data entry.
Explaining court procedures and processes in a clear, concise, and comprehensive manner to attorneys, litigants, and the public; preparing clear and comprehensive written and statistical reports; establishing and maintaining cooperative working relationships with judges, attorneys, law enforcement agencies and other participants in the criminal justice process; effectively communicating in written and verbal forms; writing and completing accurate reports, legal documents and correspondence; effectively relating to people of diverse socioeconomic backgrounds and temperaments.
Perform arithmetic operations; multi-task; maintain auditory attention; speak clearly and sensibly; maintain calm demeanor in stressful situations.
Ability to accurately record actions and activities in an assigned courtroom; read and understand legal and court documents and extract relevant information; use applicable legal office terminology, forms, documents and procedures in the course of the work; read, interpret, apply and explain various legal processes and procedures; use initiative and independent judgment within established procedural guidelines; organizes own work, setting priorities and meeting critical deadlines; make basic arithmetical calculations; provide customer service to the public, attorneys and other relevant parties.
May be required to lift work related materials or equipment up to 10 lbs.
Constantly requires dexterity for keyboard operation.
Incumbents in this position may be required to walk to and from work sites and bend to lift work related materials and/or complete tasks.
Incumbents in this position regularly spends time in office environment; occasionally spends time in lobby environment, library and courtrooms.
Incumbents in this position may become exposed to telephone verbal abuse by customers and/or citizens. May also become exposed to individuals with high level of emotional distress; physical danger.
Incumbents in this position are required to constantly follow written safety procedures and manuals relevant to the division or department.

Responsibilities

Completes and logs cases from arraignments; swears in witnesses, records proceedings, assists parties in the courtroom with marking evidence and setting up courtroom presentations. Works with jury panels directing them and assisting them in their functions. Reviews submitted pleas for technical errors and recommends corrections in order to comply with the appropriate statute, prepares courtroom paperwork for the judge.
Writes, dockets and completes sentencing cases dealt with in courtroom, which include criminal and civil traffic. Submits records for final disposition, able to recognize and correct errors answers questions technical in nature regarding cases and case processing.
Logs criminal and civil traffic complaints/citations, including long form.
Assigns court dates for pretrials, sentencings, and preliminary hearings; prints and distributes court calendar to relevant parties. When supervisor is unavailable, assigns court dates and resets and dockets new cases pertaining to pretrial conferences or trials. Assisting with calendar management having knowledge of time frames for courtroom cases due to extensive observations in the courtroom.
Issues summonses for criminal and civil traffic cases.
Fills in for civil cases, such as small claims and forcible detainers, in courtroom, which includes swearing in witnesses, marking evidence and recording the proceedings as well as preparing formal judgments and court orders.
Assists with answering phones and questions at counter, assists other staff with technical questions more difficult in nature.
Assists with processing monetary receipts and end of day monetary procedures, such as reviewing cash receipts for subordinates, correcting errors.
Performs other duties as assigned.
Trains colleagues and explains County procedures or processes.
Creates or edits documents, internal memos, emails and reports.
Interacts regularly with the general public, external contacts such as vendors, bankers, attorneys or other professionals, and other institutions, over the telephone, by email, and/or in person.
Assists with courtroom hearings swearing in litigants and marking and tracking evidence.
Enters data into defendants or litigant’s record assuring proper coding, dispositions, issuing forms and judgments, etc.