Lead Court Clerk

City of Puyallup•Puyallup, WA

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The Puyallup Municipal Court is hiring a Lead Court Clerk to join the clerk team! Applicants with strong leadership and court experience, and a desire to serve the Puyallup community, are encouraged to apply. This job posting is open until filled and applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible to receive priority consideration. It is impactful to join Team Puyallup and provide meaningful work in support of public service and the wellbeing of our community. We value our culture of demonstrating excellence in our work, being service focused, supporting collaboration, and having integrity in all that we do. We encourage those that share these values to apply to our open positions and/or forward to colleagues who may be ready for their next career advancement opportunity. The successful applicant will perform technical and clerical work in support of the municipal court. The incumbent coordinates the daily work activities of subordinate staff to ensure coverage of all courtrooms. This position requires technical expertise in those aspects of the court operation in which consequences of a clerical error would be significant. This position maintains a high level of responsibility, confidentiality, and necessitates the ability to be in personal contact with police, attorneys, defendants, and other agencies where considerable independent judgment is required. This classification requires solid organizational skills. The City of Puyallup is a community of 44,000 and is situated at the foot of scenic Mount Rainier. The city is known as a regional commercial center, and serves its residents and neighbors with a strong, diversified economy. Our employees live in and support a community that has excellent schools, amazing parks and recreational activities, and a vibrant downtown with a variety of restaurants and retail establishments.

Requirements

Knowledge of court rules, regulations, policies, procedures and practices
Knowledge of legal forms, documents and terminology
Knowledge of general office practices and procedures
Knowledge of correct punctuation, spelling, grammar and word usage
Knowledge of operation of personal computer and associated software
Knowledge of The Right to Privacy and Public Disclosure laws
Knowledge of office practices
Ability to plan, assign, supervise and evaluate the work of subordinates
Knowledge of work related codes, laws and legal terminology
Knowledge of operation of the municipal court and all aspects of case processing activity
Knowledge of accounting principles and procedures
Skill to operate the equipment used in the department
Skill to manage one's own time and the time of others
Skill to talk to others to convey information effectively
Ability to process a wide variety of legal forms and documentation
Ability to perform basic arithmetic computations and data entry functions accurately
Ability to express ideas concisely and communicate effectively both orally and in writing
Ability to serve as a Court Clerk as needed while court is in session
Ability to read, interpret, apply and explain rules, regulations, polices and procedures
Ability to use independent judgment to make decisions in accordance with laws, regulations and court policies and procedures
Ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense
Ability to analyze and evaluate accounting problems and discern those requiring policy determinations by supervisor
Ability to maintain records and prepare reports
Ability to work effectively in a high-pressure environment and interact with emotionally distraught, irate and combative individuals
Ability to establish and cooperative and effective working relationships with those contacted in the performance of work
Ability to maintain regular, reliable and punctual attendance
JIS knowledge and experience is required
Any combination equivalent to graduation from high school and four years progressively responsible experience working in a court setting; or a combination of education, experience, and training that indicates the ability to successfully perform the essential functions of the position listed above.

Nice To Haves

Experience with the Judicial Information System (JIS) is preferred.

Responsibilities

Assigns specific tasks, provides work direction and trains Court Clerks and Office Assistant(s)
Makes every effort to properly apply procedures within responsibility areas and provides feedback to the Court Administrator on the team's work performance and production
Develops specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish work
Assists Court Administrator in determining effective caseload management techniques
Assists with implementation of change within the department to accommodate new policies, laws, etc.
Processes forms, orders and documentation for court cases from origin to final disposition
Assists the public and explains court procedures
Sets cases for various types of hearings including arraignment, pre-trial, trial, mitigation, contested, show cause and motions
Prepares court calendars and notifying parties related to case by subpoena, summons, officer notice and bonding company notice
Processes continuance requests and notifies parties involved
Tracks cases with continued, suspended or deferred status
Obtains record checks
Reviews compliance and non-compliance reports, sends notices and prepares calendar
Maintains warrant control; Issues, recalls, processes and purges warrants
Maintains failure to appear control
Maintains time pay accounts, sends statements and delinquent notices
Prepares bench warrants for non-payment or prepares cases for review hearing
Tracks prisoners in custody awaiting arraignment, trial or review hearing
Maintains jail commitments and follow-up proceedings
Serves as Court Clerk while court is in session and records and documents proceedings
Performs work assignments as directed by the Court Administrator
Performs other duties as assigned