Court Clerk I

Douglas County, Nebraska; Nebraska; On-site; USD 36,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

Douglas County, Nebraska, is seeking an organized Clerk who will enter court documents into the case management system and provide customer service for legal records access. The role requires accuracy, teamwork, and adherence to policies.

Ideal candidates have a high school diploma and clerical experience, plus familiarity with MS Office and basic legal terminology. A pre-employment background check and drug screen are required.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent required.
• Two years of clerical experience required.
• One year experience using MS Office required.
• Experience/training in legal terminology and the court system preferred.
• Pre-employment criminal records check and post‑offer drug screen required.
• Equivalent combination of education and work experience may be substituted for the requirements on a year-for-year basis.

Responsibilities

• Enter court documents into the case management system and process actions.
• Establish and maintain effective work relationships with clients, supervisors, County employees, attorneys, and the public.
• Comply with Civil Service policies, collective bargaining agreements, and county policies.
• Examine documents to determine processing, coding, and verify case numbers.
• Locate and retrieve court records and consult with supervisor on questionable requests.
• Prepare copies of court documents (e.g., certified, authenticated).
• Receive legal pleadings, orders, motions, and other filings from court cases.
• Answer phones and assist customers with information about cases and proceedings.
• Review e-filed documents and accept or reject with direction to filer.
• Assist customers accessing the public access computer system.
• Report to assigned location with regular attendance; perform other duties as assigned.

Skills

Customer service

Clerical work

Legal terminology

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Tools

MS Office

Job description

The Position

Incumbent works under the direction of the Clerk of the District Court or designee, entering court documents into the case management system and providing customer service to those accessing legal records within established policies and procedures.

Essential Functions

• Receive and process court documents (e.g. writs, legal filings, finding, decrees, judgements, case progressions, dismissals) and enter actions into the case management systems.
• Establish and maintain effective work relationships with clients, supervisors, County employees, elected officials, attorneys, law enforcement, judges, other agencies, and the public.
• Comply with Civil Service policies and regulations, collective bargaining agreements, County policies, department policies and laws to create a cooperative, safe, respectful and quality work environment.
• Examine documents (e.g. names, orders, case numbers), determining the required processing, coding, and ensuring case numbers correspond to image scanned into document system.
• Locate and retrieve court records, documents, consulting with supervisor regarding questionable requests.
• Prepare copies (e.g. certified, authenticated) of court documents.
• Receive legal pleadings, orders, motions, and other legal filings from court cases.
• Answer phones and assist customers providing information about cases and proceedings and referring questions/inquiries outside scope of expertise to appropriate staff.
• Review e-filed documents and accept or reject providing direction to the filer.
• Assist customers accessing the public access computer system.
• Report to assigned location with regular, consistent attendance.
• Perform other duties as assigned and directed.

Education and Work Experience and Other Requirements

• High school diploma or equivalent required.*
• Two (2) years of clerical experience required.*
• One (1) year experience using MSOffice required.
• Experience/training in legal terminology and the court system preferred.
• Completion of a pre-employment criminal records check and post-offer drug screen required.
• *Equivalent combination of education and work experience may be substituted for the requirements on a year-for-year basis.

Physical Requirements & Working Conditions

• The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to perform successfully the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
• Work is generally performed in an office setting. Noise level is usually moderate. Work hours are typically standard day-shift hours; however, schedule may vary (e.g. overtime/extra hours, holidays, emergency call-in). Work may be stressful when dealing with time constraints, multiple/changing priorities, limited resources, and uncooperative/irate individuals.
• Work requires some physical activity, including extended periods of sitting, standing, frequent walking, reaching, and occasional balancing, kneeling, bending, climbing. Work also requires the ability to frequently life/carry objects weighing up to 10 pounds and occasionally up to 25 pounds.
• Required sensory abilities include vision, hearing and touch. Visual abilities, correctable to normal ranges, include close, distance and color vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus. Communication abilities include the ability to talk and hear within normal ranges. Incumbents must possess the hand-eye coordination and manual dexterity necessary to operate computers and other equipment.

Douglas County is an EOE - Disability/Veterans