Courtroom Clerk

Superior Court, County of Santa Clara; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 52,000 - 83,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Benefits package

Job summary

Superior Court, County of Santa Clara invites applications for a specialized, journey-level Court Clerk position. This role performs complex clerical and administrative duties in the courtroom, creating the permanent court record and coordinating with judges, attorneys, and staff to ensure timely proceedings.

The position requires a high school diploma or GED and at least three years of progressively responsible clerical experience in a court or legal setting.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED and at least 3 years of clerical experience in a court or legal setting.
• Knowledge of California court rules, terminology, forms, and procedures.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and meet deadlines under pressure.
• Strong organizational skills and accuracy in documentation.

Responsibilities

• Attend court sessions and take minutes to create the official record.
• Interact with judges, attorneys, and courtroom staff to process orders.
• Schedule court appearances and hearings; maintain calendar.
• Review files for calendars and ensure readiness and completeness.
• Administer oaths and handle exhibits; prepare and file court documents.

Skills

Courtroom support

Legal terminology

Clerical skills

Data entry

Education

High school diploma or GED

Tools

Court management software

Job description

DEFINITION/DESCRIPTION:

Under direction, this specialized clerical level position performs a variety of complex legal and administrative duties related to court hearings and courtroom proceedings. This position is responsible for creating the permanent record of the proceedings.

This recruitment will also lead to establishing an eligibility list for future Regular Full-time and Limited Term opportunities at the court.

LIMITED TERM

Individual is hired for a specific term subject to an extension at the end of the term at the Court's discretion.

WORKING TYPE: NON-EXEMPT (HOURLY)

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS:

This is a journey/advanced journey level position that works independently to perform complex clerical and administrative courtroom support work. This class is distinguished from the Legal Process Clerk classification in that these duties are performed primarily within the Courtroom setting in support of Judicial Officers to facilitate court operations. This class is required to have specialized, thorough, and advanced knowledge of office skills, legal terminology, legal procedures and processes, court operations, and court policies and procedures. Duties are performed primarily within the Courtroom setting in support of assigned Judicial Officers to facilitate court operations. This class is also distinguished from the Legal Process Supervisor in that the latter has supervisory authority of assigned clerks and other staff.

• Attends court sessions and takes minutes of actions and proceedings, requests clarification to properly note the official court record;
• Interacts and communicates with judges, attorneys, and courtroom staff in the processing of orders;
• Schedules court appearances and hearings;
• Locates and reviews files for calendars to ensure readiness and completeness;
• Conducts empanelment of juries, records juror excuses and challenges by counsel; maintains juror attendance of records and provides records and statistical information to the Jury Commissioner; polls juries and calculates costs of juries; calculates, collects, and records all jury and per diem fees;
• Administers oaths;
• Accepts, marks, and records exhibits;
• Schedules special hearings and maintains the court calendar;
• Works with court and counsel in the preparation of verdict forms; maintains statutory time limits for rulings on submitted matters; prepares orders for judge's signature and executes proof of service regarding mailing orders and rulings; reviews written orders for content and format prior to presentation for judge's signature;
• Communicates with other departments and agencies to coordinate services and tracking of defendants;
• Prepares bench warrants, body attachments, and other legal process documents per judge's instructions;
• Prepares DMV abstracts;
• May provide secretarial support to judicial officers;
• May retrieve information from the court's automated system as needed;
• Maintains records, files, and basic statistics;
• Performs other related duties as required.

EDUCATIONAL & EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENT

An educational level equivalent to a high school diploma or GED and a minimum of three years of increasingly responsible clerical experience in a court or legal setting. Sufficient administrative or advanced legal/clerical experience that demonstrates the possession and direct application of the following knowledge, skills, and abilities which would likely produce the required knowledge and abilities listed below. Two (2) years of college may be substituted for one (1) year of court or legal work experience. BA or BS may be substituted for two (2) years of court or legal work experience.

KNOWLEDGE OF:

• Rules of Courts; California laws, codes, and statutes applicable to the Courts;
• Functions, procedures, services, and jurisdiction of the Court; legal terminology, forms, and related documents used in the Superior Court;
• Court operations, policies, procedures, statutes, and office procedures;
• Standard English usage, grammar, punctuation, spelling, style, and format; standard office equipment and systems;
• Basic arithmetic.

ABILITY TO:

• Maintain sensitive confidential information and document according to statutory protocol and procedure;
• Use independent judgment to resolve problems and make appropriate decisions;
• Organize work effectively to meet Court and statutory deadlines;
• Work well under sometimes difficult and stressful conditions;
• Use discretion in organizing activities and setting priorities;
• Understand the meaning and intent of a variety of legal documents;
• Interact appropriately with judges, court staff, attorneys, and the public;
• Use a variety of computer programs and type with speed and accuracy;
• Professionally represent the court as a liaison to attorneys, clients, and the public in general;
• Understand and follow written and oral instructions;
• Work with time restraints on several tasks simultaneously;
• Be able to adapt to varying changes within the court system;
• Independently perform an array of functions as described in the representative duties of this job specification to coordinate assigned responsibilities within a large facility or operational unit of the court.

WORKING CONDITIONS:

The work environment is generally clean, inside buildings, with limited exposure to dust, fumes, odors, and noise. Incumbents will be working under sometimes difficult and stressful conditions, with frequent deadlines and expectations to produce high quality work under limited time constraints as well as periodic contact with angry and confrontational individuals. The ability to work independently is required. Some positions may require travel to different facilities within the County. A California Driver's license may be required.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Frequent and ongoing sitting and listening during court proceedings;
• Regular use of a computer terminal to conduct a variety Courtroom Clerk functions and communications;
• Periodic, regular, and/or occasional contact with employees in other court divisions, government agencies, the public, and/or vendors with the ability to converse and respond appropriately to inquiries and requests;
• Periodic to regular lifting, walking and carrying of files, documents, and other court related materials;
• Maintain sensitive and confidential information and documents according to statutory protocol and procedure.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

• Strength, dexterity, coordination, and/or ability to use a computer keyboard and read a video display terminal on a regular basis;
• Ability to listen to verbal requests from the public and court staff, then respond appropriately;
• Dexterity and coordination to handle files and single pieces of paper; occasional lifting of objects weighing up to 10 lbs. such as: files, stacks of paper, reference books, and other materials;
• Frequent need to reach for items above and below desk level, sometimes with the assistance of a ladder or step-stool;
• Sitting for long periods of time is often required.

EXAMINATION:

A screening panel will be convened to select those applicants deemed most qualified to participate in a written and/or oral examination. The examination process will include one or more of the following: application appraisal; written examination; oral examination.

The Court is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, and veteran or disability status. The Court provides reasonable accommodations for applicants with disabilities. If you are disabled as defined by the Federal Americans with Disabilities Act or the California Fair Employment and Housing Act and will be requesting an accommodation, please contact Human Resources at [e-mail] or call [phone], to discuss your request. TDD communication is available by calling [phone].

The Court must verify the identity and employment authorization of all new employees to comply with the 1986 Immigration Reform & Control Act. This verification is required only after an offer of employment has been made. For further information regarding the required verification, please contact Human Resources at [phone].

BENEFITS:

The Court offers a benefits package which includes a choice of health, dental and vision plan, membership in the California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS) as permitted by law, life insurance, paid holidays, vacation, and sick leave.