Courtroom Clerk

County of Sonoma; Santa Rosa (CA); On-site; USD 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Vacation leave

Sick leave

Holidays

Health insurance

Retirement plan

Deferred compensation

Job summary

Superior Court of California, County of Sonoma is seeking a Courtroom Clerk to provide courtroom support for judicial officers, record and prepare minutes, and manage case data in the court management system.

The role involves assisting attorneys, court staff, and the public, interpreting policies, and adapting to changing procedures while maintaining confidentiality and accuracy in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• Equivalent to graduation from high school and two years of responsible legal support experience providing familiarity with legal documents.
• Or one year of Clerk’s Office or Courtroom Clerk experience within the California State Court System.
• A valid Class C California driver’s license may be required for some assignments.

Responsibilities

• Attends court sessions; records and prepares minutes; notes official court records.
• Records juror attendance; reads jury verdicts; handles exhibits.
• Advises attorneys and court of calendar status; notifies hearing dates.
• Notifies interpreters and professionals when appointed by the court.
• Prepares orders, legal notices, judgments, and other documents; reviews filings for format/content.
• Assists attorneys, court staff, and public with case status and procedures.
• Enters and retrieves data from case management systems.
• Researches codes/rules to aid judicial reports and minutes.
• Assists in training staff for courtroom work.

Skills

Attention to detail

Courtroom procedures

Verbal communication

Discretion/ confidentiality

Data entry

Independent work

Education

High school diploma

Two years legal support experience

Job description

Position Summary

Under general direction, provides courtroom support for judicial officers. Pulls and prepares files for daily court calendars; attends court sessions and prepares and records minutes of actions and proceedings; enters court minutes into case management system; participates in court proceedings; explains policies and procedures of the court to attorneys and the general public; and performs related duties as required.

Distinguishing Characteristics

The Courtroom Clerk is assigned to provide courtroom support for a Judicial Officer. Incumbents perform difficult and highly technical clerical work with a minimum amount of supervision and work independently within established policies, procedures, and guidelines. Incumbents must be able to adapt to frequently changing policies, procedures, and assignments that affect specific deadline, time limitations and other situations requiring speed, sustained attention and accuracy. They are held accountable for the accurate recording of court proceedings which may include sensitive and confidential material or information, as well as the distribution of court generated documents.

Typical Duties

Typical Duties may include but are not limited to the following:

• Attends court sessions; records and prepares minutes of actions and proceedings; requests clarification of instructions and order of actions to properly note the official court record.
• Participates in court proceedings; reads charges, complaints, and indictments to defendants in court and records pleas; administers oaths or affirmations to witnesses and jurors; records juror attendance; reads jury verdicts; receives, marks, records, and assumes custody of exhibits.
• Advises attorneys and the court of condition of the court calendar and notifies them of hearing dates; sends notices of hearing dates to appropriate agencies.
• Notifies interpreters, counsel, investigators, psychiatrists, and other professionals when appointed by the court.
• Prepares orders, legal notices, judgments, court decisions, and other legal documents; examines legal documents presented to the court for proper format and content prior to review by judge, and for official filing; accepts and receipts jury and reporter fees.
• Assists attorneys, court staff, and the public in person, by phone, or through correspondence; provides procedural and other information regarding status of legal cases; answers inquiries and explains court and legal filing procedures, processes, forms, fees, fines, and basic rules of court.
• Enters and retrieves data from the computer relating to in-custody lists, case status, calendaring, disposition, judgments, and other relevant information.
• Researches various codes and rules such as Civil Code, Code of Civil Procedures, Evidence Code, Probate Code, Penal Code, Health and Safety Code, Vehicle, Code, Government Code, California Rules of Court and local rules in order to assist the preparation of judicial reports, minutes and in answering questions related to court procedures; reviews files for completeness; may check legal points and authorities to assist the court in preparing decisions.
• Assists in training staff for courtroom work.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications: Any combination of education and experience that would likely provide the required knowledge, skills and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to obtain the knowledge, skills and abilities would be the equivalent of:

Education and Experience: Equivalent to graduation from high school and two years of responsible legal support experience which provided familiarity with a wide variety of legal documents; or One year of Clerk’s Office or Courtroom Clerk experience within the California State Court System.

Other Requirements: A valid Class C California driver's license may be required to be eligible for consideration for certain assignments.

Knowledge and Abilities

Thorough knowledge of: legal forms, documents, and terminology; the operation, procedures and jurisdiction of the courts.

Considerable knowledge of: the Rules of Court and court related sections of the Civil Code, Code of Civil Procedures, Evidence Code, Probate Code, Penal Code, Health and Safety Code, Vehicle, Code, and Government Code; of the record and computer systems of the Courts.

Working knowledge of: English grammar, spelling, punctuation, syntax, and basic arithmetic; modern office practices, procedures, and office equipment.

Ability To

• Maintain a professional demeanor in formal courtroom settings.
• Record, prepare and maintain court proceedings quickly and accurately.
• Learn new computer applications including, but not limited to, electronic recording.
• Listen carefully to note pertinent information for court records.
• Understand and interpret written materials and oral directions, including the ability to read a file and identify the flow and status of the case.
• Explain laws, procedures and policies involved in processing court cases.
• Speak to/address large groups effectively under pressure and in varied work situations.
• Locate, identify and correct technical inaccuracies.
• Work independently in performing assignments and in resolving problems and deviations.
• Work as a relief clerk rotating between courtrooms and branches.
• Use independent initiative and discretion in organizing work and carrying out instructions within a structured environment, and remain calm in a highly demanding environment.
• Operate a variety of office equipment.
• Establish and maintain a professional working relationship and open communication between self, supervisor, manager, judges, attorneys, the general public, and other court employees.
• Work flexible hours and maintain confidentiality.

The Superior Court of California, County of Sonoma is committed to creating a diverse environment and an open, inclusive culture free from bias. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Accommodation

Applicants with a disability who may require special assistance in any step of the selection process should advise Human Resources by emailing [e-mail] upon submittal of application.

Background Investigation

Employment is contingent upon successful completion of a thorough background check, including verification of prior employment, and the provision of appropriate identifying documents to certify eligibility to work in the United States. Please be advised that finalist(s) must be fingerprinted for criminal record check purposes and that continued employment is contingent upon information received in the report. Convictions, depending upon the type, number and date, may be disqualifying. False statements or omission of facts regarding background or employment history may result in disqualification or dismissal.

Please note, all benefits for Part-Time employment are pro-rated.

Retirement Plan

Participation in the Sonoma County Employee’s Retirement Association (SCERA), a 1937 Act Retirement Plan based on PEPRA. The 2026/27 mandatory contribution is 7.7% for employees and 30.28% for the Court. This is a defined benefit plan fully integrated with Social Security.

Vacation Leave

Regular, full-time employees in benefit unit 02 on paid status accrue vacation at a rate of 3.5 hours per pay period for the first two years (a little over 2 weeks and 1 day each year), with incremental increases to the accrual rate each year through year 5 and additional increases every 5 years thereafter, to year 20. Maximum accrual balance is 376 hours.

Sick Leave

12 days per year with no limit on accumulation.

Holidays

14 paid fixed holidays per year, plus 24 miscellaneous floating holiday hours, granted via compensatory time off.

Insurance

Family vision care, family Dental care as well as employee short and long term disability plans, are fully paid by the Court. Choice of three health plans: Health Net PPO, Health Net HMO, and a Kaiser Permanente HMO plan. The Court's contribution is currently 92% of the premium for the health plan selected.

Life Insurance

$50,000 Term Life Insurance is provided by the Court; additional life insurance may be purchased by the employee.

Deferred Compensation

Employees may contribute a portion of their salary into a 457 Deferred Compensation account (up to the IRS annual maximum).

Dependent And Medical Care Assistance Programs

Employees may participate in these tax exempt programs which allow certain personal expenses to be paid from pre-tax salary.

Employee Assistance Program

01: This role requires strong communication skills. Please provide an example of when you had to explain a complex concept to someone unfamiliar with the topic. How did you ensure they understood?

02: What roles have you held in a courtroom or legal setting? What were your primary responsibilities, and for how long did you perform them?

03: Have you ever had to transcribe live conversations or meetings? If so, how did you handle the real-time aspect of this task?

04: Please describe a time when you had to manage multiple priorities? How did you ensure all tasks were completed efficiently and to a high standard?

• Required Question