DISTRICT COURT ASSOCIATE

Benton County, WA; Washington; On-site; USD 42,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

Benton County, WA invites applications for a District Court Associate in the District Court. This role provides intermediate-level administrative, legal, or accounting support to the District Court and delivers courteous, efficient service to the public.

Key duties include greeting visitors, processing docket entries, preparing court calendars, handling file management, assisting judges with case files, maintaining records, and performing cashiering and reporting tasks as required.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent required.
• Two years of administrative support experience or any combination of education and experience providing the necessary knowledge, skills and abilities.
• Valid Washington State Driver's License if driving County business.
• Bilingual in Spanish preferred.

Responsibilities

• Provides first line customer service to internal and external customers; greets, receives and screens visitors and customers; handles multi-line phones and routes or messages.
• Establishes and updates case files and records; prepares files for court sessions and processes necessary documents.
• Prepares court calendars and assigns court dates in compliance with codes and due process requirements.
• Attends courts, records actions, and maintains court records and exhibits.
• Sorts, codes and documents transactions following department procedures; maintains and reconciles account records.
• Performs various clerical duties including data entry, correspondence, reports, and mail handling.

Skills

Organizational and time management

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Job description

Job Title: District Court Associate

Department/Division: District Court

Reports to: Varies by Division

Supervises: n/a

FLSA Classification: Non-Exempt

Pay Grade: 110

Employee Group: Courthouse

Revision Date: January 2026

Minimum Education: High school diploma or equivalent.

Minimum Experience: Two years of administrative support experience OR any combination of education and experience which would provide the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the job.

Minimum Certifications: n/a

Other Requirements

• Valid Washington State Driver's License if driving a vehicle for County business.
• Bilingual in Spanish preferred.

POSITION SUMMARY

This position provides intermediate-level administrative, legal, or accounting work in support of the District Court and provides courteous and efficient customer service to the public.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

The following duties are essential for this position.However, they are not to be construed as exclusive or all-inclusive.To be successful in this position, an individual must be able to perform each duty satisfactorily.Other duties may also be required or assigned.

• Provides first line customer service to internal and external customers; greets, receives and screens visitors and customers; receives calls on a multi-line phone system and routes calls to appropriate individual or takes messages.
• Addresses and resolves customer questions/concerns and refers complex inquiries, requests, or complaints to appropriate staff.
• Establishes and updates case files and records making required docket entries; prepares case files for court sessions, processing and/or assuring inclusion of all necessary legal documents as ordered by the court; monitors inactive files and destroys as authorized.
• Prepares court calendars for civil, criminal, small claims, or traffic infraction hearings and cases; assigns court dates, assuring compliance with Washington State Codes and statutory requirements for due process and timely hearings.
• Attends courts and records all court actions; prepares courtroom; tapes court proceedings; prepares and/or maintains court reporter notes, exhibits, depositions, dismissals, record cases, and appeal files.
• Provides judge with all case files, briefs, interrogatories, memorandums, and appropriate entries on computer as to each case and hearing held.
• Sorts, classifies and codes entries and transactions in accordance with established department procedures, accounting system, and verbal instructions.
• Maintains account records by posting and reconciling data; verifies data, then enters and edits reports or information; searches files and records for readily identifiable information as directed.
• Identifies and resolves discrepancies in accordance with established procedures.
• Posts and balances entries in appropriate journals, registers, logs or other records on a daily or periodic basis.
• Receives, accounts for and safeguards cash or checks; issues receipts, classifies and codes transactions.
• Maintains petty cash funds; reconciles, balances, makes deposits, and maintains related records.
• Performs cashiering duties such as receiving, balancing and disbursing monies as needed.
• Processes various reports from collection agencies regarding status of specific cases.
• Prepares requests for mitigation, follows process through by mailing court’s response with financial information to defendant.
• Inputs confidential compliance or non-compliance treatment reports from treatment agencies into the Probation Monitoring System (PMS).
• Performs out-of-state criminal background checks for new violations or previous convictions to advise Judges at a defendant’s Pre-trial hearing.
• Quashes warrants when a defendant posts bail or is set for a hearing.
• Reviews and mails Ignition Interlock letters to defendants for compliance with DOL and court requirements; reviews dockets to determine if defendants have installed device and provided proof of installation to the court.
• Runs various reports and audits required for probation cases/hearings.
• Makes recommendations in court for probation violations, including jail time if and as warranted, according to established guidelines.
• Enters PCNs (fingerprints and TCN number) into criminal cases; performs record searches.
• Sorts, copies, and distributes a variety of correspondence, deliveries, and time-stamps mail; opens, logs, and routes office mail; may prepare out-going mail for the department.
• Composes general correspondence and prepares regularly recurring reports; types and distributes standardizes forms; proofreads and edits documents.
• Enters, scans, indexes, updates, and maintains information in spreadsheets, databases, and reports.
• Maintains electronic filing, paper filing, and record systems to provide easy access to records and information; provides retention of records as required by Court and County policies.
• Organizes and maintains resource information in a variety of formats.
• Assists other department personnel during peak period of work or for absences.
• Other duties as assigned.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

Knowledge of

• Washington Statutes and ongoing statutory changes, procedural changes, and form changes.
• Basic bookkeeping practices and procedures.
• Legal terminology, forms, and documents.
• Administrative policies and procedures of the County.
• The County's and Court's operating requirements, policies, procedures, and practices; and local, state, and federal regulations related to department programs and operations.
• Current office practices and procedures.
• Operation of standard office equipment and software consistent with this position.

Skill in

• Organizational and time management to prioritize duties to accomplish a high volume of work product while adapting to constant changes in priority.

Ability to

• Prepare Court documents in a timely and accurate manner.
• Perform detailed work accurately and independently in compliance with stringent time limits with minimal direction and supervision.
• Interpret and implement local policies and procedures; written instructions, general correspondence; Federal, State, and local regulations.
• Read, write, speak, understand, or communicate in English sufficiently to perform the duties of this position.
• Prepare and maintain accurate and concise records and reports.
• Apply sound judgment and discretion in performing duties, resolving problems and interpreting policies and regulations.
• Maintain professionalism at all times.
• Maintain effective working relationships with individuals within and outside the organization.
• Maintain confidentiality and discretion regarding business-related files, reports and conversations, within the provisions of the Public Records Act and other applicable State and Federal statutes and regulations.
• Work the allocated hours of the position.

PHYSICAL AND WORK ENVIRONMENT

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential duties and responsibilities of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• This work requires the occasional exertion of up to 25 pounds of force; work regularly requires sitting, frequently requires standing, speaking or hearing, using hands to finger, handle or feel and repetitive motions and occasionally requires walking, stooping, kneeling, crouching or crawling and reaching with hands and arms.
• Work has standard vision requirements.
• Vocal communication is required for expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word.
• Hearing is required to perceive information at normal spoken word levels.
• Work requires preparing and analyzing written or computer data and observing general surroundings and activities.
• Work has no exposure to adverse environmental conditions.
• Work is generally in a moderately noisy office setting (e.g. business office, light traffic).