District Court Clerk I

Ottawa County; Hudsonville (MI); On-site; USD 42,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

Ottawa County is seeking a Court Clerk to support the Hudsonville 58th District Court, handling case processing for criminal, civil, and traffic matters. The role requires high school diploma with court administration training or equivalent experience; bilingual ability and LEIN certification are preferred and anticipated within 6 months.

Under the Chief Clerk of the Court, you will manage intake, data entry, and document preparation, ensuring accurate case files and timely notices to involved

Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED plus relevant training and two years of experience in court or legal office.
• Ability to communicate in Spanish, Lao, Cambodian, or other county languages is strongly preferred.
• Must become LEIN certified within 6 months of hire.

Responsibilities

• Assist customers by phone and at the counter, explaining policies for criminal and civil matters.
• Enter and withdraw warrants in LEIN/TALON.
• Open cases for in-custody defendants and process civil, traffic, and miscellaneous matters.
• Prepare case files for hearings and input data into the case management system.
• Process filings, review documents for compliance, and notify parties of corrections.
• Prepare dispositions and notices; service of documents by mail; and generate court orders as needed.
• Prepare orders for magistrate and judge in traffic matters and transmit records to the Secretary of State.
• Close cases and ensure complete records including judgments, fines, and fees.

Skills

Public interaction

Fast, accurate keyboarding

Public phone counter service

Bilingual language preference

Recordkeeping

Education

High school diploma or GED

Post-secondary court administration training

Two years of legal/court experience

Tools

LEIN

Case management system

Job description

Under the supervision of the Chief Clerk of the Court, prepares and processes case documentation for misdemeanor and felony violations of the Michigan Criminal Code, general civil infractions, small claims and landlord/tenant cases, garnishments, and/or civil infractions and misdemeanor and felony violations of the Michigan Motor Vehicle Code. Performs case flow management functions in substantive and procedural compliance with the Michigan Court Rules. Processes and ensures proper case flow for traffic and civil matters before the Court as required by caseloads.

This is a full-time, benefited position working out of the Hudsonville 58th District Court located at 3100 Port Sheldon St Hudsonville, MI 49426. Typical working hours are Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The essential functions of this position include, but are not limited to, any combination of the following:

• Assists customers on the phone and at the counter, explaining Court policy and procedures for misdemeanor and felony criminal matters, general civil infractions, small claims and landlord/tenant matters, garnishments, and civil infractions and misdemeanor and felony traffic violations, judgments, and Court orders.
• Enters and withdraws warrants in LEIN/TALON.
• Opens criminal cases for defendants already in custody, defendants receiving appearance tickets, and defendants for whom warrants have been issued. Opens and processes a variety of civil matters including general civil, small claims and landlord/tenant cases and garnishments. Opens traffic cases for civil infractions and misdemeanor and felony violations of the Michigan Motor Vehicle Code.
• Prepares physical files for criminal arraignments and enters case data into case management system. Processes procedurally and substantively correct documents. Prepares case files for scheduled hearings.
• Receives documents submitted to the court for filing, reviews documents for substantive and procedural compliance with the Michigan Court Rules, and notifies parties of errors and required corrections.
• Prepares dispositions and court orders for defendants pleading guilty at arraignment. Prepares notices to appear; and prepares proofs of service and serves notices to involved parties by mail.
• Types probation orders, orders to pay fines & fees, to release bonds to third-party payors.
• Prepares orders for the magistrate and judge in adjudicated traffic matters, prepares abstracts of traffic cases for the Secretary of State and transmits them for entry into driving records, and prepares orders to Show Cause.
• Prepares and processes default judgments for civil infractions, driver's license suspensions, bench warrants, documentation to bind cases over to Circuit Court, and enters and withdraws warrants from LEIN/TALON systems.
• Closes cases, ensuring that record includes all actions; all dispositional information and orders; and all documentation of completion of jail time, community service, treatment, driver's education and victim impact classes, payment of fines, costs, restitution, and fees, and other orders of sentence. Prints register of actions for closed cases and distributes to appropriate parties.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

High school diploma or GED combined with some post-secondary training in court administration, business information systems, legal secretarial or other relevant field and two years of progressively responsible experience in a legal practice or court administrative office position requiring extensive public contact and fast, accurate keyboarding skills; or an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS:

NOTE: Ability to communicate in Spanish, Lao, Cambodian or other language spoken by ethnic groups residing in the county strongly preferred.

LICENSES AND CERTIFICATIONS:

Must become LEIN certified within 6 months of the date of hire and maintain certification.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

Must be able to perform essential job functions with or without reasonable accommodations, including, but not limited to, visual and/or audiological appliances and devices to increase mobility.

WORKING CONDITIONS:

Work is generally performed in a normal office environment.

Disclaimer:This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change, or new ones may be assigned at any time with or without notice.

Ottawa County is an Equal Opportunity Employer.