Staff Attorney - Judge Hancock

City of Twin Falls; Twin Falls (ID); On-site; USD 42,000 - 62,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Life insurance

Short-term disability

PERSI retirement

Paid holidays

Job summary

City of Twin Falls is seeking a judicial law clerk to begin immediately through August 2027, with potential extension by mutual agreement. The role involves civil and criminal work in Twin Falls County District Court, performing legal research, drafting opinions and orders, and assisting in courtroom proceedings.

The ideal candidate will have a Juris Doctorate, superb writing skills, and the ability to handle confidential information while meeting tight deadlines in a team environment.

Qualifications

• Juris Doctorate from an accredited college or university.
• Must successfully pass background investigation.
• Law review, moot court or comparable legal employment experience is beneficial.

Responsibilities

• Assists the judge in applying the law to cases and motions before the court.
• Performs research of legal issues.
• Drafts memos, opinions, jury instructions and orders for the judge.
• Helps troubleshoot technical difficulties in the courtroom.
• Responds to judges', court employees', Commissioners', elected officials', other County employees' and citizens' questions and comments in a courteous and timely manner.
• Meets deadlines, and sets project priorities.
• Communicates and coordinates regularly with appropriate co-workers to maximize the effectiveness and efficiency of interdepartmental operations and activities.
• Maintains strict confidentiality in all cases.
• Assists other department and County employees as needed or requested.
• Performs all work duties and activities in accordance with County policies, procedures, and safety practices.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Skills

Legal research

Strong writing

Oral communication

Discretion and confidentiality

Teamwork

Time management

Education

Juris Doctorate

Law review or moot court

Tools

Westlaw

Microsoft Word

Excel

Job description

Position starts Immediately until August 2027.

The Honorable R. William Hancock, District Judge of the 5th Judicial District, Twin Falls County, Idaho, seeks a judicial law clerk to begin immediately until August 2027, which may be extended if both the judge and the clerk agree.

Benefits: This position is eligible for a benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, life, and short-term disability insurance, PERSI retirement, paid holidays, plus paid vacation, sick, and personal leave days. If selected, you will receive more information about these benefit options and enrollment information through our onboarding process and during your first week on the job.

Job Description

Law clerks work with the judge on civil and criminal cases filed in the District Court for Twin Falls County, Idaho. Law clerks conduct research, draft opinions, orders, judgments, and memoranda; assist in courtroom proceedings; and work on any other projects assigned by the judge. A successful candidate must be able to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, possess good judgment and discretion; be dependable, responsible and maintain confidentiality; be a proactive self-starter and demonstrate initiative in problem solving; be able to work quickly and harmoniously with others in a team-based environment; and present a poised, professional appearance and demeanor at all times. This position requires superb writing skills, along with organizational, people and time management skills. A successful candidate must be able to juggle many changing priorities and demands at the same time. Westlaw legal research proficiency and word processing ability are essential.

Duties / Responsibilities

• Assists the judge in applying the law to cases and motions before the court;
• Performs research of legal issues;
• Drafts memos, opinions, jury instructions and orders for the judge;
• Helps troubleshoot technical difficulties in the courtroom;
• Responds to judges', court employees', Commissioners', elected officials', other County employees' and citizens' questions and comments in a courteous and timely manner;
• Meets deadlines, and sets project priorities;
• Communicates and coordinates regularly with appropriate co-workers to maximize the effectiveness and efficiency of interdepartmental operations and activities;
• Maintains strict confidentiality in all cases;
• Assists other department and County employees as needed or requested;
• Performs all work duties and activities in accordance with County policies, procedures, and safety practices.

Secondary Duties And Responsibilities

• Performs other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

CLASSIFICATION REQUIREMENTS:

Skill And Ability To

• Research and identify essential information pertinent to a case or a judge's request;
• Analyzing and applying the law to specific facts;
• Prepare legal documents;
• Speak clearly and communicate accurate information to others;
• Use English to communicate effectively with others;
• Proficiently operate computers, software programs, such as Microsoft Word, Excel, Power Point, or similar office software to create documents and other materials, maintain information, and generate reports;
• Listen carefully to, understand, and effectively communicate through oral, written, and interpersonal communication channels;
• Follow verbal and written instructions;
• Work independently and exercise initiative, with general guidance and supervision;
• Use good judgment to make sound and reasonable decisions and problem-solving skills to respond to customer service needs in accordance with laws, ordinances, regulations and established policies;
• Maintain a professional demeanor at all times;
• Maintain confidentiality;
• Perform a wide variety of duties and responsibilities with accuracy and speed under the pressure of time-sensitive deadlines;
• Demonstrate integrity and ingenuity in the performance of assigned tasks and solving problems;
• Perform all duties in accordance with County policies and procedures with regard for personal safety and that of other employees and the public.

Acceptable Experience And Training

• Juris Doctorate from an accredited college or university;
• Law review, moot court or comparable legal employment experience is beneficial;
• Must successfully pass background investigation relevant to the position and remain in good standing for the duration of employment with the County.

Physical Demands & Work Environment

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this classification. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this classification, the employee is frequently required to stand, walk, sit, stoop, kneel, bend, use hands to keyboard or type, handle materials, or manipulate tools used in performing the essential functions of the classification, and reach with hands and arms. The employee must (occasionally or frequently) lift and/or move up to 25 pounds and, infrequently, up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this classification include close vision, distance vision, color vision peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus. Sufficient clarity of speech and hearing abilities required by this classification includes those which permit the employee to discern verbal instructions and communicate effectively in person and by telephone. While performing the duties of this classification, the employee works in an office setting where the noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

Twin Falls County offers a highly competitive benefits package to full-time employees including holiday pay, paid vacation, paid personal days and paid sick leave. We offer medical, dental, and vision insurance, as well as short-term disability benefits, life insurance, and a PEHP plan. We are on the PERSI retirement plan and also offer a Deferred Compensation (voluntary retirement) plan.

For specific information regarding Twin Falls County's benefits, visit the Benefits section of our web page.