Assistant Court Clerk

Base Pay: $16.13 Hourly


Required Test: Clerical

SUMMARY:
Provides services for two County Courts-at-Law by maintaining the Minute books, sending notices to attorneys, and filing material within the courts.

Responds to requests for assistance from the Court Clerk and other officials of each court, processes and files a variety of legal documents.

In the absence of a Court Clerk, carries out all the duties of that position.

SUPERVISION RECEIVED:
Ultimate organizational supervision is exercised by the Chief of the Civil Division in the District Clerk’s Office.

The incumbent generally determines how much time will be spent on the work of each of the two courts.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: This position’s primary functions are to:
Record final judgments on civil and criminal cases in the minute books.

Enter the volume and page numbers for each judgment into the computer database.

Send notices to attorneys after a judge signs various orders.

File material within the court office.

Provide information, records, etc. in response to requests from a variety of sources (Judge, Court Manager, Bailiff, Court Clerk, attorneys, and District Clerk staff)

At the discretion of the District Clerk’s Office, the incumbent may be temporarily reassigned (typically, from one day to three months) to meet workload demands in such areas as the Probate Section or a District Court.

The Assistant Court Clerk is knowledgeable about all of the duties listed below, which constitute most of the functions of a Court Clerk.

The incumbent will carry out any of these duties when requested, and, in the absence of a Court Clerk, will be responsible for all of them.

Providing assistance to court, court manager, and attorneys as needed.

Providing and assisting with legal documents during court, including, but not limited to, the preparation of stipulations, court orders, judgements, and dispositions.

Receiving dockets for each court, assembling files for each day, making appropriate entries on dockets, and filing legal documents presented to the court.

Retrieving files based on signed orders or motions.

Preparing commitments, warrants for “jail runs,” and other materials as required by the court docket.

Preparing judgment and sentence papers as required; may calculate jail time and give the defendant credit in criminal cases.

Preparing jury strikes and making copies for all parties.

Reviewing and verifying accuracy of information prior to issuing legal documents.

Closing out case files; tabulating court costs; and notifying parties.

Maintaining records on case status.

Responding to requests for information on status and disposition of cases.

Reviewing and following up on files for cases without action.

Issuing various documents under orders from a judge, obtaining appropriate signatures and notifying applicable parties.

Receiving petitions from prosecutors, filing stamp, and searching for case number, attorney, and court date.

Completing and routing all paperwork related to the process.

Maintaining control of court files at all times.

Checking orders, judgments, motions, and other paperwork for completeness and proper signature.

Attending court to assist at arraignments, pre-trial conferences, and docket calls.

Retrieving files from the Probate Section for hearings, small estates, and condemnation cases, and retrieving files from the Criminal Section for scheduled hearings.

Acting as liaison among the court, attorneys, bonds people, prosecutor’s office, sheriff’s department, probation department, County Clerk, District Clerk, and the public.

Reading files to determine cause and status of cases.

Determining by motions and orders submitted what actions are required. Preparing and filing necessary paperwork to accomplish the actions.

QUALIFICATIONS:
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.

The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Any employee who drives a vehicle on official business must have a driving record which meets standards set by the County and the County’s insurance carrier.

EDUCATION and EXPERIENCE:
This position requires a high school diploma or GED certificate with courses in typing or word processing, plus at least three years of clerical experience.

At least one year of that clerical experience must have involved work in a court, or dealing with legal documents, or other work in a judicial or law-office setting.

Any equivalent combination of experience and training which provides the required knowledge, skills and abilities, may be considered for current Nueces County employees only.

LANGUAGE SKILLS:
Ability to read and interpret documents such as safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, and procedure manuals.

Ability