Court Assistance Officer

Compensation: $25.11 - $29.89 hourly DOE

Hours: 19.5 hours per week

Application Period Ends: Open Until Filled

Job Summary

The Court Assistance Officer serves as a liaison between the court and the public, offering guidance on legal forms, procedures, and general court processes. While never giving legal advice, this role involves working directly with individuals involved in legal matters, ensuring they have access to necessary resources, recognize available legal services, complete legal forms and understand court requirements.

Key Responsibilities

Public Information Assistance

•Provides guidance to self-represented litigants regarding court forms, procedures and filing requirement.

•Assists individuals in understanding legal terminology and court processes (within limits of legal advice).

•Checks and verifies information contained on forms for completeness.

•Responds to court related and legal services questions by phone, electronic correspondence, or in person.

•Offers information on legal aid services and community resources.

Courtroom Preparation Assistance

•Provides educational material such as videos, brochures, forms or interactive computer programs to assist and educate self-represented litigants in the court process.

•Assists public on court related processes and general legal expectations related to their individual case.

Collaboration and Coordination

•Works with court clerks and other employees to develop new forms, amend processes or procedures.

•Works closely court clerks, judges and other court employees to facilitate case progression.

Other Duties

•Performs all work duties and activities in accordance with County policies, procedures, and safety practices and guidelines provided by the Court Assistance office project of the Idaho Supreme Court.

•All other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Knowledge of:

•Court related processes, procedures and systems;

•Legal forms and processes;

•Principles and practices of court and legal services and legal research;

•Computer software and general applications.

Skills and Abilities:

•Work cooperatively and constructively with fellow workers and members of the public to provide public service of the highest quality and quantity.

•Analyze specific situations to provide effective and appropriate paralegal services or referrals to legal assistance.

•Perform legal research and understand legal terminology, processes and procedures.

•Communicate effectively and establish and maintain effective working relationships with the public, customers, legal and court employees, and other employees;

•Adhere to the Idaho Judicial Branch Code of Conduct for non-judicial employees.

Special Qualifications

•Paralegal Certification;

•Bilingual (English-Spanish) is preferred;

•Must successfully complete a background investigation through the National Crime Information Center (NCIC).

Education and Experience

•High School Diploma or GED is required;

•Three (3) to five (5) years legal assistant and/or court clerk experience; or

•Any equivalent combination of experience and training which provides the knowledge and abilities necessary to perform the work.

Essential Physical Abilities

•Clear speech with or without an accommodation, to effectively convey detailed or important instructions or ideas accurately, loudly and/or quickly.

•Sufficient clarity of hearing with or without reasonable accommodation to enable the employee to hear average or normal conversations and receive ordinary information.

•Visual acuity, with or without accommodation, to read instructions, review and organize documents.

•Requires sufficient personal mobility and physical reflexes, which permits the employee to function in a general office environment to accomplish tasks.

•Ability to lift 20 lbs.

Disclaimer

The Judicial District reserves the right, at the discretion of the appropriate appointing authority, to waive any of the minimum qualifications for those applicants whose general or specific qualifications would otherwise qualify the applicant for the position or lead the appointing authority to believe that the applicant is capable of performing the assigned duties and fulfilling the assigned responsibilities.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform the primary job responsibilities satisfactorily with or without reasonable accommodation. The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being assigned to this job. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required of individuals in the job. This job description is not an employment agreement and/or an expressed or implied employment contract. Management has the exclusive right to alter this job description at any time without notice.

Canyon County is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment decisions related to recruitment and selection are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics.