Court Clerk I

Full Job Description

Under moderate supervision, performs a variety of legal clerical duties in response to actions of the courts.

Uses independent judgment interpreting and applying procedures and precedents to specific felony cases. Coordinates and carries out duties involved in assigned causes of action.

Performs detailed and complex legal procedures associated with the receipt, review, and filing of court documents.

Reviews and analyzes legal documents, indexes documents by applying appropriate category codes and scans documents into electronic imaging systems. Prepares and issues a variety of legal documents.

Assesses fees and performs cashier duties. Assists the public and acts as a liaison between the department, courts, other agencies and the public.

May function as a Court Clerk II alternate in supporting the court.

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS:

This is the second in a series of four court clerical-related job classifications within the Administrative Support job family. Incumbents perform duties of moderate complexity.

This classification is distinguished from Court Clerk Assistant in that incumbents routinely review the work performed by the Court Clerk Assistant, perform fewer general clerical duties and require greater independent judgment.

This classification is distinguished from Court Clerk II in that incumbents do not regularly perform the majority of their work in a court setting and do not function as lead workers or have regular supervisory duties.

Requirements

Assists and answers questions from the public received in person, by phone or by email regarding the status, disposition, pending actions or other aspects of court cases.

Directs customers to the appropriate court clerk. Processes incoming faxes and faxes document confirmation returns. Processes electronically filed documents.

Sorts, logs and distributes incoming mail and legal documents. May date-stamp incoming documents. Performs filing duties. Makes copies when appropriate. May provide notary services to public.

Serves as liaison or primary point of contact with defendants, plaintiffs, families, judges, court personnel, Constable's Officers, attorneys, County and District Attorney's Office, law enforcement agencies, interested parties, and the general public regarding status, disposition, pending actions of individual cases and parties' actions.

Assists public and departments on office policy and procedures. Responds to legal and administrative inquiries.

Takes initial steps to resolve citizen complaints and ensures department policies and procedures are met. Provides technical advice and assistance regarding legal documents of all types.

May assess fees and fines, receive payments, and perform as cashier for the office on a daily basis. Accepts monies in the form of cash, money orders and cashier checks and issues signed receipts.

Conducts cash transactions as payments for warrants including entering credit card transactions and mail payments. Prepares bank deposits. Makes daily and monthly reports to reconcile receipts.

Uses scanning software to input case information. Captures images and performs quality assurance. Scans incoming legal documents.

Performs quality verification procedures on scanned documents prepared by co-workers. Assesses scanned electronic images for legibility, blank documents and missing records.

Works closely with division managers on special projects. Conducts research inquiries in multiple databases. Updates legal files with pertinent information. May coordinate for off-site storage of records. Performs statistical analysis and produces activity reports.

Performs other job-related duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Education and Experience:
Associate's degree in Criminal Justice, Public Administration, Business Administration or a directly related field AND two (2) years of responsible clerical experience, including familiarity with legal procedures, terminology, the court system, and customer service;

OR,

Any combination of education and experience that has been achieved and is equivalent to the stated education and experience and required knowledge, skills, and abilities sufficient to successfully perform the duties and responsibilities of this job.

Licenses, Registrations, Certifications, or Special Requirements:
None required.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

Knowledge of:

• Criminal justice system policies and procedures.
• Legal terminology, principles, procedures, documents and forms.
• Office procedures and protocol.
• Scanning equipment and document control.
• County Court at Law Systems.
• Litigation procedures.
• Appeal process from lower courts.
• Warrant process.
• Criminal justice procedures to handle bond forfeiture cases.
• Business letter writing, grammar and punctuation, and report preparation.
• May be required to develop knowledge of and adhere to federal and state laws requiring the confidential handling of certain health information.

Skill in:

• Analyzing legal documents.
• Coordinating the review and processing of legal documents.
• Calculating and collecting money.
• Operating two-way radios and other communications devices.
• Operating a variety of modern office equipment, including a computer.
• Both verbal and written communication.

Ability to:

• Interpret and process legal data.
• Operate complex databases.
• Work under minimal direction.
• Make independent decisions based on the requirement of statutes, policies and procedures.
• Handle high volumes of detail-oriented work and to delegate.
• Handle multiple tasks simultaneously.
• Effectively deal with dissatisfied customers.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with County employees and officials, judges, attorneys, representatives of outside agencies, and the general public.

Additional Information

Physical requirements include the ability to lift/carry up to 20-50 pounds occasionally, visual acuity, speech and hearing, hand and eye coordination and manual dexterity necessary to operate a computer and office equipment. Subject to sitting, client/customer contact, standing, walking, vision to monitor, repetitive motion, stooping/kneeling, squatting, bending, and reaching to perform the essential functions. Extended periods of time at the computer entering data. Subject to heavy workloads, time schedules, deadlines and office interpersonal management duties, and walking to courtroom and outside walking.

Travis County employees play an important role in business continuity. As such, employees can be assigned to business continuity efforts outside of normal job functions.

Work Hours: 8 am - 5 pm, Monday-Friday.

Location: 501 W. 11th Street, Austin, Texas 78701

Department: District Clerk

Criminal, Driving, Education, and Employment Background Checks Required.

For updates or questions on this position, contact: laura.jimenez@traviscountytx.gov

This job description is intended to be generic in nature. It is not necessarily an exhaustive list of all duties and responsibilities. The essential duties, functions and responsibilities and overtime eligibility may vary based on the specific tasks assigned to the position.