Courtroom Clerk I (Departmental Promotional Only)

 
Courtroom Clerks provide direct administrative assistance to their supervisors, the Judges, and Commissioners; interact with attorneys, the public, and other County agencies; process a variety of legal documents, provide data entry support, maintain accurate and timely records of court proceedings, and provide support services to the Clerk's Office.

Courtroom Clerk I ($34.83 - $43.41/hour) is an entry level position and, under close supervision, will learn courtroom procedures, practices. and rules of court for the various divisions of the Court. As experience is gained, there is greater independence of action within established guidelines. This classification is flexibly staffed with Courtroom Clerk II and incumbents may advance to the higher level after gaining experience and demonstrating proficiency which meet the qualifications of the higher-level classification.

The Courtroom Clerk is a flexibly staffed classification series. After working 2080 hours as a Courtroom Clerk I and meeting the knowledge and experience, incumbents may advance to Courtroom Clerk II.

Candidate will have the following knowledge, skills, and abilities:

• Knowledge of computers and Microsoft Office Suite programs.
• Effective interpersonal skills and ability to maintain a high level of confidentiality and professionalism while working with a diverse group, including the judicial officers, attorneys, law enforcement agencies, and the general public.
• Ability to take initiative, problem-solve, and adapt in a challenging work environment with shifting priorities and multiple deadlines.
• Ability to work as a member of a team and independently.
• Excellent public speaking, listening, and written communication skills.

The ideal candidate will possess at least two years of experience in the legal field and a working knowledge of court documents, procedures, and legal terminology. The ideal candidate will also have the ability to operate remote appearance technology and equipment (e.g., Zoom).

Courtroom Clerks are expected to work in any court department and must be able to travel to any court location in the county (Redwood City, San Mateo, South San Francisco).Duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Attend all court proceedings and record and transcribe minutes of legal actions and proceedings such as disposition of pleas, trial settings, motions, continuances, and all findings and rulings made by the court.
• Maintain a judge's daily court calendar and inform appropriate individuals of changes, record assignment of cases and confer with attorneys to set hearing dates.
• Screen visitors and attend confidential hearings in the judge's chambers, prepare and process appropriate documentation resulting from such hearings.
• Impanel and poll jurors, record challenges, administer oaths or affirmations to witnesses and jurors, and record jury service and compensation due, provide general, non-legal information regarding courtroom policies and procedures to courtroom participants.
• Receive, mark, and maintain records of evidence and exhibits, ensure the safekeeping of such materials during the proceedings.
• Read charges and read and record verdicts and sentences; prepare abstracts of judgments for sentencing purposes.
• Notify involved parties of various court matters by telephone, in person, or by preparing correspondence, answer routine inquiries and correspondence regarding court matters such as court orders, hearing and filing dates, and the judge's decisions.
• Provide varied office and administrative assistance to the judge.
• Enter and retrieve data and prepare reports using a personal or on-line computer system, create new databases and report formats using preprogrammed software for case management.
• Organize work, set priorities, and ensure that critical deadlines are met.
• Organize and maintain varied general and departmental files, initiate new filing systems, and purge outdated materials as required, maintain tickler files and independently follow up on matters as necessary.
• Operate standard office equipment such as a remote appearance audio/video portable unit, public access hardware, including electronic recording equipment computer, copier, facsimile machine, calculator, or telephone.
• Perform related duties as assigned.

Education and Experience: 
Any combination of education and experience that would likely provide the required knowledge, skills, and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to qualify is two years of experience receiving, filing, and processing a variety of legal documents such as are found in the court.

Knowledge of: 

• Court and courtroom policies, procedures, practices, and terminology.
• Applicable codes, rules of court and proceedings, and general legal terminology, processes, and format.
• Office and administrative practices and procedures, including filing and the operation of standard office equipment.
• Records management practices and procedures, including indexing and cross-indexing.
• Business letter writing and the proper form for typed material.
• Correct English usage, including grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
• Principles and techniques for dealing with the public, often when relations may be strained.
• Basic business data processing principles and practices.
• Business arithmetic.

Skill/Ability to: 

• Understand and apply Court, courtroom, and basic legal policies, practices, procedures, and terminology and explain them to court participants.
• Perform detailed, complex, and difficult courtroom support work quickly and accurately.
• Organize and prioritize work, meet critical time deadlines, and coordinate multiple activities.
• Deal tactfully and effectively with a variety of individuals.
• Make accurate arithmetic calculations.
• Exercise initiative and sound independent judgment within established guidelines.
• Compose correspondence independently or from brief instruction.
• Use standard office equipment, including a remote appearance audio/video portable unit, public access hardware, and computer.
• Organize and maintain accurate files and records.
• Understand and carry out oral and written instructions.
• Type at a rate of 40 net words per minute from printed copy.

Departmental Promotional Only. Only current County of San Mateo employees in the San Mateo County Superior Court with at least six months (1040 hours) of continuous service in a classified regular, probationary, or extra-help/limited term position prior to the final filing date may apply.

Responses to the supplemental questions must be submitted in addition to our regular employment application form. A resume will not be accepted as a substitute for the required employment application and supplemental questionnaire.
 
The examination process will consist of an initial review of applications. At this step, applicants submitting incomplete applications and/or responses to the supplemental questions, lacking relevant qualifications, and/or not following instructions will be disqualified. Application submissions that do not follow instructions will be rejected. Candidates who pass the application screening will be invited to take a computer-based examination (weight: pass/fail). Candidates who pass the computer-based examination will be moved toward to the application screening (weight: pass/fail) based on the candidates' application and responses to the supplemental questions. Candidates who pass the application screening will be invited to a panel interview (weight: 100%).
 
Depending on the number of applicants, an application appraisal of education and experience may be used in place of other examinations, or further evaluation of work experience may be conducted to group applicants by level of qualification. Applicants who meet the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed advancement through any subsequent phase of the examination. All examinations will be given in San Mateo County, California, and applicants must participate at their own expense.
 
Computer-based Examination
The computer-based examination is a basic civil service / government examination. It is a 94 - question multiple-choice test with five subject areas including: Filing/Record Keeping; Office Math; Grammar, Spelling, Word Usage, Reading Comprehension; and Legal Terminology. Applicants must achieve a passing score on the computer-based examination to move forward to the interview.
 
Most libraries and bookstores stock study guides for civil service/government examinations. Applicants are encouraged to review these resource materials prior to taking the examination. While the Court does not recommend or endorse specific books, job seekers can ask librarians or store employees for guidance when selecting appropriate study aids.
 
Panel Interview 
The panel interview is a standard component of most Civil Service selection processes. Each candidate will be interviewed individually by a panel of three (or more) subject matter experts from the Court. All candidates will be asked the same questions, in the same order, for approximately the same amount of time. Responses to each question will be scored based on pre-determined scoring criteria. Each candidate will receive an overall interview score.  Candidates that achieve a passing score on the panel interview will be placed on the eligible list ranked according to their interview score.
 
The anticipated dates of the recruitment and examination processes are listed below. Please make plans to be available for these opportunities.  The dates for taking the computer-based examination are pending.
 
IMPORTANT: Applications for this position will only be accepted online. If you are currently on the County's website, you may click the "Apply" button. If you are not on the County's website, please go to https://jobs.smcgov.org/ to apply. Online applications must be received by the Human Resources Department before midnight on the final filing date.
 
TENTATIVE RECRUITMENT SCHEDULE
Final Filing Date: Thursday, February 20, 2025 11:59 PM PST
Exam Pre-Screen: Friday, February 21, 2025 
Computer-based Examination: February 24, 2025 - March 3, 2025
Application Screening: March 7 - 14, 2025
Panel Interview: March 20 and/or 21, 2025  

About the County
San Mateo County is centrally located between San Francisco, San Jose, and the East Bay. With over 750,000 residents, San Mateo is one of the largest and most diverse counties in California and serves a multitude of culturally, ethnically, and linguistically diverse communities. 

The County of San Mateo, as an employer, is committed to advancing equity in order to ensure that all employees are welcomed in a safe and inclusive environment. The County seeks to hire, support, and retain employees who reflect our diverse community. We encourage applicants with diverse backgrounds and lived experiences to apply. Eighty percent of employees surveyed stated that they would recommend the County as a great place to work.

 

Salary : $72,446 - $90,293