Paralegal - Orphans' Court

POSITION SUMMARY

The Paralegal Clerk of Orphans’ Court provides excellent customer service to self-represented petitioners, attorneys, staff from court related departments, and the general public, ensuring the administrative and logistical support necessary for the successful day to day operations of the Register of Wills & Clerk of Orphans’ Court Offices. The Paralegal will be trained in all facets of the PA Supreme Court Orphan’s Court Rules with regard to receiving, processing, indexing and filing a multitude of Orphans’ Court legal documents along with Title 42 Domestic Relations Statute related to Adoptions and Marriage Licenses, as well as the Title 20 Probate, Estate and Fiduciaries Code. Areas of responsibility include processing all applicable documents related to the following legal issues to include but not limited to: Petitions for Adjudication of Incapacities, Guardians of a Minor, Wrongful Death, Releases, Family Settlement Agreements, Answers, Claims, Objections, Disclaimers, Power of Attorneys, Settlement of Small Estate, Subpoenas, and miscellaneous filings, interviewing marriage applicants and issuance of marriage license, and issue certified copies of marriage licenses. In addition, the Legal Assistant is responsible for processing any other legal documents that would be deemed necessary or appropriate under the statutes for the Clerk of Orphans’ Court to perform the Judicial Duties of the office.

ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS

• Associate’s Degree in Paralegal Studies preferred; or associate’s degree in any discipline and a minimum of 2 years of paralegal experience; or 5 years of paralegal experience; or minimum of 4 years of office experience with case and document filing systems.
• Clear criminal background investigation and drug screening required.
• Must demonstrate a professional demeanor to include appearance, speech, and behavior.
• Must demonstrate effective verbal and written communication skills.
• Must be able to maintain cooperative working relationships with people at all levels including the public, County and Court appointed/related employees and officials, attorneys and their legal staff, co-workers, and outside vendors.
• Must be self-motivated and self-driven.
• Must be able to multi-task and coordinate completion of many high-priority initiatives with minimal supervision.
• Must demonstrate the ability to keep confidential information.
• Ability to understand and apply Title 42 Domestic Relations Code – Adoption and Marriage License sections, PA Supreme Court Orphans’ Court Rules, and Title 20 Probate, Estate and Fiduciary Codes.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office products including Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, and knowledge of other office equipment. Ability to gain proficiency in constituent management database, CountyFusion.
• Must maintain a clean, organized and professional work area.

PRIMARY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Ability to think independently in solving work-related problems, ability to work independently, effectively, and efficiently under stressful conditions; ability to plan and supervise the work of others; ability to interact with the public, other departments, court offices, and co-workers in a congenial, efficient, and professional manner; and responsible for excellent customer service.
• Ability to handle sensitive and confidential information.
• Exhibit considerable knowledge of the County of York Policies and Register of Wills & Clerk of Orphans’ Court Office Procedures.
• Understand and maintain familiarity with basic Pennsylvania legal terms as published by the Administrative Office of the Pennsylvania Courts (AOPC).
• Responsible for the legal review of all required documents or tasks as they relate to the Statutory Powers and Duties of the Register of Wills per 20 Pa. C.S.A. Probate, Estates & Fiduciaries Code; and Pa Supreme Court Orphans’ Court Rules and Title 23 Domestic Relations (Marriage License).
• Interviewing of marriage license applicant and issuance of license per Domestic Relations Code Title 23.
• Processing of marriage certificates per Domestic Relations Code Title 23, including month end reporting to Division of Vital Records.
• Assist with tracking of noncompliance of marriage license 3-day waiting period and 60-day validity, notifying couples of noncompliance and use of invalid marriage license.
• Researches and issues certified copies of marriage license.
• Provide information to clients on the procedure to obtain birth and death records.
• Knowledge of procedure of filings for Orphans’ Court; accepting and processing of documents and petitions for Orphans’ Court; docket filing of documents for Orphans’ Court.
• Responsible for docketing in the system for Administrative Office of the Pennsylvania Court (AOPC) for monthly reporting requirements.
• Scanning, docketing and filing of Annual Guardianship forms.
• Maintains the filings of Annual Guardianship Reports (reminder notices and delinquent filings) in accordance with section 5521.1 of the PA Supreme Court Orphans’ Court Rules.
• Follows up with Court on noncompliance of Judges Order regarding 5521.1.
• Maintains and processes (and occasionally attends) all Court proceedings involving Termination of Parental Rights and Adoption cases relating to dependency cases.
• Serves Adjudications, Decrees of adoptions and Termination of Parental Rights, to all counsel of record, biological parents and any agency involved. Record for the AOPC monthly reports.
• Prepares Appeals to Superior Court regarding Termination of Parental Rights.
• Knowledge of impounding of proceedings in all Adoption matters under Title 23 section 2905 (a).
• Enters Court dates into the Common Pleas Case Management System (CPCMS) from Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts, CountyFusion system and Court book for hearings.
• Collection of fees per Order of Court 42 P.S. Section 21032.1 and posting to correct account.
• In the absence of Chief Deputy, responsible for those job duties.
• In the absence of the Court Clerk, will attend Audit sessions with Orphans’ Court Judge.
• In the absence of the Legal Assistant, responsible for filing Adjudications, orders and decrees and the service of those documents to the Attorneys or any objecting party.
• Provides daily deposit reports and assists in reconciling daily reports.
• Processes requests made through the Orphans’ Court email
• Prepares Transcript requests using the Court’s Transcript Tracker System; finalizes process by uploading completed Transcripts and Record of Proceedings Other reasonable duties as assigned by Chief Deputy Clerk.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: From $17.73 per hour

Expected hours: 40 per week

Benefits:

• Dental insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Employee discount
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Health savings account
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Referral program
• Retirement plan
• Tuition reimbursement
• Vision insurance

Schedule:

• 8 hour shift
• Day shift
• Monday to Friday

Work Location: In person

Salary : $18