Court Specialist I - Civil Customer Service

ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A REWARDING CAREER IN PUBLIC SERVICE WHERE YOU CAN MAKE A POSITIVE IMPACT IN LEON COUNTY?
 
 JOIN OUR TEAM!

 We are seeking highly motivated individuals to join our Tallahassee team located in the rolling hills of northwest Florida.  

 At the Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller's Office you can:

• Take pride in delivering high quality service
• Be part of a diverse family that promotes constructive ideas and suggestions
• Participate in professional development opportunities
• Stay abreast of trends in the legal industry

 Total Compensation package include: 

• 9 Paid Holidays/Personal Time Off
• Low-Cost Medical/Dental/Vision Plan Coverage for Employee and Families
• Dependent Care and Health Care Flexible Spending Accounts
• Florida Retirement System Pension Plan
• Florida Retirement System Investment Plan
• Deferred Compensation Retirement Savings Plan 457(b)
• Life Insurance Plans for Employees and Families
• Long-Term Disability Coverage for Employees
• Short-Term Disability Coverage for Employees
• Voluntary Supplemental Coverage through TIAA CREF

Overview:

This is an entry level clerical position in the Courts Department. General Duties include operation of court computer applications, data input, operation of office equipment, opening and processing of incoming mail, answering customers inquiries, filing, issuing court orders, and related general office clerical activities. The work is performed under general supervision and reviewed by observation, exception reports, and sampling by a Division Supervisor.   

Representative duties and tasks expected of a Court Specialist are listed below. They do not include marginal tasks that are also performed but are incidental to the primary functions. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related or a logical assignment to the position, nor does every position allocated to the class necessarily perform every duty listed.

• Process manually filed paper documents by docketing and scanning paper images into the court database systems for the assigned case type. Supervision will assign a primary case type and secondary case types as back-up. The divisions case types are Circuit Civil, County Civil, and Small Claims.
• Process documents within the e-filing work queue for the assigned case type. Supervision will assign a primary case type and secondary case types as back-up. 
• Process both manually filed paper documents and e-filed documents as the primary processing Clerk for New Mental Health cases.  
• Update court database systems with court actions not limited to:
  • Once Deputized, Clerk will be carrying out the role of a Deputy Clerk in issuing the following pleadings: indigent applications, clerk defaults, wirt of replevins, writ of possessions, writ of bodily attachments, writ of garnishments, continuing writ of garnishments, writ of executions, certificate of no appeal, certificate of mailing, and approving bonds. May also assist with the following pleadings, notice of action, certificate of sale, certificate of title, and certificate of disbursement.  
  • Review and execute all requirements of judiciary court orders and judgments within the court case.
  • Process and receipt payment types to include credit/debit card via phone and check/money-order via mail or in-person. 
  • Notify customers of pending filing fees, setting up payment plans and/or refer case to collections on non-payments.
  • Posting of certified funds and/or cash bond payments into the court registry and processing payment disbursements from the registry per court orders.
  • Maintaining the current information of parties and/or attorneys of record per court filings.
  • Maintaining the current information of court events by setting or cancelling hearings, case management conferences, order to show cause, pre-trials, nonjury, and jury events per court filings, court orders, and/or Judge’s instructions.
  • Processing judgment payoff requests and satisfaction of the judgment through the Clerk’s office.
  • Recording documents per payment and/or governing statutes.
  • Setting active process for warrants/capias/bodily attachments and updating court database systems per court order.
  • Sealing cases per court order and/or governing statutes.
  • Set case tasks (10, 30, 60 days) to monitor further events; maintain seal, issuance of a pleading, extension of time, dismissal of service. 
  • Maintaining confidentiality and redacting items per statutes.
  • Maintaining the current disposition of cases; open, closed, and re-opened by the court filings and court orders by the governing summary reporting system (SRS).  
  • Transferring cases per court order to other counties and/or case type within our court.
• Prepare and provide customers with general correspondence letters relating to the following but not limited to notice of hearings, notice of inquires of case status, certificate of compliance of lien, letters of additional fee graduated per judgment, notice of non-confidentiality, notice of dissolution of writ of garnishment, notice of recording foreign judgment, and civil judgment satisfaction by the clerk. 
• Provide customer service via phone, online chat, e-mail, and/or in-person by assisting customers at the Help Center and/or Front Counter with general questions relating to case filings and forms for Circuit/County Civil and Small Claims on an as needed basis.
• This position will provide back-up coverage for Circuit/County Civil cases as needed.
• Regular attendance is required.

Additional duties and responsibilities as assigned by supervision:    

• Ability of completing all courtroom and trial clerk attendance duties not limited to:
  • Attend assigned court proceedings and perform all tasks as assigned for court hearings/trials.
  • Prepare accurate court minutes of all proceedings, hearings and motions and track when various parts of the hearing/trial take place, i.e.: opening statements, state’s case, defense’s case, closing arguments, etc.
  • Record exhibits, witness and motions and court proceedings.
  • Receive, verify, prepare for storage and log court evidence and exhibits submitted at trial or other court proceedings and maintain and follow strict custody control of all evidence and exhibits while in the clerk’s procession.
  • Enter data regarding all in-court proceedings into case maintenance applications and process paperwork as needed for court attendance, i.e.: court minutes, judgements, orders, verdicts, etc. and ensure pleadings are scanned based on established time standards.
  • Identify priority issues from court requiring immediate attention, may be required to sign and distribute court notices, validate documents and schedule and re-schedule court events in case maintenance applications.  
  • Work closely with Judges, Judicial Assistants, Attorneys, and other Court Staff along with the Pro-se Customers.  
• Keep supervisors abreast of proposals for change and informed on questions from court personnel.
• Other duties as assigned. 

Cross train for Court Specialist II duties at the direction of the supervisor.

Licensure or Certification Requirements: 
N/A

KNOWLEDGE, SKILL, and ABILITIES:
Knowledge of general office policies and procedures. Good knowledge of business English, spelling and punctuation. Knowledge of filing systems and basic records management processes. Ability to effectively communicate, both orally and in writing. Ability to interact with the general public, judiciary and others in a professional, courteous manner. Ability to establish effective working relationships with co-workers. Advanced skills in the operation of a personal computer, scanner, and printer; basic knowledge of Microsoft Word and other office automation products; and the ability to learn specialized, complex court and records management computer applications and databases. Ability to perform routine clerical support activities.  EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE:
Graduation from a community college; graduation from high school and two years of office clerical experience will substitute for the two years of college. 

LANGUAGE SKILLS:
Interpret and apply applicable laws, rules, regulations, and policies. Effectively use business English, spelling, grammar, punctuation and proofread. The ability to generate routine reports and correspondence. Ability to read and comprehend simple instructions, short correspondence, and memoranda. Ability to write simple correspondence. Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from individuals and/or groups. Ability to interact comfortably with all levels of staff in the organization. 

REASONING ABILITY:
Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram form. Ability to resolve routine and non-routine problems in a professional, standardized manner. Ability to work independently. Ability to be able to interact effectively with other staff and the public. Ability to interpret assignment needs and to communicate effectively with employees and management. Ability to read and interpret documents such as: court pleadings both hand-written and typed, memoranda, calendars, and procedure manuals. 

MATHEMATICAL SKILLS:
Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals. Ability to calculate rates, ratios, and percentages. Ability to use a calculator.

OTHER SKILLS and ABILITIES:

Possess integrity and honesty sufficient to properly manage confidential documents and collect appropriate fees. Ability to get along with and work closely with other employees in an open office environment. 

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:
The employee must be able to sit for prolonged periods of time, perform repetitive actions and motion of one or both hands, lifting to 30 pounds, bend/squat/kneel, hear ordinary conversation and office sounds, conduct verbal communication in person and on the phone, and prepare and read written communication by hand and on PC.

• Possess and maintain a valid Driver's License.
• Complete Background Check of Florida Crime Information Center (FCIC)/ National Crime Information Center (NCIC).
• Past Employment Verification.
• Education Verification.
• Pre-employment drug test at County designated test location.
• E-Verify Eligibility to Work in United States.
• 90-Day Introductory Period.

Salary : $33,280 - $34,278