Job Details

Courtroom Clerk I/II

The Superior Court of California, County of San Mateo is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Courtroom Clerk I/II. 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 the entry level position and under close supervision, the Courtroom Clerk 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.

Courtroom Clerk II ($39.06 - $48.64) is the journey level class in this series, fully competent to independently perform a variety of difficult, complex, and detailed courtroom administrative support duties. Incumbents at this level are expected to perform the day-to-day work with minimal supervision and to exercise sound judgment in performing courtroom, office, and administrative support duties.

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). This is an in-person, Monday through Friday position.

Candidates 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 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.

Examples of 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 and 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 and ensure the safekeeping of such materials during the proceedings.
• Read charges, read and record verdicts and sentences, and 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 and 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, 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 and public access hardware, including electronic recording equipment computer, copier, facsimile machine, calculator, or telephone.
• Perform related duties as assigned.

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.

Open & Promotional. Anyone may apply. Current employees of the County of San Mateo and County of San Mateo Superior Court of California with at least six months (1040 hours) of continuous service in classified regular, probationary, extra-help/limited term positions prior to the final filing date will receive five points added to their final passing score on this examination.

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 incomplete responses to the supplemental questions, lacking relevant qualifications, and/or not following instructions will be disqualified. 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 forward 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%).

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.

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.

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 to apply. Online applications must be received by the Human Resources Department before midnight on the final filing date. A resume will not be accepted as a substitute for the required employment application and supplemental questionnaire.

TENTATIVE RECRUITMENT SCHEDULE

Final Filing Date: Tuesday