CLERK II

LOCATION: Fort Kent District Court, Fort Kent

This is highly responsible managerial, clerical, administrative, supervisory, and public relations work, assuming responsibility for the operations of the Clerk of Court’s office in a Superior Court or District Court, or a Unified Clerk’s Office. The Clerk coordinates and supervises all activities within the office and is accountable for all facets of its operation (maintaining the court record, operational planning, caseload management, employee training and supervision, problem solving, complaint handling, etc.). The Clerk serves as the primary contact with judges, employees, attorneys, and the public, and ensures that all staff utilize appropriate customer service skills.

Clerks have progressively more complex management responsibilities due to the higher volume of cases, trials, employees, judges, and courtrooms, and are classified at higher grade levels accordingly.

Classification and grade are determined by caseload volume and type of trial court, pursuant to a Memorandum of Agreement between MSEA and the Judicial Branch dated September 8, 1998.

Essential Job Functions:

• Plans, analyzes, and organizes the work of the Clerk’s Office.

• Responsible for overseeing consistent application of docketing procedures, scheduling of cases, and courtroom processes.

• Supervises and/or accurately performs any or all of the following: docketing, case processing, and filing of matters before the Court.

• Calendars pre-trial activities, trials, motions, and other proceedings.

• Handles and processes fines, fees, costs, bail, and other funds paid to or through the Court and maintains books, ledgers and accounts as necessary.

• Oversees jury management activities, as appropriate.

• Issues, maintains, and recalls warrants of arrest, and reviews all reports and takes appropriate action based on the reports.

• Oversees operation of courtroom clerks and/or serves as courtroom clerk, including performing duties as required by the judge/justice.

• Prepares abstracts and reports for the Administrative Office of the Courts, Secretary of State, State Bureau of Investigation, and other agencies, as directed.

• Oversees operation of electronic recording machines, maintains appropriate logs, and performs duties ancillary to recording.

• In conjunction with the Regional Court Operations Manager, is responsible for implementing operational plans as the courts move into electronic filing.

• In conjunction with the Regional Court Operations Manager, is responsible for evaluating and taking appropriate action based on reports from the Administrative Office of the Courts detailing docketing concerns.

• Responsible for planning, analyzing, and organizing the work of the office.

• Hires, supervises, trains, evaluates, and disciplines employees.

• Assigns, reviews, and evaluates work.

• Maintains a working knowledge of Human Resources Manual.

• Ensures staff provides courteous, professional assistance and maintains effective working relationships with all who interact with the Office including Judges, Attorneys, Law Enforcement, and members of the public.

• Handles complaints from both internal and external sources.

• In conjunction with the Regional Court Operations Manager, communicates with justices, judges, prosecutors, attorneys, self-represented litigants, and the public.

• Assesses health and safety needs of staff.

• Responds to inquiries in person, electronically, and over the telephone from the public, judges/justices, attorneys, and other state and federal agencies concerning matters before the Court.

• In conjunction with the Regional Court Operations Manager, ensures compliance with records retention schedule.

Other Duties and Responsibilities:

Performs other duties as required.

The above list is intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by employees in this classification. A position may not be assigned all the duties listed, nor do the listed examples include all the duties that may be assigned.

Minimum Education/Skills/Experience/Training Required to be Considered for Employment:

Clerk II

Education: Associate’s Degree. Five years’ experience in the clerk’s office may be substituted for the education requirement.

For internal candidates, completion, within the last two years of MJB provided courses in: Clerk of Court Essentials, HR Procedures, Discipline, Performance Evaluations, Team Building, and Interviewing. For external Candidates, or internal candidates who meet all other requirements, these courses must be completed within the first year of being hired.

Experience: Two years’ experience in supervision in an office setting.

*CRITERIA FOR DETERMING CLERK POSITIONS

Classification is based on the number of employees. If the clerk of court is responsible for a courthouse in more than one location, the classification is increased by one level.

Clerk I: 1 to 4 employees

Clerk II: 4.1 to 8 employees

Clerk III: 8.1 to 13 employees

Clerk IV: 13.1 to 18 employees

Physical and Mental Demands: (included but are not limited to:)

Salary Range: 

Grade 16, $32.12 to $41.85 per hour. 

A 3% cost of living increase is scheduled for July 2024.

How to Apply:

Cover letter, resume, and online application must be submitted online at https://www.courts.maine.gov/about/jobs.html.