Under limited direction this professional level position provides Family Law Facilitator services mandated by Family Law Facilitator Act 10000-10015, provides daily oversight the Self-Help Center for un-represented litigants, and performs legal research activities as assigned by the court.
 
This single position management class works with considerable independence managing the Self-Help Unit of the Court and serving as Family Law Facilitator. It is distinguished from the class of Chief Operations Officer in that the latter is responsible for county-wide administration and management of the court.Positions in this class may perform any or all the below listed duties. These should be interpreted as examples of the work and are not necessarily all-inclusive.
 

1. Develop, plan, implement and administer a Family Law Facilitator Program pursuant to Family Code Section 10000 et seq.
2. Mediation of complex family matters such as paternity, temporary or permanent child/spousal support and parentage proceedings.
3. Draft stipulations to include all agreed upon issues related to family support, health insurance and paternity issues.
4. Prepare child support and spousal support calculations and schedules using required computer software.
5. Provide information to litigants not represented by counsel on matters of process and procedure.
6. Provide educational materials to the public and respond to public inquiries.
7. Provide information on process and procedural matters to litigants through the delivery of programs.
8. Design contents of, and conduct clinics for, litigants unrepresented by counsel in family law.
9. Develop, plan, implement and administer self-help grant programs.
10. Distribute necessary court forms and provide assistance in completing forms.
11. Provide legal assistance to litigants un-represented by counsel to facilitate and expedite family law proceedings related to child support, spousal support and health insurance matters.
12. Provide information and direction to customers and assist with any other responsibilities to enable the court to be responsive to the litigants’ needs and to assist them in obtaining meaningful access to services.
13. Meet with court officials, state and county departments, community organizations and others to assess the need for and identify services that will assist the court in resolving child and spousal support disputes and improve access to the Family Court for financially disadvantaged litigants or other litigants not represented by counsel.
14. Assist the court with performing legal analysis and research.
15. Research and respond to judicial officer and court executive inquiries on procedural and substantive issues.
16. Prepare reports, opinions and proposed decisions.
17. Attend and assist at trials and hearing, conducting a review of documents as requested by a judicial officer.

The knowledge and skills listed above may be acquired through various types of experience, education, or training, typically:
Education
Graduation from an accredited college or university or equivalent institution, with a bachelor’s degree in administration of justice, the behavioral sciences, criminology, public or business administration or a closely related field; and with a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree.
 
Experience
1. Five years of experience practicing law including a minimum of three years of mediation or litigation experience in the areas of family law, probate, civil law, small claims, and unlawful detainers as a licensed attorney practicing law in the State of California;
2. Experience as a legal services program coordinator and/or in the direct provision of legal services to underserved communities;
3. Experience working with self-represented litigants.The physical and sensory abilities required for this classification include:

1. Ability to communicate effectively in an office and courtroom environment; 
2. Ability to read standard text in order to assist the public; 
3. Finger and manual dexterity in order to operate a computer keyboard;
4. Ability to sit at a desk or computer for extended periods of time up to 7 hours a day.