What are the responsibilities and job description for the Probate Examiner - Internal Only position at County of Sonoma?
- This recruitment is available to internal candidates only. To be a qualified applicant and eligible for consideration, you must be a current employee of the Superior Court of California, County of Sonoma.
Under general direction, the Probate Examiner reviews files and documents in pending probate matters set for hearing in court, verifying proper form and content, ensures probate documents comply with procedural requirements, requisite statutes, court rules, and court policies and to prepare analyses and reviews for judicial officers, and works with attorneys and petitioners to resolve problems.
Distinguishing Characteristics
Positions in this class perform the full range of evaluation. The Examiner provides technical, procedural, and legal review to ensure that matters before the court have proper notice and complete documents for a court ruling. This class receives functional direction from the Judge and/or the research attorney and may be responsible for case management.
NOTE: Positions in this class may perform any, or all of the duties listed below. These should be interpreted as examples of the work, and are not necessarily all-inclusive.
- Reviews guardianship, conservatorship, wills, trust and decedent estate probate cases by examining pleadings and other documents for sufficiency as to form, content and procedural requirements of the statutes, court rules, and policy.
- Summarizes petitions, replies, objections, and responses.
- Reviews accounting documentation as to income, disbursements, assets and surety bonds.
- Prepares Probate Notes by Identifying defects in filings and returning to originating party with an explanation of findings.
- Recommends judicial action in matters that are in order and may be approved on the verified petition.
- Prepares files for hearing and attends hearings to respond to judicial officer questions.
- Answers questions from the public and attorneys.
- Provides drop-in and telephone assistance to self-represented litigants on all probate issues including name changes.
- Researches probate statutes and case law and briefs for Probate Judges.
- Other duties as assigned.
- A Bachelor of Arts or Bachelors of Science degree from an accredited educational institution and a minimum of two years of employment experience with one or more of the following employers:
- A Court ; or
- A public or private law office; or
- A public administrator, public guardian, public conservator, or private, professional fiduciary;
- A paralegal certificate (under Business & Professions Code 6450(c) or 6402.1) or an Associate of Arts degree from an accredited educational institution and a minimum of a total of four years of employment experience with one or more of the employers listed in (1);
- A Juris Doctor degree from an educational institution approved by the American Bar Association or accredited by the Committee of Bar Examiners of the State Bar of California and a minimum of six months of employment experience with an employer listed in (1);
- Employment with a court as a probate examiner before January 1, 2008.
- Legal and justice system terminology, forms, documents, and procedures; court procedures; laws, regulations, and procedures related to probate, conservatorship and guardianship functions.
- Provisions of the California Probate Code, Code of Civil Procedure, Rules of the California Judicial Council and Local Rules and other statutes relevant to document examination for probate cases.
- Methods and sources for legal research.
- Accounting and bookkeeping principles applicable to probate cases.
- Work planning and organization; clerical and standard office procedures and practices.
- Record keeping principles and practices.
- Correct business English, including spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
- Operation of standard office equipment.
- Perform basic accounting, bookkeeping, and mathematical computations.
- Read and comprehend complex provisions of probate law.
- Analyze complex information and data.
- Correctly identify problems and develop valid courses of action to resolve problems.
- Effectively communicate, both orally and in writing, with individuals from various backgrounds and educational levels.
- Deal courteously and tactfully with the public, attorneys, court officials, and other staff.
- Examine and determine if the contents of probate and other probate- related files are consistent with statutory procedural requirements.
- Apply pertinent provisions of the Probate Code, Civil Code, Code of Civil Procedure, rules promulgated by the Judicial Council and Superior Court rules to individual circumstances and case facts.
- Explain defects in filings; assist self-represented litigants in filing guardianship cases.
APPLICATIONS REQUIRE THE SUBMISSION OF A LETTER OF INTEREST AND AN UPDATED RESUME.
The selection procedure will consist of a review of the application materials, including the letter of interest and resume, and participation in the panel interview process.
Please list all employers and positions held within the last ten years in the work history section of the application. You may include history beyond ten years if related to the position.
Each application will be thoroughly evaluated for satisfaction of minimum qualifications and relevance of educational coursework, training, experience, and knowledge and abilities which relate to the position. Internal candidates possessing the most appropriate job-related qualifications will be invited to an interview.
The Superior Court of California, County of Sonoma is committed to creating a diverse environment and an open, inclusive culture free from bias. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer.
Accommodation
Applicants with a disability who may require special assistance in any step of the selection process should advise Human Resources by emailing humanresources@sonomacourt.org upon submittal of application.
Background Investigation: Employment is contingent upon successful completion of a thorough background check, including verification of prior employment, and the provision of appropriate identifying documents to certify eligibility to work in the United States. Please be advised that finalist(s) must be fingerprinted for criminal record check purposes and that continued employment is contingent upon information received in the report. Convictions, depending upon the type, number and date, may be disqualifying. False statements or omission of facts regarding background or employment history may result in disqualification or dismissal.