Administrative Assistant - Friend of the Court

Under the direction of the Friend of the Court, performs secretarial functions for the Attorney/Referee and investigative staff within the Friend of the Court, such as preparing orders, typing casework reports, and preparing new case files.  Serves as receptionist for the office and responds to inquiries regarding procedural information and case status.  Receives payment from walk-in clients and issues cash receipts.

Starting pay is dependent on an applicant's relevant experience.  

**Applications are accepted until there are sufficient numbers of qualified applications or a qualified candidate is identified.  This position could close at any time.**

1. Prepares and types various motions, orders, subpoenas, opinions and other legal forms and documents and prepares various proofs of service as appropriate.  Filing of all original documents with the Court and sends copies to attorneys, clients, other government agencies as required and files with the Friend of the Court file.  Proofreads documents and forms for spelling, punctuation, content, grammar and format, including insuring that proper language is used pursuant to Statute.
2. Responsible for typing of Orders Modifying Child Support heard by the Attorney Referee.  Orders that require a 21 day waiting period must be sent out to the parties and attorneys then logged onto a calendar until the 21 days have expired.  At the end of the waiting period verification must be made with the Circuit Court Clerk's Office that an objections has not been entered.  The Order is then processed accordingly.
3. Responsible for preparing Referee Opinions, which includes tracking objections and generating a schedule for Referee Opinions to be typed as an Order, obtaining the Judge's signature, filing with the Court and certifying a mailing to clients and their attorneys.
4. Prepares and types various reports, recommendations and other correspondence for the Friend of the Court, Attorney Referee and the Investigative staff.
5. Sets up Court hearings for the Attorney Referee, which involves corresponding the hearing with the schedules of attorneys and the Investigative staff.  Sends out notice of hearings as appropriate.
6. Responds to clients, either on the telephone or at the counter and answers inquiries of attorneys, police agencies and other government agencies.
7. Responsible on occasion for preparing Friend of the Court case file for divorce, which include obtaining an Order from the Judge, setting up appointments with the Friend of the Court, sending Conciliation Order to the parties, as well as the necessary forms and sending copies to the attorney of record.
8. Prepares a Friend of the Court file for paternity cases, which includes sending the parties an instruction letter along with the necessary forms to be returned, proof of service, maintaining a log of paternity cases, contacting employers for wage and employment verification.  Maintain a list of parties to receive assistance from the FIA and verifying compliance with requests of the Friend of the Court.
9. Pulls files as they are needed for Court hearings.  Ensures that files are complete and in order for Court proceedings.  Updates information and prepare any documentation as needed once the case is returned from the Court and carries out any follow-up directives of the Attorney Referee or the Investigative staff.
10. Operates the CSES system to verify information, such as child support obligations, arrearages, payment information, addresses, determining whether the FIA is involved, bench warrants, court hearing dates, employer verification, income withholding order information and various other CSES functions.
11. Processes various cases, includes setting up hearings and appointments for custody investigations, parenting time investigations, child support investigations, domicile investigations and various other hearings and appointments, Ex-Parte Orders, Consent Orders, Default Orders, Recommended Orders and various motions.
12. Personally serves Defendants in paternity and family support cases and provides them with necessary documentation and explains documentation and procedures to clients.
13. Provides assistance with child support cases, including responding to inquiries from employers, caseworkers, other agencies, clients, the Family Independence Agency and attorneys as well as other Family Court Divisions.
14. Performs a variety of support tasks, such as typing forms, reviewing and distributing mail, copying, faxing and filing.
15. Responsible for taking payments, which includes verifying the account number and ensuring that the credit is applied properly to the account, verifying receipts and balancing the monies received each day.

1. None listed.

This list may not be inclusive of the total scope of job functions to be performed.  Duties and responsibilities may be added, deleted or modified at any time.

Must be a high school graduate or equivalent.  Advanced coursework in data processing and legal secretarial areas.

One year previous secretarial experience in a legal setting with the knowledge of legal terminology and court proceedings. Excellent communication skills necessary. Working knowledge of computers and programs such as Microsoft Office.
 

Must be an accurate typist with a high typing proficiency.
 

The qualifications listed above are intended to represent the minimum skills and experience levels associated with performing the duties and responsibilities contained in this job description.  The qualifications should not be viewed as expressing absolute employment or promotional standards, but as general guidelines that should be considered along with other job-related selection or promotional criteria.

Physical Requirements:
[This job requires the ability to perform the essential functions contained in this description.  These include, but are not limited to, the following requirements.  Reasonable accommodations will be made for otherwise qualified applicants unable to fulfill one or more of these requirements]:

• Must be able to climb a step ladder to access departmental files.
•  Ability to access Clerk's Office and Judicial Offices.
•  Must be able to stoop, kneel, crouch to reach various shelves of files and forms, etc.
• Prolonged periods of sitting at a computer terminal.
• Ability to stand at counter assisting clients visiting the court.
• Ability to enter and retrieve information from computer.

•  Works in normal office conditions.
• Regular exposure to clients in various emotional states who may be verbally abusive or hostile.

Salary : $36,358 - $47,236