Assignment Case Specialist

JOB PURPOSE AND OVERVIEW The Franklin County Municipal Court is the largest and busiest municipal court in the State of Ohio.

The Court has fourteen judges in the General Division and one judge in the Environmental Division.

Judges preside over civil, criminal, and traffic cases and conduct both jury and court trials.

The Court's jurisdiction includes traffic cases, misdemeanor criminal cases, and civil cases where the amount at issue is $15,000 or less.

The Environmental Division has exclusive jurisdiction to enforce local codes and regulations affecting real property, such as fire and building codes.

The geographic jurisdiction of the Court is all of Franklin County and those portions of the City of Columbus that extend beyond the boundaries of Franklin County.

Despite its jurisdiction and name, the Franklin County Municipal Court is the judicial branch of the City of Columbus government.

The Assignment Office is responsible for the assignment of qualifying cases, case-flow management, and providing support to the judiciary on all assigned cases for the 15 General Division and Environmental Division Judges, the Small Claims docket for the five Magistrates, and any personal docket cases assigned to a Magistrate.

Judicial management is from the time of case assignment until case termination, including post-sentence case management following Local Court Rules, Civil, Criminal, and Traffic Rules, and the Rules of Superintendence for the Courts of Ohio.

Management and support of assigned cases may include reviewing and updating pleadings/information, scheduling, rescheduling additional hearings, and reviewing motions.

The office prepares judicial reports, such as the civil motion list, the Court's daily docket and board sheets, case statistics reports, hearing statistics reports, and monthly statistical reports for submission to the Ohio Supreme Court.

In addition, the office manages the case of the elected judges for certified specialized dockets, diversion programs, any single case judicial appointments, or judicial coverage appointments by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Ohio.

The Assignment Case Specialist is under the direct supervision of the Assignment Commissioner.

Four full-time Assignment Case Specialists are responsible for data entry and reviewing files for accuracy on all assigned judiciary cases.

Case Specialists make any corrections, modifications, and updates within the case management database (CMS), issue court correspondences on civil filings, and note any changes that need to be completed by the Clerk's office or for prosecutorial review.

Staff perform multiple standard office functions, such as processing incoming and outgoing mail, cleaning, and paper management for office printers and a multi-function machine.

Assignment Case Specialist provides customer service in person, by phone, or by email to inquiries from the public, attorneys, prosecutors, and other court and clerk staff.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE POSITION * Verify, modify, and enter data into the Court's case management computer system for criminal, traffic, sealing of record, expungement, and civil cases.

* Review each newly assigned criminal and traffic case for single or random assignment, per local rules.

* Utilize the case management system and the sheriff's office jail system to determine a defendant's incarceration status and bond status type.

* Verify pleadings and notices for accuracy, attorney information, and court dates; able to notate changes properly; direct notices and pleadings to the appropriate division in the Court or Clerk's Office.

* Update or modify attorney information in the system based on requests made on an Attorney Registration form; verify attorney status on the Supreme Court of Ohio's webpage.

* Contact the Clerk's office or the Duty prosecutor with questions concerning charges.

* Contact the jail with incarceration questions and inquiries.

* Contact the Clerk's Office with questions or concerns about information in the case file.

Able to notate requests for corrections and updates to case files.

* Greet the public and court personnel professionally; able to identify customer needs; direct customers to an appropriate court department; capable of redacting required information.

* Answer telephone and in-person inquiries from attorneys, the public, court staff, or clerk staff by providing information regarding the assignment, status, and disposition of cases assigned to a judge or magistrate.

* Assist customers at the walk-up counter; pull files for review or direct the party to the appropriate location for case files or other assistance; respond to public records requests.

* Possess a clear understanding of the daily use of sensitive and confidential information.

* Able to distinguish between providing legal advice and legal information.

* Process pleadings and send court notices on summary judgment, default judgment, and other civil pleadings.

* Update changes to court-appointed attorney assignments, notices of appearances, and attorney withdrawal entries in the system.

* Oversee the department's incoming and outgoing mail; able to sort court hearing notices and other court notices according to the delivery location; correct information when needed and reprocess notices; capable of notifying the appropriate assignment personnel of any outgoing mail issues.

* Mail, fax, or email court notices to suburban prosecutors or others when needed.

* Process Sealing of Records/Expungements when delivered by the Clerk's Expungement Department; verify judicial assignment and assign the case in the CMS; verify parties and addresses; add all or update the appropriate ticklers or prosecutors, then distribute to the Judge's Deputy Assignment Commissioner.

* Process sealing of record and expungement reports delivered from the Probation Department; verify the judicial assignment and court date; docket the receipt of said reports in the CMS; and distribute correctly.

* Log and maintain departmental logbooks for sealing/expungements and returned mail.

* Process daily computer reports used by the Judiciary, Bailiffs, the Court, and the Clerk's Office.

* Conduct file searches when necessary and deliver files to courtrooms when directed.

* Moderate cleaning and light lifting of 10-20 pounds.

* Cover for other Assignment staff when absent.

* Perform other duties as assigned within the office or with other court departments.

QUALIFICATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS * Capable of following instructions and adapting to different work scenarios.

* Able to be a self-starter and seek out work without direction.

* Ability to work effectively with others or individually.

* Perform tasks with interruptions or distractions.

* Highly organized, detail-oriented, and possesses good time management skills.

* Comfortable with change, ambiguity, and multiple competing demands.

* Knowledge of standard office practices, procedures, and equipment.

* Proficiency in operating a personal computer.

* Experience using Microsoft Office products such as Word, Outlook, and Excel; multi-line phone systems and programs, multi-function machine, and other web-based programs and the internet.

* Previous experience with or capable of learning the Court's current case management software, CourtView, or a similar case management program.

* Ability to type with accuracy and speed when necessary.

* Ability to effectively and professionally communicate verbally and in writing in English to diverse audiences.

* Ability to interact and maintain effective working relationships with the Judiciary, Court, Clerk employees, and others conducting business with the Court.

* Must be conscious of and sensitive to the diversity within the Court's jurisdiction and be able to interact professionally with a diverse population of people from different geographic, socioeconomic, religious, racial, and ethnic backgrounds regularly.

* Professional appearance and demeanor are appropriate for the position and the work environment expected as a representative of the Court.

* Demonstrated dependability, reliability, and excellent attendance record.

* Respond professionally to inquiries.

* Possesses strong organizational skills with attention to detail.

* Capable of managing time and responsibilities efficiently while working as a team member.

* Patience, objectivity, maturity, effectiveness under stress, and a positive attitude and outlook.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS * Knowledge of the case flow of cases through a court system.

* An understanding of legal terminology and procedures.

* Knowledge of the court's current case management system.

* Previous relevant experience with the Franklin County Municipal Court.

* An associate's or bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university.

Additional consideration will be given to individuals who have any of the following qualifications: An associate's degree, bachelor's degree, paralegal certification, or other advanced schooling; an understanding of legal terminology and procedures; prior work experience in a court system or legal environment; the ability to speak and write Spanish or a language commonly used by people of Somalia for whom English is a second language; or proficiency in American Sign Language (ASL). BENEFITS The Franklin County Municipal Court offers an excellent benefits package that includes medical, prescription, vision, dental, and life insurance; short-term disability; generous vacation, sick, and personal leave; 11 paid holidays; longevity service payments; sick-leave reciprocity; employee assistance and deferred-compensation programs; tuition reimbursement; and credit union membership.

Court employees are members of the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System, which provides retirement, disability, and survivor benefits for public employees.

The Court pays the required employer 14 percent of the employee's salary.

Court employees do not have Social Security taxes withheld from their paychecks because they are members of OPERS.

COURT EXPECTATIONS OF EMPLOYEES In completing the position's duties and responsibilities, the Court expects the employee to adhere to all Court policies, guidelines, practices, and procedures; act as a role model both inside and outside the Court; perform duties as workload necessitates in a timely, accurate, and thorough manner; be conscientious about meeting department productivity standards; and communicate regularly with the supervisor about department issues.

AT-WILL EMPLOYMENT The Court's employees are at-will and serve at the Court's pleasure; they are not in the classified civil service system and are not members of bargaining units.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER The Court is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, gender, religion, race, color, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, disability, military status, or genetic information.