ABOUT FRANKLIN COUNTY MUNICIPAL COURT
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.
JOB PURPOSE AND OVERVIEW
The Court has eight secretaries for the 15 judges. A judge’s secretary works in an office suite consisting of judges and bailiffs. The secretary acts as the office manager, performing all tasks necessary for the efficient, professional operation of the office, including but not limited to typing, filing, answering telephones, taking messages, scheduling meetings, and greeting visitors. A judicial secretary reports daily to the judge or judges in the chambers to which the secretary is assigned and to Court Administration for all administrative matters. The current opening is for a secretary who will be assigned to Judge Andrea Peeples and Judge James O’Grady as of this posting.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE POSITION:
1. Acts as the office manager for the assigned suite or office
2. Prepares, types, proofreads, and distributes legal documents such as letters, entries, opinions, reports, and other documents from handwritten drafts and other sources
3. Answer telephones, take messages, and greet visitors, providing routine information and directing inquiries to the proper office.
4. Answers questions from those doing business with the Court
5. Maintains supply of Court forms
6. Responds to routine correspondence for the Judges
7. Operates office machines and acts as key operator for copy and fax machines
8. Orders and tracks the use of office supplies
9. Picks up and distributes mail daily, prints Judges’ e-mail if requested
10. Check in with Judges while on the bench for any specific requests
11. Arrange meetings
12. Coordinates travel arrangements to seminars and conferences; keeps records of conferences and continuing legal education attendance
13. Prepares and submits documentation regarding vacation leave and conference attendance
14. Maintains appointment calendar
15. Takes minutes at meetings
16. Attends secretarial meetings
17. Provides secretarial coverage when other secretaries are absent from work, at lunch, or in meetings
18. Performs other duties as assigned by the Judges and may be assigned to other departments of the Court if needed.
QUALIFICATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS
1. One to two years of previous secretarial experience
2. Ability to accurately type 55 words per minute
3. Knowledge of common office practices, procedures, and equipment, which may include maintaining coffee in the common area
4. Proficiency in operating a personal computer and using, or being able to learn, Microsoft Office products such as Word, Outlook, Excel, and CourtView 2000
5. Ability to type with speed and accuracy, and take shorthand or speed writing
6. Ability to effectively and professionally communicate verbally and in writing in English to diverse audiences
7. Pleasant and friendly personality and ability to interact and maintain effective working relationships with judges, employees, and others conducting business with the Court
8. Conscious of and sensitive to the diversity within the Court’s jurisdiction and ability to interact professionally with this diverse population of people from many different geographic, socioeconomic, religious, racial, and ethnic backgrounds regularly
9. Professional appearance and demeanor appropriate for the position and the work environment expected of a representative of the Court
10. Demonstrates dependability, reliability, and an excellent attendance record
11. Patience, objectivity, maturity, effectiveness under stress, initiative, adaptability, and the ability to multitask
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
1. Paralegal certification or other advanced schooling
2. Associate’s degree
3. Understanding of legal terminology and procedures
4. Previous experience as a legal secretary or in a court system or legal environment
5. Knowledge of the functions and locations of other courts and government agencies
6. Bilingual
7. Proficiency in American Sign Language
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS
1. The position requires frequent sitting, with intermittent standing and/or walking.
2. Must be able to lift to 20 pounds occasionally.
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 EMPLOYEE
In completing the duties and responsibilities of the position, 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
Employees of the Court are at-will employees and serve at the pleasure of the Court; 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 based on age, gender, religion, race, color, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, disability, military status, or genetic information.
