Administrative Aide IV - Bilingual - Family Division Services

CIRCUIT COURT FOR MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MARYLAND

Personnel Class Specification

Administrative Aide IV - Bilingual - Family Division Services

DEFINITION OF CLASS

The employee in this highly responsible position performs a wide variety of duties in support of Court Evaluator processes and services, Case Management, Custody/Access Mediation, Facilitation and the Family Law Self Help Center.

This is a high volume and fast paced working environment. The administrative aide is expected to have a thorough working knowledge of organizational and office practices, as well as the ability to make independent decisions when interacting with the public and employees.

An employee in this position must recognize that visitors to the Court may be under significant stress. Additionally, information obtained from these visitors is often confidential or private in nature. Accordingly, the incumbent must ensure that the public is treated with dignity and respect and that information obtained is handled discreetly and professionally.

The Administrative Aide IV – Bi-Lingual Family Division Services has the authority to work in the digital case management system to modify tasks, documents, time standards and the notes section. Any unlawful use of the digital case management system without the proper authority from the Clerk of the Court will be cause for disciplinary action.

The incumbent reports directly to the Supervising Attorney and the Family Division Coordinator and is ultimately responsible to the Court Administrator.

Circuit Court employees are at-will employees and serve at the discretion of the Administrative Judge. This means that either an employee, or the court, may terminate the employee relationship at any time, with or without cause. There are no contractual relationships between the Circuit Court and an employee; letters, benefit or policy statements, performance evaluation, handbooks, or other employee communications should not be interpreted as such. The at-will relationship remains in full force and effect notwithstanding any statements to the contrary made by court personnel or set forth in any documents.

EXAMPLES OF ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

To be successful, the employee in this position must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skills, and/or abilities required. This job description reflects management’s assignment of essential functions. It is not an exhaustive list of responsibilities and does not prescribe or restrict various additional diversified tasks and assignments that may be required by Judicial Officers and/or the Court Administrator.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Greet visitors, assist with sign-in to the appropriate service and advise court personnel of their presence.
• Manage the front-end automated sign-in system for the public for the following services: Facilitation, Evaluation, Mediation, the Family Law Self Help Center, Supervised Visitation, and appointments.
• Act as an interpreter for Spanish-speaking customers who need assistance with the sign-in process and for those utilizing the services of the Family Law Self Help Center.
• Answer multi-line telephone and direct calls to appropriate in-house personnel.
• Perform in-house copy and scanning assignments as needed.
• Notify and prepare print shop jobs for Court Administration to process.
• Operate a variety of office equipment including computers, scanners, facsimile machines and photocopiers. Monitor daily to ensure that equipment is supplied with toner and paper.
• Perform an inventory of all materials necessary for daily operation of the Family Division and order new forms and supplies as required.
• Coordinate and maintain schedule for in-house conference room usage.
• Reschedule litigants in the Co-Parenting Program as needed.
• Prepare internal files for the court evaluators.
• Assist with screening of applicants seeking help from the Family Law Self Help Center for financial eligibility and attorney conflicts. Provide applicants with information about additional sources of legal assistance if they do not meet the requirements for assistance through the Family Law Self Help Center.
• Explain court process to applicants, including where to file paperwork and what hearings the court may schedule.
• Review completed intake forms for all required information and input same into the Microsoft Access computer database.
• Maintain Access database on a daily basis so that accurate information is readily available for statistical purposes.
• Deliver and pick up mail twice daily.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

• Ability to work the full-time standard Court work schedule of 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Monday through Friday) with flexibility to accommodate any necessary early or late meetings.
• Ability to maintain a regular, punctual and reliable level of attendance.
• Ability to work independently, utilizing high level interpersonal skills to manage sensitive and confidential situations.
• Ability to work calmly with people who are under a great deal of stress and who may have limited or no understanding of the processes that they are facing.
• Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing.
• Ability to act as an interpreter for Spanish-speaking customers.
• Ability to exercise a high degree of judgment, tact, diplomacy and professionalism when interacting with Judges, attorneys, court personnel and the public.
• Ability to make decisions based on experience, good judgment, and established policies and procedures.
• Ability to set priorities and simultaneously process multiple duties and responsibilities.
• Excellent telephone manner and experience dealing with the public.
• Knowledge of and ability to apply fundamentals of business English, spelling, grammar, punctuation, standard office practices, and procedures.
• Ability to develop and maintain collaborative and professional working relationships with court personnel and the public.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• High school graduate with a minimum of three years’ experience in the legal field, preferably in the family law area.
• Two years’ customer service experience.
• Two years’ experience as an office support employee, preferably with a secretarial/legal background.
• Proficiency in both English and Spanish is required.
• Excellent organizational skills and customer service are of the highest priority as well as competence and temperament to communicate with the legal community, in-house court personnel, and the general public in a fast paced environment.
• Highly proficient with Microsoft Office Suite applications (e.g., Word, Excel, and Access).
• An equivalent combination of experience and education may be substituted.

The requirements listed above are representative of the knowledge, skills, and/or abilities required. This job description reflects management’s assignment of essential functions. It is not an exhaustive list of responsibilities and does not prescribe or restrict various additional diversified tasks and assignments that may be required by Judicial Officers and/or the Court Administrator.

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Additional Notes

1. It is a good idea to have your Cover Letter, Resume, and Writing Prompt prepared before you complete the Employment Application.
2. Your Employment Application will not be accepted until it has been fully completed and submitted with all three attachments.
3. If the Employment Application is not complete or the Court has not received all supporting documents, your submission will be returned to you. An email notification will be sent to you requesting further information.
4. You will be required to create an account if you need to save your Employment Application and complete it later.

For assistance or additional information about the Employment Application Process, please contact Court Administration at 240-777-9102 or by email at [email protected].