Judicial Case Manager -Bristol Probate & Family Court

Departmental Mission Statement: To deliver timely justice to the public by providing equal access to a fair, equitable, and efficient forum to resolve family and probate legal matters and to and assist and protect all individuals, families, and children in an impartial and respectful manner.Probate and Family Court Organization Profile

Notes:

This employee is appointed for a term of three years by the First Justice of the Division, pursuant to G.L. Chapter 217, Section 23C, with the approval of the Chief Justice of the Probate and Family Court Department.

This position requires coverage in Taunton, New Bedford and Fall River as needed.

This position is designated as a management position and is covered by the Trial Court Personnel Policies and Procedures Manual.

Position Summary: This position involves a high level of professional legal and case management work of complex difficulty with supervisory responsibilities. The employees in this position assist the First Justice and Associate Justices in performing their legal and administrative duties as set forth in state statutes, court rules, standing orders and court policies. This employee is appointed for a term of three years by the First Justice of the Division, pursuant to G.L. Chapter 217, Section 23C, with the approval of the Chief Justice of the Probate and Family Court Department.

Major Duties: (Note: Judicial Case Managers may perform any or all duties listed below, including the duties of an Assistant Judicial Case Manager, and may perform other duties not articulated in this job description as determined by the First Justice.)

Oversight and assistance with the daily judicial operation of a court division
• Assists the First Justice with the daily judicial operation of a court division.
• Schedules daily assignments of Assistant Judicial Case Managers, Sessions Clerks and Judicial Secretaries, including managing coverage in any satellite court sessions.
• Supervises Assistant Judicial Case Managers and Sessions Clerks and Judicial Secretaries.
• Assists Judges with the management of Individual Judicial Assignment case calendars and Departmental Time Standards.
• Conducts case management conferences and pretrial conferences as assigned by the First Justice.
• Conducts uncontested sessions and manages all matters filed for administrative approval, as assigned by the First Justice.
• Manages all matters filed for administrative approval.
• Assists Local Dispute Resolution Coordinator with referrals to approved ADR providers and assist with court-connected alternative dispute resolution Services.
• Assists in the use of the MassCourts case management system.
• Administers Oaths
• Conducts regular meetings with Judicial Case Management team members: Judges, Assistant Judicial Case Managers, Sessions Clerks and Judicial Secretaries.
• Participates in regular meetings with First Assistant Register and other Registry staff as well as the Probation, Security, and Facilities Departments.
• Reviews case management reports and assists First Justice with development of work and case flow changes to improve case management and achieve Departmental and Trial Court goals, including metric goals
• Assists with the preparation of annual statistics and reports.
• Assists with the preparation of case management reports.
• Enters case data into automated case management system.
• Assists both attorneys and self-represented litigants with access to the Court by providing legal and procedural information.
• Ensures the proper issuance of writs of capias, writs of ne exeat regno, mittimuses, habeus corpus, discharges from jail, executions, attachments and summonses to trustee as necessary

Implementation of work and case flow policies and new laws and court mandates.
• At the direction of the First Justice, coordinates with other divisions in developing and drafting guidelines, checklists, protocols, procedures, and memoranda outlining work and case flow changes to implement new laws, court rules, standing orders and policies of the Probate and Family Court.
• Provides legal expertise to Judges in technical areas of probate and family law.

• Oversees management of Supreme Judicial Court Rule 1:07 lists for all fee-generating appointments.

Casefile and legal document review
• Reviews case papers being submitted to the court and/or court sessions.
• Reviews legal sufficiency of subpoenas and transmits copies of records when properly requested by other courts and parties.
• Provides legal and technical support to the appeals clerk, as requested.
• Provides other legal and technical support to court staff as needed.

Program and project management

• Assists with the management of the Lawyer for the Day program in those Divisions that do not have a Family Law Facilitator.
• Assists with the organization of bench/bar seminars and meetings.
• Assists First Justice with the preparation of the division's budget and expansion budget requests and internal audits.
• Represents the court division on committees, task forces and working groups as designated by the First Justice or Chief Justice.
• Implements and participates in pilot projects as designated by First Justice or Chief Justice.
• Attends meetings and trainings at the request of the Chief Justice in order to assist in the development of uniform court policies and procedures among divisions.

Job Competencies:

• Knowledge of relevant state statutes, court rules and case law that prescribe the authority of the court and an ability to interpret and apply them to the cases before the court.
• Thorough knowledge of court procedures, legal documents, and laws pertaining to the court.
• Thorough knowledge of the organization, functions, authority, and authority of the court.
• Thorough knowledge of principles and practices of caseload management.
• Ability to plan and supervise the work of subordinates when appropriate
• Ability to maintain effective working relationships with Judges, court officials, attorneys, court employees and the general public.
• Ability to identify and resolve case flow issues.
• Ability to use automated case management systems for input, retrieval, and tracking.

Employment with the Trial Court is contingent upon passage of a criminal record check.

Qualifications

Minimum Requirements:

For Internal Trial Court Employee

Applicant must have a law degree and admission to the practice of law in Massachusetts or a graduate degree in a relevant field (such as criminal justice, public administration or business administration); and knowledge, skills and abilities acquired through 4 or more years of relevant work experience, including supervisory and/or courtroom experience, within a Trial Court Division (Register's Office, Probation Office, Judge's Lobby) or an equivalent office.

For External Applicant, a law degree and admission to the practice of law in Massachusetts and knowledge, skills and abilities acquired through 4 years of legal or supervisory experience.

Preferred Experience: Practicing attorney with at least five years of Probate and Family Court experience preferred.