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Lead Court Clerk
Position Description
**Application Deadline: March 15, 2026, at 11:59 PM**
Butte County Superior Court is located in beautiful Northern California, where the valley floor meets the Sierra Nevada and Cascade mountains, approximately 1.5 hours north of Sacramento. At over 1,600 square miles and with a population of approximately 225,000, Butte County is full of natural beauty and provides endless recreational opportunities. It is home to one of the largest municipal parks in the country, Bidwell Park, which boasts over 3,600 acres of hiking and mountain bike trails, swimming holes, picnic areas, golf and disc golf courses, and more! Outdoor adventures also await in places like Lake Oroville, Feather Falls, Table Mountain, and Lassen and Plumas National Forests which border the county to the east. In the county’s urban center of Chico, you’ll find a vibrant downtown, art, culture, unique restaurants, music, and weekly farmers’ markets. Right in the center of it all is the CSU, Chico campus, which provides a stunning backdrop and a variety of events and activities throughout the year.
About the Court:
Butte County Superior Court is a unified superior court operating two facilities, one courthouse in Chico, and another courthouse in the county seat of Oroville. All legal, operational, and administrative functions of the court are governed by the Presiding Judge and the Court Executive Officer. The court has thirteen judicial officers, or eleven judges and two commissioners, and approximately 135 support staff. Despite its size, Butte is recognized throughout the state as a leader in many court collaborations, including self-help services, case management system consortiums, our highly acclaimed and model civic outreach program, and numerous multi-court employee education events. Butte County is home to a community with diverse needs, and the court continually adapts to provide effective and reliable access to justice.
The Position:
This classification provides lead direction to and plans, organizes, and coordinates the work of Court Clerk staff; provides training, consultation and leadership to division staff; performs a variety of complex case processing, judicial support, legal document review and processing, and courtroom clerical functions requiring advanced knowledge of court and legal processes; provides customer service over the phone and in person; and performs other duties as assigned.
Essential Job Functions
- Plans, assigns, schedules, trains, and assists in directing the work of Court Clerk personnel.
- Trains staff in legal terminology and procedures, document processing, courtroom duties, document preparation and calendar duties; reviews work in progress and upon completion.
- Assigns or personally performs the more complex preparation and processing of legal documents; receives legal documents through a variety of sources, including electronically, by mail and in-person; examines legal documents for completeness and conformity to requirements; processes acceptable documents according to established procedures; returns unacceptable documents; maintains court files and archives; retrieves and delivers files and documents to appropriate parties; advises judges on sufficiency of filings.
- Provides information regarding court policies and procedures; answers inquiries pertaining to court records and provides assistance to the public in accessing court services and programs.
- Verifies, enters, retrieves, corrects, and updates information in the automated case management system.
- Determines, accepts and records filing fees, fines, forfeitures, and bails; makes appropriate entries in case management system; balances cash drawers.
- Facilitates and records jury selection proceedings; administers oaths to witnesses; marks, inventories, maintains and disposes of exhibits.
- Prepares notices, forms, documents, reports, and correspondence; processes mail; copies legal documents.
- Prepares and issues legal orders such as warrants, writs, orders, subpoenas, abstracts, and other official documents on behalf of the court; recalls warrants, exonerates bail; prepares judgments and dismisses or seals cases in accordance with established codes and court procedures.
- May act as Deputy Jury Commissioner
- Acts as court liaison with various legal personnel, county departments and other local and state agencies.
- Assists with proper case flow management to provide efficiency and adherence to delay reduction standards; assists in the coordination of courtrooms, bench officers, and staff, and other matters affecting court calendars.
- May prepare or assist in the preparation of statistical reports and correspondence to various reporting agencies.
- Attends court sessions performing all manner of courtroom clerk duties, including preparation of minutes and official records of court proceedings.
- Maintains and updates court records and statistics; monitors workflow and makes recommendations to management regarding personnel assignments.
- Assists in the design and implementation of training programs, procedures manuals and policies; trains other court personnel in a wide variety of matters relating to court operations.
- Serves as subject expert in area of assignment, assisting management in the development of operational policies and procedures in response to judicial requests, workload necessity or legislative action.
- Applicable rules and statutes relative to California trial court functions and procedures
- Court methods and practices; advanced legal terminology and document processing
- Courtroom activities and procedures
- Modern office equipment including computers
- Computer software applications including word processing and spreadsheet programs
- Modern office practices such as filing, records maintenance, preparing correspondence and reports
- Basic mathematical computations
- Modern adult learning techniques and methodologies
- Code of Ethics for California Court Employees
- Principles of proper business English including grammar, spelling, and punctuation
- Basic public contact and customer service techniques
- Cash handling and cash drawer balancing techniques
- Provide direction and training to Court Clerk staff
- Analyze complex problems, evaluate alternatives, and make sound recommendations based on findings
- Exercise sound independent judgment within general policy guidelines
- Prepare clear, concise, and grammatically correct reports and correspondence
- Analyze new and amended legislation, codes, statutes and rules of court and develop process and procedural responses as appropriate
- Safeguard sensitive information and maintain confidentiality
- Type and perform data entry quickly and accurately, including minutes of court proceedings
- Maintain appropriate courtroom decorum; maintain composure and professional demeanor while dealing with difficult or upset individuals
- Review documents for accuracy, completeness, and conformity with legal requirements
- Effectively multi-task and prioritize work and meet deadlines
- Demonstrate strong leadership skills
- Work cooperatively and interact tactfully with the public, justice partners, Court employees, judicial officers and with others contacted in the course of work
- Effectively communicate both verbally and in writing; understand and follow through with written and verbal instructions
- Work effectively and cooperatively on various court committees, task forces and focus groups while maintaining general operational responsibilities
- Effectively train, mentor and coach other court employees to develop competency in case related and other operationally necessary tasks
- Operate a variety of office equipment including desktop computers
- Make basic arithmetical calculations with speed and accuracy
- Accurately count cash and balance daily receipts
- Understand, explain, and apply laws, rules, and regulations
- Work rapidly and accurately under pressure; work in a fast-paced, sometimes stressful, environment
- Travel between Court facilities when required
Typical Qualifications
Experience: Three (3) years of experience as a Court Clerk II in the Superior Court of California, County of Butte or a Senior Court Clerk for any length of time.
Licenses and Certifications: May be required to possess or obtain by appointment date, a valid California Class C Driver’s license issued by the State Department of Motor Vehicles.
Supplemental Information
Additional Information
Criminal History Requirement: Candidates are required to pass a criminal history background check.
Transportation Requirement: Must have reliable transportation or the ability to travel to and between work locations as required by the position.
Physical Requirements: The physical requirements described here are representative of those that must be met by an incumbent to successfully perform the essential functions of this classification. Reasonable accommodations may be available to a qualified individual with a disability that will enable him/her to perform the essential functions of the Lead Court Clerk classification.
Ability to sit for extended periods of time; dexterity and coordination to handle files and single pieces of paper; frequent lifting, carrying, pushing or pulling of objects weighing up to 50 pounds; strength, dexterity and coordination and/or ability to use a computer keyboard and read a video display terminal on a daily basis; vision which can be corrected to a level sufficient to read handwritten, typed and computer generated information and data; hearing and speech ability sufficient to enable communication by telephone and in-person; ability to frequently reach for and/or twist for items above and below desk level, sometimes with the assistance of a ladder or stepstool; frequently moves from place to place within the office; frequently walks short distances; and vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision and the ability to adjust focus to enable incumbent to decipher color coded files, forms, complete data entry and read operating instructions and procedures.
Work Environment: While performing the responsibilities of the Lead Court Clerk, these work environment characteristics are representative of the environment an employee will encounter. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable people with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job.
Work is performed in an office environment with little exposure to outdoor temperatures, dirt, or dust. The incumbent's working conditions are typically quiet, but may be loud at times at some locations. The noise level and traffic level in the work environment are similar to a busy office. This role routinely uses standard office equipment. Travel to visit other branches within the county and travel to attend professional meetings and trainings in and outside of the county may be required on a frequent basis.
Normal court business hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. This position may require occasional long hours or weekend work, however. Alternate work shifts may occur.
Disclaimer: This document is intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by an incumbent assigned to this job classification. It is not intended to provide an exhaustive list of all duties and responsibilities of incumbents so classified.
Reasonable accommodations may be available to a qualified individual with a disability which will enable them to perform the essential functions of the classification.
Application Process
Please submit a complete online application, including responses to the required supplemental questions, at https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/buttecourt. Applications will not be accepted by other means.
This recruitment will remain open until March 15, 2026, at 11:59 PM. The best-qualified candidates will be selected to advance to an interview.
Benefits Contribution:
The Court provides eligible employees with a monthly health insurance contribution ranging from $1,128.34 to $2,908.48, depending on the number of dependents elected. This contribution can be applied towards the purchase of medical, dental, and vision insurance plans. If the total cost of the selected benefits is less than the contribution amount, the employee pays $0 monthly while still receiving full coverage for medical, dental, and vision insurance.
Opt Out Cash-in-Lieu:
Eligible employees that already have qualifying group coverage (typically through a spouse or through their parents), rather than enrolling in the Court's health insurance, will receive $440 a month for opting out of coverage.
Health Insurance Plans:
The Court offers a wide variety of medical plans including no cost PPO and HMO plans. Additionally, the Court's low-cost dental and vision offerings will help ensure you have a well-rounded health coverage to fit your needs.
Leave Benefits
Holidays: Employees receive 13 paid Court holidays and 1 floating holiday per year.
Vacation Leave: Employees accrue 15 days of vacation per year with an accrual rate of 4.615 hours of paid vacation per bi-weekly pay period. Accrual at full-time is 120 hours per year, with the maximum accrual cap set at two times the annual accrual amount.
Sick Leave: Employees accrue 12 days of paid sick leve per year with an acrrual rate of 3.692 hours of paid sick leave per bi-weekly pay period. Accrual at full-time is 96 hours per year with no cap on sick leave.
Retirement System:
Membership in the Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS). The benefit formula is determined by CalPERS regulations and is 2% at age 55 for classic members and 2% at age 62 for new members. Employees pay 100% of the employee contribution and the Court pays 100% of the employer contribution.
Supplemental Benefits
Life Insurance: The Court provides a group term life insurance policy of $25,000. Additional coverage for the employee, the employee's spouse, and/or the employee's dependents may be elected at the employee's cost.
Deferred Compensation Plan: The Court makes available a tax-deferred long-term savings plan (457) that employees may elect to make contributions to.
Employee Assistance Program: The Court makes available a no-cost employee assistance program that offers a wide range of confidential services to employees including but not limited to counseling, legal consultations, financial planning, childcare, adultcare, and more.
Flexible Spending Accounts: The Court makes available a flexible spending account that allows employees to use pre-tax dollars to pay for out-of-pocket medical and/or dependent care expenses to reduce taxable gross wages.
Salary: The salary range consists of five steps, and advancement between steps may occur annually.
Longevity Pay: The Court adds a 3% pay differential above base salary at 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 years of service.
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