Details
 

04/21/2017

Position Available: Official Court Reporter

Franklin County Municipal Court

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY:  Court Reporter
Franklin County Municipal Court

Columbus, Ohio 43215
(614) 645-8214

 

JOB TITLE: Court Reporter

DEPARTMENT: Court Reporters’ Office

REPORTS TO: Chief Court Reporter

PAY GRADE: 8

STARTING SALARY: $21.68 ($45,094.40/year) - $30.34/hour ($63,107.20/year)

HOURS: Full-time 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. or as assigned

POSTED: Monday, January 30, 2017

DEADLINE: Until filled

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 Court Reporters’ Department is authorized to have 12 full-time and two part-time court reporters, who are assigned to different courtrooms on a rotating basis. Court reporters make a verbatim record of court proceedings, prepare a transcript from the record of court proceedings upon request and maintain records of exhibits introduced at court proceedings.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE POSITION

The responsibilities of a Court Reporter are to:

1. Take a verbatim record of court proceedings.

2. Maintain stenographic notes and exhibits introduced at court proceedings.

3. Prepare transcripts from stenographic notes when requested.

4. Answer telephones and retrieve file information for callers.

5. Assist with projects as assigned by the Chief Court Reporter or the Court Administrator.

6. Perform other duties as assigned and may be assigned on a temporary basis to other positions in other departments of the Court if needed.

This position involves a significant amount of sitting for extended periods of time. Candidates must be able to hear and see sufficiently to take accurate notes of all proceedings, and must be able to lift up to 25 pounds. Court reporters are required to work one Saturday morning approximately every four months, and may occasionally be required to work past 5:00 p.m.

Most equipment is provided by the Court including Diamante Writer, a desktop computer, and Eclipse software. The successful applicant may be required to provide his or her own laptop computer.

QUALIFICATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS

1. High school diploma or a certificate of its equivalent.

2. Graduation from an accredited court reporting school.

3. Ability to take and transcribe oral testimony at 225 words per minute and a jury charge at 200 words per minute.

4. Ability to hook up and write real time proficiently.

5. Proficiency in operating a personal computer and using, or being able to learn, Microsoft Office programs such as Word, Outlook, and Excel.

6. Requires considerable knowledge of legal terminology and of English vocabulary, grammar, spelling, and punctuation.

7. Knowledge of common office practices, procedures, and equipment.

8. Ability to prioritize work and work independently without daily supervision.

9. Must have good time-management skills and be highly organized and detail-oriented.

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

11. Pleasant personality and ability to develop and maintain effective working relationships with judges, other elected officials, Court employees, law enforcement officers, lawyers, outside agencies, businesses, and the general public.

12. Must be conscious of and sensitive to the diversity within the Court’s jurisdiction and be able to interact professionally with this diverse population of people from many different geographic, socioeconomic, religious, racial, and ethnic backgrounds on a regular basis.

13. Professional appearance and demeanor appropriate for the position and expected of a representative of elected officials.

14. Demonstrated dependability, reliability, and excellent attendance record.

15. Patience, objectivity, maturity, effectiveness under stress, initiative, adaptability, leadership, and sound judgment.

Additional consideration will be given to individuals who have any of the following qualifications: previous experience as a court reporter; possession of a Registered Professional Reporter’s Certificate from the National Court Reporters Association; 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).

SALARY

The Court establishes its own pay ranges and salary schedules, and has some flexibility in setting the salary of the successful candidate. The majority of new hires begin at the starting salary of the pay range, but in limited circumstances a candidate with superior qualifications and experiences could be offered a higher starting salary within the pay range.

BENEFITS

The Franklin County Municipal Court offers an excellent benefits package that includes: health, prescription, vision, dental, and life insurance; short-term disability; generous vacation, sick, and personal leave; eleven paid holidays; longevity service payments; sick leave reciprocity; an Employee Assistance Program; a deferred compensation program; tuition reimbursement; credit union membership; and direct deposit of net pay.

Court employees are members of the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System (OPERS), which provides retirement, disability, and survivor benefits for public employees. All full-time employees hired after January 20, 2010, contribute to OPERS by paying the required employee share, which is 10% of their salary. The Court pays the required employer’s share of 14% of the employee’s salary. Since Court employees are members of OPERS, they do not have any Social Security taxes withheld from their pay.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Applicants must submit the Court's employment application form, a resume, and a cover letter addressed to Human Resources Manager Abbie Armitage that describes with some specificity how the applicant's qualifications match those required for the position.

The Municipal Court Judges' application can be found at http://www.fcmcclerk.com/employment/court.php. Applications may be completed and submitted online or by hard copy.

To ensure consideration, the application materials should be submitted to:

Abbie Armitage
Human Resources Manager
Franklin County Municipal Court
375 South High Street
Columbus, Ohio 43215

Receipt of applications will be acknowledged by mail or email, and only those applicants invited for an interview will be contacted by telephone. Applicants should not call or contact the Human Resources Manager or any Court employee concerning their application.

As a part of the selection process, a candidate may be required to perform skills tests that could include exercises to test the candidate’s writing and transcribing ability, understanding of court systems, knowledge of legal terminology and procedures, and knowledge of Franklin County Municipal Court. Candidates who indicate knowledge of a second language or American Sign Language will be required to demonstrate those skills.

Employees of the Court are at-will employees and serve at the pleasure of the Court; employees are not in the classified civil service system and are not members of bargaining units. 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.

For complete job description and online application, go to http://www.fcmcclerk.com/employment/court.php

 

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