District Court Courtroom Clerk/Official Court Reporter I or II
State of Nebraska

The work we do matters!

Hiring Agency:
Supreme Court - Agency 5

Location:
Lincoln, NE

Hiring Rate:
$19.004

Job Posting:
JR2024-00010959 District Court Courtroom Clerk/Official Court Reporter I or II (Open)

Applications No Longer Accepted On (If no date is displayed, job is posted as open until closed):

Job Description:
The Administrative Office of the Courts and Probation (AOCP) is accepting applications for a full time District Courtroom Clerk/Official Court Reporter in Lancaster County District Court, 3rd Judicial District and travel is expected. Under direct supervision of Separate Juvenile Court Judge Reggie L. Ryder, this is a responsible paraprofessional position. The work involves verbatim reporting and transcribing for court proceedings, hearings and conferences. Employees in the Court Reporter I classification have met the qualifications set forth in §1-204(A)(2) and § 1-204(B) or (C). Employees in the Court Reporter II classification have met the above qualifications and are certified as a Certified Realtime Reporter (CRR), through the National Court Reporters Association (NCRA); or a Federal Certified Realtime Reporter (FCRR).

DISTRICT COURT COURTROOM CLERK (JUVENILE COURT)

The Administrative Office of the Courts and Probation is accepting applications for a full-time District Courtroom Clerk position in Lancaster County District Court, 3rd Judicial District and travel is expected. Reporting directly to Separate Juvenile Court Judge Reggie L. Ryder, this is responsible courtroom work related to capturing and maintaining a verbatim record of court proceedings and other matters of increased complexity.

COURT REPORTER I AND II

Official Court Reporters who would like to work for the AOCP and are not interested in doing freelance court reporting are given the option of having the AOCP purchase and keep updated all of their equipment and software. For stenographic official court reporters, this includes providing you with a laptop, docking station, monitor(s), steno machine, software (Eclipse by Advantage Software or Case CATalyst by Stenograph, LLC), microphone and/or handheld device for making a backup digital audio recording of court proceedings, and secure cloud backup storage. For digital official court reporters, this includes audio recording system (laptop/PC, docking station, microphone(s), mixer), monitor(s), and audio recording software (Liberty Recorder).

JOB DUTIES:

District Court Courtroom Clerk:

The District Court Courtroom Clerk may perform the following duties to include entering case information in DOCKET, an enhancement of JUSTICE (the court case management system) of the Nebraska Court System used to capture the various parts of the proceeding that, when completed correctly, will generate Judge's Orders and other official court records, pleadings, and other actions. The navigation between screen selections is real time and fast paced. Verbal parts of the court hearing is not completed with a stenograph, the District Courtroom Clerk is responsible for typing portions of Judge's decision in real time; checking and operating electronic recording equipment (computer application based) to record (official court record), log court proceedings; plays back sections of recordings for the judge or jury as requested; maintains automated logs of proceedings and actions; correlates such logged information with recorded data; marks and logs exhibits as they are accepted into the record; makes notations of witness or other participant appearances, behavior, as well as session times etc. to augment the audio record. Performs duties related to maintaining and storing court recordings; supervises signing in of witnesses and maintains courtroom supplies.

ADVANCEMENT OPPORTUNITY: This position is eligible to advance to an Official Court Reporter I. The Administrative Office of the Courts and Probation will provide online education and reimbursement for the certifications to support this advancement. In addition to an increase in compensation as a Court Reporter I, additional income may be earned for preparing transcripts.

Court Reporter I and II:

The Official Court Reporter may perform the following duties to include provide realtime records for court trials, hearings, or conferences, attend courtroom proceedings and other proceedings to make verbatim official recordings, read back transcripts during trial and courtroom proceedings, transcribing the proceedings according to required formats into accurate transcripts for purposes of appeal or by order of the court, review and certify the accuracy of printed transcripts and file in a timely manner, check and operate digital recording equipment to record, log court proceedings, identify participants by name to facilitate reporting; read aloud statements of participants as requested during proceedings, prepare, distribute, and preserve transcripts and related reports and documents, maintain files and records of notes and exhibits, enter case information in DOCKET, an enhancement of JUSTICE (the court case management system), performs clerical duties related to the court, attend meetings and training as required.

Note: At any point, court reporting personnel may be required to undergo a competency evaluation based on the above criteria upon the request of the judge, the Nebraska Court of Appeals, or the Nebraska Supreme Court. Failure to meet such competency criteria shall constitute cause for action pursuant to the Nebraska Supreme Court Personnel Policies and Procedures.

(Positions may not be assigned all the duties listed, nor do the listed examples include all the duties that may be assigned.)

Requirements / Qualifications:

Minimum Qualifications:

District Court Courtroom Clerk: High School graduation or equivalent. Education above the high school level may be substituted for work experience on a year for year basis.

Court Reporter I:demonstrate professional competence as defined in Nebraska Supreme Court Rules Relating to Court Reporting Personnel §1-204(A)(2) and § 1-204(B) or (C)*. Those entities approved by the State Court Administrator to conduct these examinations include, the National Court Reporting Association (NCRA), the American Association of Electronic Reporters and Transcribers (AAERT), a state court-reporting certification with requirements equivalent to those of the NCRA, or official documentation from a court reporting school verifying those skills were met upon graduation.

*For those using the method of a multichannel digital recorder, the requirements include passing both the AAERT Certified Electronic Court Reporter (CER) test as well as the AAERT Certified Electronic Transcriber (CET) test in compliance with the Nebraska Supreme Court rules to be classified as a Court Reporter I.

Court Reporter II:demonstrate professional competence as defined in Nebraska Supreme Court Rules Relating to Court Reporting Personnel §1-204(A)(2) and § 1-204(B) be certified as a Certified Realtime Reporter (CRR), through the National Court Reporters Association (NCRA) or as a Federal Certified Realtime Reporter (FCRR) or equivalent.

All educational credits must be granted from an accredited institution approved by the U.S. Dept. of Education.

Preferred Qualifications:

District Court Courtroom Clerk, Court Reporter I and Court Reporter II:Legal experience. Bilingual skills in English and Spanish preferred but not required.

Other:

District Court Courtroom Clerk:Successful completion of "on the job training" in JUSTICE (the statewide computer system) within six months of hire will be required. MUST demonstrate professional competence as defined in Nebraska Supreme Court Rules Relating to Court Reporting Personnel § 1-204 (F): 1) successful completion of training on use and maintenance of digital recording equipment; 2) ability to promptly diagnose and correct routine malfunctions; 3) proficiency in note taking and logging procedures; 4) knowledge of courtroom procedures and legal vocabulary; 5) knowledge of the proper admission of exhibits to be included in the bill of exceptions; 6) ability to accurately type on a computer while simultaneously monitoring a proceeding. Prolonged sitting, standing, walking, and exposure to the pressure of fast paced courtroom activity and some late hours are possible.

Court Reporter I and II:Must demonstrate professional competence as defined in Nebraska Supreme Court Rules Relating to Court Reporting Personnel § 1-204(E). Travel may be required, sitting behind a computer or other equipment for extended periods of time, repetitive motions with wrists, hands, and fingers. Some late hours possible.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, ABILITIES

District Court Courtroom Clerk:

• Ability to perform clerical functions using various office equipment, to accurately type in real time while monitoring a proceeding, to organize and work under pressure and get along with a variety of people.
  
• Knowledge of functions and maintenance of court recording equipment.
  
• Working knowledge of JUSTICE and DOCKET.
  
• Ability to navigate and select several navigation buttons and options in accordance and response to the type of case, Judge's direction, and other additional information presented during the proceeding; to understand the need for and to assist in promoting a proper and respectful atmosphere in the court room setting.
  

Court Reporter I and II:

• Knowledge of Computer Aided Transcription software.
  
• Knowledge of legal, medical and technical terminology.
  
• Knowledge of a variety of equipment including computer terminals, electronic recording equipment and printers.
  
• Knowledge of secretarial practices and procedures.
  
• Knowledge of office systems, procedures and equipment.
  
• Knowledge of word processing and internet software.
  
• Knowledge of court rules and procedures and legal vocabulary.
  
• Recordkeeping skills.
  
• Skilled in advanced spelling, punctuation, vocabulary and grammar usage.
  
• Skilled in the use of word processing and internet applications.
  
• Skilled in accurate transcription from audio recordings.
  
• Written and oral communication skills.
  
• Proofreading and editorial skills.
  
• Interpersonal skills to deal effectively with all levels of personnel and the public.
  

HIRING RATE (during probationary period):

District Courtroom Clerk $39,527.66 / year

Court Reporter I $55,619.39 / year

Court Reporter II $64,386.39 / year

MINIMUM PERMANENT RATE (after probationary period):

District Courtroom Clerk $40,515.91 / year

Court Reporter I $57,009.87 / year

Court Reporter II $65,996.07 / year

CLOSING DATE: Open Until Filled

Apply as soon as possible; applications will close when the position is filled.

The Judicial Branch values our employees as well as a supportive environment that strives to promote diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. We recruit, hire, train and promote in all job qualifications at all levels without regard to race, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or genetics. The Judicial Branch complies with Veterans Preference Laws.


Benefits

We offer a comprehensive package of pay, benefits, paid time off, retirement and professional development opportunities to help you get the most out of your career and life. Your paycheck is just part of your total compensation.

Check out all that the State of Nebraska has to offer! Benefit eligibility may vary by position, agency and employment status. For more information on benefits, please visit: https://statejobs.nebraska.gov/index.html#benefits

Equal Opportunity Statement

The State of Nebraska values our teammates as well as a supportive environment that strives to promote diversity, inclusion, and belonging. We recruit, hire, train, and promote in all job classifications and at all levels without regard to race, color, religion, sex. age, national origin, disability, marital status or genetics.

Current employees of the State of Nebraska should NOT apply on this external career. Instead go to Workday and access the Jobs Hub - Internal Apply app from your home landing page.

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