Hennepin County District Court is accepting applications for a Senior Self-Help Center Specialist position with the Minnesota Judicial Branch's Self-Represented Litigant (SRL) Program.

The SRL Program provides information to self-represented litigants (SRLs) with legal issues that can be addressed in District Court, pursuant to Minn. Gen. R. Prac. Rule 110. SRL Program staff do not provide legal advice. The goals of the program include:

• 
  Increasing access to justice for individuals without attorneys
• Improving the efficiency of the Minnesota Judicial Branch.

Senior Self-Help Center Specialists work individually and in teams using independent judgment and available resources to assist SRLs, respond to a variety of SRL questions across different case types, and provide work direction and support to other SRL Program staff in a high-volume setting.

The Minnesota Judicial Branch's SRL Program has three Self-Help Center (SHC) locations, including two walk-in centers and one statewide, virtual center. This is a full-time, benefits-earning position classified as a Senior Self-Help Center Specialist. The primary work location will be the Hennepin County Family Justice SHC but may also occasionally provide assistance to SRLs at the Hennepin County Government Center SHC and the Statewide SHC. Each of the three Self-Help Centers is a diverse, professional environment that promotes equity for all court staff and court users. Together, these SHC locations have served over 40,000 customers in person and over 25,000 customers by phone and email annually in recent years. This position is currently working both onsite and remotely, which may change based on assignment and/or business need. Interviews may be conducted virtually via Zoom and/or in person.

The Minnesota Judicial Branch offers a comprehensive benefits package. To learn more about benefits, click here.

Example of Duties

• Provide legal information in plain language to SRLs and, without providing legal advice, assess their need for legal advice and representation. If legal advice and representation is needed, provide applicable referrals.
• Manage contact from customers, in a variety of settings including in-person, over the phone, via email, and web-based technologies to ensure SRLs goals are met.
• Provide support, work direction, feedback, and coaching to SHC Specialists to ensure resources and training are available for staff to effectively provide professional, timely and accurate customer service.
• Assist with complex and/or difficult customer service matters to effectively meet the customer and business need.
• Identify the need for and assist with reviewing, creating and revising resources to address the current needs of SRLs and promote access to the court.
• Serve as a resource to other court personnel, the bench, and stakeholders serving SRLs to improve services and support for court customers.

Typical Qualifications

Minimum Education and Experience

• Bachelor's Degree from an accredited college or university in social services, law, criminal justice, court administration, or related field.
• Two years' experience in a court or legal setting OR equivalent education, training, and work experience which indicates possession of the knowledge, skills, and abilities listed below.
• Experience providing exceptional customer service.
• As this position will be working partially remotely, access to reliable, high speed internet capable of successful remote access to the Judicial Branch network, and reliable telephone access capable of statewide communication.

Minimum Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Ability to read and interpret legal documents of varying types and complexity and apply knowledge of specific laws, statutes, and rules to individual cases without providing legal advice to the customer.
• Ability to listen and interpret the relevant context of a wide range of legal matters in order to apply knowledge of court practices and processes.
• Ability to simplify legal concepts and terminology to effectively communicate, both verbally and in writing, with SRLs.
• Ability to create forms, instructions, and educational materials on legal topics for non-lawyers.
• Ability to provide work direction and training to staff.
• Ability to multitask in a fast-paced, sometimes stressful environment.
• Ability to exercise independent judgment and decision making.
• Knowledge of issues facing people experiencing trauma, housing instability, violence and poverty.
• Ability to work in an inclusive, multicultural environment that values diversity and relationships.

Preferred Qualifications

• Law degree from an accredited law school, or a master's degree in a related field.
• Current Certificate of Admission to the Bar of the State of Minnesota, in good standing.
• Experience working for Minnesota Judicial Branch.
• Experience supervising or providing work direction to others.
• Fluency in a language other than English, such as Spanish, Somali, Hmong, Oromo, or American Sign Language.
• Experience working with people from diverse backgrounds.
• Experience creating or reviewing educational materials on legal topics.

Supplemental Information

The Minnesota Judicial Branch (MJB) is committed to providing fair and equal access to justice. If you share this same commitment, desire a meaningful career serving the public, and want the opportunity to make a difference for your community, consider a career with us. We celebrate and are committed to the principles of diversity and inclusion, and actively seek and encourage applications from persons with diverse backgrounds and characteristics. Minnesota Judicial Branch employees consistently express pride in their public service and in the quality of programs and services provided to customers, as well as appreciation for the teamwork and collaboration that is promoted within the MJB. To learn more about working for the Minnesota Judicial Branch, watch this video.

The expected starting salary range for external candidates is $31.88 - $40.54 per hour ($66,565.44 - $84,647.52 annually). The full salary range for this position is $31.88 - $49.26 per hour ($66,565.44 - $102,854.88 annually). The position is exempt under the Fair Labor Standards Act and is eligible for State of Minnesota employee benefits.

Instructions to Apply:

Please apply for this position online. Resume and cover letter are encouraged as additional material.

All employment offers are contingent upon satisfactory results of a criminal background check. An employment offer may be rescinded if the background check identifies job related convictions. Please contact the Hennepin County District Court Human Resources Department with questions regarding this posting via email at 4thRecruitment@courts.state.mn.us or phone at 612-348-2298.

It is the policy of the Minnesota Judicial Branch that all decisions regarding employment are made without discrimination on the basis of disability. Please let us know if you need a reasonable accommodation for a disability to participate in the employee selection process by contacting Human Resources at 4th.Human.Resources@courts.state.mn.us.

The Minnesota Judicial Branch is an Equal Opportunity Employer. It is the policy of the Minnesota Judicial Branch that all decisions regarding recruitment, hiring, promotions, and other terms and conditions of employment be made without discrimination on the grounds of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, gender, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, membership or activity in a local human rights commission, disability, sexual orientation, or age. We value and encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds.