§ 82-964. Court coordinators

(a) All court coordinators for court sections participating in the plan shall comply with the qualifications and salary rates established in the plan.

(b) Minimum qualifications for court coordinators are as follows:

(1) A four-year college degree from a post-secondary institution that has been accredited to grant degrees by one of the regional institutional accrediting agencies in the United States, as recognized by the United States Department of Education. A degree in criminal justice, public administration or a related field is highly desirable. A combination of education and related experience may be used to meet this qualification requirement, with two years of related experience being equal to one year of college.

Education obtained outside the United States must be converted to the equivalent U.S. educational level by a recognized accrediting agency or organization in the United States.

(2) Strong organizational, interpersonal and communication skills.

(3) Extensive knowledge of or demonstrated ability to learn statutes, rules and procedures governing administration of court processes and services.

(4) Independent judgment, initiative and discretion are crucial.

(5) Managerial experience in the private or public sector is preferable.

(c) To be considered related, experience must be from the following agencies and jobs:

(1) District or county clerk's office as at least a court clerk;

(2) Legal assistant or paralegal in a private law firm;

(3) The district attorney's office as a clerk, paralegal, legal secretary, or legal assistant;

(4) Community supervision and corrections department as a community supervision officer, court clerk, paralegal, legal secretary, or legal assistant;

(5) The local, state, or federal public defender's office as a court clerk, paralegal, legal secretary, or legal assistant; or

(6) Trial or appellate court as a court clerk, paralegal, legal secretary, or legal assistant.

(7) The state or federal attorney general's office, as a court clerk, paralegal, legal secretary, or legal assistant;

(8) A law enforcement division reporting to the state or federal attorney general's office in a clerical/administrative capacity directly supporting legal counsel in preparing court cases;

(9) A clerical/administrative assistant who works directly supporting legal counsel in preparing court cases in a public entity directly;

(10) Legal assistant, law clerk, or paralegal in the legal division of a company/agency/organization.

(d) The qualifications for court coordinators are as follows: (refer to the current judicial salary schedule for salary amount)

Title/Level	Minimum Qualifications
Court coordinator I (entry)	Four-year college degree from an accredited college or university, or eight years of related experience.
Court coordinator II (entry)	Coordinator I qualifications; and either a Masters Degree from an accredited college or university, or three additional years of related experience, which can include three years' experience as a coordinator I.
Court coordinator III	Three years' experience as a court coordinator II; and certification in trial court coordination by the Texas Center for the Judiciary and attendance of at least one educational program sponsored by an organization listed in Rule 6b or Rule 2c of the Rules of Judicial Education or other educational programs approved by the Court of Criminal Appeals Education Committee for the continuing education of court coordinators.
Court coordinator IV	Four years' experience as a court coordinator III; and certification in trial court management by the Texas Center for the Judiciary; and attendance of at least two educational programs sponsored by an organization listed in Rule 6b or Rule 2c of the Rules of Judicial Education or other educational programs approved by the Court of Criminal Appeals Education Committee for the continuing education of court coordinators.
Court coordinator V	Three years' experience as a court coordinator IV; and attendance of at least three educational programs sponsored by an organization listed in Rule 6b or Rule 2c of the Rules of Judicial Education or other educational programs approved by the Court of Criminal Appeals Education Committee for the continuing education of court coordinators.

 

(e) An applicant for a court coordinator position who does not meet the minimum qualifications for court coordinator I may be employed as a court coordinator (probationary) if they can reasonably obtain the minimum qualifications for a court coordinator within 24 months, and the JSP panel finds that there are not other satisfactory applicants who meet the minimum qualifications. The salary of an applicant under this rule shall be 85 percent of the salary of a court coordinator I as set out in the current judicial salary schedule, until such time as the person meets the requirements of a court coordinator I.

(f) All persons hired as a court coordinator under this plan will initially be employed as court coordinator I or court coordinator II based on qualification, except that a person previously employed as a court coordinator for a Dallas County Court may be re-employed within 12 months from their date of separation at the same salary the person was earning at the time of separation.

(g) A court coordinator that transfers from another county court shall be placed in the appropriate step under the plan according to qualifications and experience. This subsection also applies to grant funded court coordinators who move from one position to another.

(Ord. No. 99-076, §§ 4-1—4-7, 1-12-1999; Ord. No. 2004-2054, 11-9-2004; Ord. No. 2005-2370, 12-6-2005; Ord. No. 2006-2179, 12-5-2006)