Attorney/Referee

Job Description Under the direction of the Circuit Court Administrator, serves as referee in a variety of hearings in domestic relations, juvenile delinquency, abuse and neglect, termination of parental rights/adoption and emancipation matters.
Conducts paternity arraignments and evidentiary hearings on motions regarding support and/or parenting time.
Conducts preliminary hearings and inquiries, evidentiary hearings, adjudications, dispositional hearings, and review hearings in cases where juveniles are charged with offenses, which are classified as misdemeanors or felonies by the Michigan criminal code, or violations of city/county ordinances or probation orders.
Holds preliminary hearings in cases of alleged child abuse.
This is a full-time, benefited position based out of the Family Division/Juvenile Court in West Olive.
Travel to other locations throughout the county as needed.
The position will be located at the Family Justice Center in West Olive when that courthouse is complete and open to the public.
Essential Job Functions The essential functions of this position include, but are not limited to, the following: Conducts domestic relations hearings, including paternity arraignments and hearings on motions for child support and parenting time that have been filed by the parties or by the Friend of the Court, and drafts recommended court orders for judicial review and approval based on testimony, findings of fact, statutes and judicial precedent.
Presides at adjudicatory, evidentiary, motion, dispositional, probation violation, dispositional review and a variety of other juvenile delinquency hearings, hearings for termination of parental rights and hearings for emancipation of minors.
Ensures that statutory requirements have been met, advises parties of the nature of the hearing and their rights, and determines the need for appointment of counsel in juvenile delinquency, abuse and neglect, termination of parental rights, and consent to adopt proceedings.
Conducts preliminary hearings and inquiries for juvenile petitions and abuse and neglect matters; complies with 24-hour rule for hearings for juveniles held in Detention pending adjudication of petitions.
Reviews authorizations for detention on a 24-hour a day basis based on statutory requirements for detaining juveniles.
Hears emergency petitions to detain juveniles, Child Protective Services petitions for removal, and other matters on a 24-hour on-call basis.
Rules on motions, objections, and procedural questions, makes determination and findings of fact, determines bond and/or conditions for release from detention.
Grants or denies restricted driving privileges for youth whose licenses have been suspended.
Serves as a staff attorney to the Court, providing consultation and guidance on legal procedures and requirements to other staff.
Performs legal research and drafts memoranda relating to Circuit Court Family Division proceedings.
Serves as a member of the Juvenile Services and Friend of the Court administrative teams and participates in setting goals and establishing policy and procedure.
Completes a variety of management projects and special assignments.
Performs other duties as assigned.
Required Education, Training and Experience Juris Doctorate or Bachelor of Law degree from accredited school of law combined with three (3) years of professional practice in family/juvenile law and domestic relations law.
Licenses and Certifications: Must be licensed to practice law in the State of Michigan and a member in good standing of the Michigan Bar Association.
Additional Requirements and Information Required Knowledge and Skills: Thorough working knowledge of family and domestic relations law.
Thorough working knowledge of the structure and operations of the juvenile justice system.
Thorough working knowledge of the available community services related to Domestic Neglect/Abuse, and Juvenile cases.
Thorough working knowledge of Michigan Juvenile Justice Benchbook, The Michigan Probate Code (Act 288 of 1939), and the Michigan Criminal Code (Act 125 of 1927).
Thorough working knowledge of the Federal Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) of 1974, as amended.
Thorough working knowledge of the Michigan Court Rules.
Thorough working knowledge of alternative dispute resolution principles and practices.
Thorough working knowledge of legal writing and legal research methods and resources.
Thorough working knowledge of the American Bar Association canon of ethics and standards of professional practice.
Computer literacy and familiarity with word-processing, spreadsheet, database management and other applications software.
Excellent interpersonal and human relations skills.
Excellent oral and written communication skills.
Ability to interact positively and objectively with juveniles, parents, step-parents, guardians, Child Protective Services representatives, prosecutors, defense attorneys, judges, law enforcement officers, officers of the court, and members of the general public from a wide range of cultural and socio-economic backgrounds and with varying levels of interpersonal communications skills.
Notes: Employees in this classification must be on-call 24-hours a day, except Sundays and holidays.
Oral and written fluency in Spanish, Thai, Lao or other language commonly spoken by one or more demographic groups represented in the population strongly preferred.
Physical Requirements: Must be able to perform essential job functions with or without reasonable accommodations, including, but not limited to, visual and/or audiological appliances and devices to increase mobility.
Working Conditions: Work is generally performed in a normal office environment and in the courtroom.
On call duties require some work at home and on a mobile device.
Adjudication of family and domestic relations cases involves some risk from unpredictable behavior of emotionally distraught or aggressive parties.
Disclaimer: This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee.
Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change, or new ones may be assigned at any time with or without notice.
Ottawa County is an Equal Opportunity Employer Job Description Under the direction of the Circuit Court Administrator, serves as referee in a variety of hearings in domestic relations, juvenile delinquency, abuse and neglect, termination of parental rights/adoption and emancipation matters.
Conducts paternity arraignments and evidentiary hearings on motions regarding support and/or parenting time.
Conducts preliminary hearings and inquiries, evidentiary hearings, adjudications, dispositional hearings, and review hearings in cases where juveniles are charged with offenses, which are classified as misdemeanors or felonies by the Michigan criminal code, or violations of city/county ordinances or probation orders.
Holds preliminary hearings in cases of alleged child abuse.
This is a full-time, benefited position based out of the Family Division/Juvenile Court in West Olive.
Travel to other locations throughout the county as needed.
The position will be located at the Family Justice Center in West Olive when that courthouse is complete and open to the public.
Essential Job Functions The essential functions of this position include, but are not limited to, the following: Conducts domestic relations hearings, including paternity arraignments and hearings on motions for child support and parenting time that have been filed by the parties or by the Friend of the Court, and drafts recommended court orders for judicial review and approval based on testimony, findings of fact, statutes and judicial precedent.
Presides at adjudicatory, evidentiary, motion, dispositional, probation violation, dispositional review and a variety of other juvenile delinquency hearings, hearings for termination of parental rights and hearings for emancipation of minors.
Ensures that statutory requirements have been met, advises parties of the nature of the hearing and their rights, and determines the need for appointment of counsel in juvenile delinquency, abuse and neglect, termination of parental rights, and consent to adopt proceedings.
Conducts preliminary hearings and inquiries for juvenile petitions and abuse and neglect matters; complies with 24-hour rule for hearings for juveniles held in Detention pending adjudication of petitions.
Reviews authorizations for detention on a 24-hour a day basis based on statutory requirements for detaining juveniles.
Hears emergency petitions to detain juveniles, Child Protective Services petitions for removal, and other matters on a 24-hour on-call basis.
Rules on motions, objections, and procedural questions, makes determination and findings of fact, determines bond and/or conditions for release from detention.
Grants or denies restricted driving privileges for youth whose licenses have been suspended.
Serves as a staff attorney to the Court, providing consultation and guidance on legal procedures and requirements to other staff.
Performs legal research and drafts memoranda relating to Circuit Court Family Division proceedings.
Serves as a member of the Juvenile Services and Friend of the Court administrative teams and participates in setting goals and establishing policy and procedure.
Completes a variety of management projects and special assignments.
Performs other duties as assigned.
Required Education, Training and Experience Juris Doctorate or Bachelor of Law degree from accredited school of law combined with three (3) years of professional practice in family/juvenile law and domestic relations law.
Licenses and Certifications: Must be licensed to practice law in the State of Michigan and a member in good standing of the Michigan Bar Association.
Additional Requirements and Information Required Knowledge and Skills: Thorough working knowledge of family and domestic relations law.
Thorough working knowledge of the structure and operations of the juvenile justice system.
Thorough working knowledge of the available community services related to Domestic Neglect/Abuse, and Juvenile cases.
Thorough working knowledge of Michigan Juvenile Justice Benchbook, The Michigan Probate Code (Act 288 of 1939), and the Michigan Criminal Code (Act 125 of 1927).
Thorough working knowledge of the Federal Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) of 1974, as amended.
Thorough working knowledge of the Michigan Court Rules.
Thorough working knowledge of alternative dispute resolution principles and practices.
Thorough working knowledge of legal writing and legal research methods and resources.
Thorough working knowledge of the American Bar Association canon of ethics and standards of professional practice.
Computer literacy and familiarity with word-processing, spreadsheet, database management and other applications software.
Excellent interpersonal and human relations skills.
Excellent oral and written communication skills.
Ability to interact positively and objectively with juveniles, parents, step-parents, guardians, Child Protective Services representatives, prosecutors, defense attorneys, judges, law enforcement officers, officers of the court, and members of the general public from a wide range of cultural and socio-economic backgrounds and with varying levels of interpersonal communications skills.
Notes: Employees in this classification must be on-call 24-hours a day, except Sundays and holidays.
Oral and written fluency in Spanish, Thai, Lao or other language commonly spoken by one or more demographic groups represented in the population strongly preferred.
Physical Requirements: Must be able to perform essential job functions with or without reasonable accommodations, including, but not limited to, visual and/or audiological appliances and devices to increase mobility.
Working Conditions: Work is generally performed in a normal office environment and in the courtroom.
On call duties require some work at home and on a mobile device.
Adjudication of family and domestic relations cases involves some risk from unpredictable behavior of emotionally distraught or aggressive parties.
Disclaimer: This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee.
Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change, or new ones may be assigned at any time with or without notice.
Ottawa County is an Equal Opportunity Employer This position is benefited and is subject to the Unclassified group manual.
Ottawa County offers a wide range of benefits to support you in your career.
View the Unclassified Benefits Summary (Download PDF reader) for more information.
The current Unclassified group manual can be viewed here (Download PDF reader).
The 2023 Ottawa County Universal Wage Scale can be found here (Download PDF reader).