Summer Internship - Suffolk County Juvenile Court, Clerk's Office

Title: Summer Internship - Suffolk County Juvenile Court

Pay rate:

• Working towards/Bachelor's degree - $20/hour

Departmental Mission Statement: At the Trial Court, we believe in Justice with Speed and Dignity. This is an amazing opportunity to see Justice at Work! Join the Trial Court for an 8 to 10 week paid internship this summer and experience the tremendous work the Trial Courts do everyday.

The Trial Court is committed to:
• Fair and impartial administration of justice;
• Protection of constitutional and statutory rights and liberties;
• Equal access to justice for all in a safe and dignified environment with the policies and practices that strengthen and support diversity, equity, and inclusion;
• Efficient, effective, and accountable resolution of disputes;
• Prompt and courteous service to the public by committed and dedicated professionals utilizing best practices in a manner than inspires public trust and confidence.

Departmental Mission:
It is the mission of the Juvenile Court to protect children from abuse and neglect and promote opportunities for children to reside in safe, stable, permanent family environments whenever possible, to strengthen families when their children are in need of services, to rehabilitate juveniles, to protect the public from delinquent and criminal activity while holding offenders accountable and addressing the harm suffered by the community and the victim, and to decide all cases fairly and impartially with dedication, integrity and professionalism.

The Juvenile Court Department has general jurisdiction over delinquency, children requiring assistance (CRA), care and protection petitions. Additional case types include adoptions, guardianships, adult contributing to a delinquency of a minor cases, harassment prevention, substance abuse and youthful offender cases.

There are eleven divisions of the juvenile court with sessions in more than forty locations. The Suffolk County Juvenile Court is one division with established sessions in 4 sites: Boston, Chelsea, Dorchester, and West Roxbury. The internship will be based primarily in the Boston Juvenile Court at the Brooke Courthouse. The intern must be available in-person during court business hours (8:30 am -4:30 pm).

If you are interested in learning how the Boston Juvenile Court conducts business, we welcome you to apply for a summer internship.

Please complete the application and submit it, along with a cover letter and a copy of your resume.

Position Summary: The intern, under the guidance and supervision of the management team, will learn the machinations of the Clerk's office of the Juvenile Court through training and hands-on experience in organizational operations. The intern will learn to perform a range of tasks required for the efficient daily function of the court.

Duties: The daily assignments and duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:

Receive training in MassCourts -the comprehensive, integrated case management system for the Trial Court to:
-Research cases, docket entries and judges' orders;
-Create new cases, and appoint attorneys;
-Advance, continue, and schedule cases for court hearings;
-Generate summons for the police to serve for upcoming court appearances;
-Record judgements of the court and produce custody orders for children;
-Issue &/or recall warrants in the Warrant Management System at the courts' directive;
-generate transportation mittimus' to DYS, jails, and/or between courts to facilitate the appearance of persons being detained on delinquent or criminal cases;
-Produce daily dockets of all cases for use by the Judges and Clerks in session.

• Prepare and organize case files and exhibits for court, for review by counsel, and for law clerks;
• Learn how to synchronize the various platforms necessary to conduct court sessions, both virtually and in person, including the FTR audio recording system;
• Learn how to interact with Judges, Attorneys, Probation Officers, and Court Officers for the efficient coordination of session;
• Assist Clerks in conducting session by- announcing cases, intoning exhibits, recording judicial orders, chronicling decisions, scheduling trials and updating case files;
• Learn the various Oaths to swear in witnesses, interpreters, and jurors;
• Disseminate case files to appropriate personnel after court hearings to learn about the completion of post-session process work including but not limited to: appointments of Court Investigators, appointments of Guardian ad Litems, and subpoenas for Medical or Police records;
• Learn the court processes of a juvenile arrest, from the submission of a police report through to case resolution;
• Learn the court processes relative to the allegation of abuse and/or neglect of children;
• Participate in the daily call of the list conducted by the Clerk Magistrate, and help to coordinate multiple cases for up to 5 concurrent court sessions, daily; and
• Learn how to assist the Judge's Lobby, Probation Department, Attorneys, the Court Clinic, Police, Schools, DCF, DYS, the DA's office and the public.

Minimum Requirements:

• Enrolled in a bachelor's degree program at an accredited institution;
• Working knowledge of Microsoft office, Adobe, and Zoom;
• Capacity to maintain confidentiality of case information;
• Ability to multi-task, and to prioritize an efficient and organized approach to tasks;
• Ability to understand and follow verbal and/or written instructions;
• Ability to demonstrate courtesy and polite professionalism to staff and the public;
• Capacity to work independently to complete tasks;
• Communication and interpersonal skills to interface with diverse office staff.