Supervising Attorney - Family Law

Overview

Under the direction of the Managing Attorney/Family Law Facilitator, the Supervising Attorney oversees day-to-day operations for the family law unit at the Legal Self-Help Center. This position provides general family law and limited probate services to litigants not represented by counsel, offering legal information, procedural assistance and help with forms for a variety of case types without representing any party or creating an attorney-client relationship.

Case types include, but are not limited to, divorce, legal separation and nullity; parentage;
Title IV-D child support; domestic violence restraining orders; stepparent adoptions; guardian ships; and limited conservatorships. The Supervising Attorney also helps design and conduct workshops and clinics and provides other program support as directed. The Supervising Attorney plans, directs and reviews the work of, schedules assignments for, and supervises paraprofessional and other clerical staff, interns and volunteers. May oversee the work of staff attorneys, as directed.

• Oversees day-to-day operations for the family law unit at the Legal Self-Help Center.
• Directly assists self-represented litigants with family law, guardianship and limited conservatorship cases through one-on-one appointments, courtroom services and workshops, in person and via phone and video conference.
• Prepares orders after hearing and judgments.
• Assists with drafting stipulations agreed to by all parties.
• Provides referrals to the local child support agencies, Family Court Services and other community agencies and resources that provide services for self-represented litigants, with an emphasis on parents and children.
• Assigns, supervises and reviews the work of paraprofessional staff, interns and volunteers.
• Trains new staff, interns and volunteers in the processes, procedures, terminology and document preparation necessary for program operations.
• Assists in developing and providing continuing legal education presentations for existing staff, interns and volunteers.
• Participates in the development and implementation of new litigant assistance programs and enhances existing programs and services; assists in developing strategies and policies to effectively meet the needs of self-represented litigants and to improve the flow of cases through the court.
• Develops informational resources and step-by-step instructions for self-represented litigants in a variety of formats, including social media posts and how-to videos.
• Designs content for and conducts clinics and workshops for self-represented litigants in a variety of family law and probate matters.
• Helps coordinate volunteer and internship programs providing additional resources for the self-help program; acts as a liaison with schools participating in internship programs.
• Ensures all federal grant and other funding requirements for litigant support programs are met; participates in the development of grant applications; researches and analyzes best practices of other courts.
• Assists with and/or conducts research on special projects requested by judicial officers or court management; maintains liaison with staff, judges, management and other departments or agencies.
• As assigned, reviews, analyzes and implements legislation, statutory mandates, rules of court, and applicable regulations relating to the provision of assistance to self-represented persons.
• Performs related duties as assigned.

• Federal and state laws, case law and procedural rules and regulations applicable to area of assigned responsibility, including, but not limited to:
  Title IV-D of the Social Security Act, California Family Code, California Probate Code, California Code of Civil Procedure, California Evidence Code, California Rules of Court and Sonoma County Local Rules of Court.
• Case flow, hearing and trial procedures applicable to family law, guardianship and limited conservatorship cases, including divorce, legal separation, nullity, parentage, Title IV-D child support, domestic violence restraining orders, stepparent adoptions, guardian ships and limited conservatorships.
• Principles and practices of supervision applicable to…