Conciliation Court Referee (Contractor)

The Second (Ramsey County) Judicial District is seeking attorneys to serve as Conciliation Court referees. Conciliation Court also known as small claims court is a division of District Court and handles claims for money and property that do not exceed $20000 and consumer credit transactions that do not exceed $4000. Conciliation Court referees preside over general and collection calendars of 20 to 50 cases per half day session.

Conciliation hearings are presumptively heard remotely unless exceptional circumstances exist to deviate to an in-person setting.

Duties Requirements and Responsibilities:

• Serves at the pleasure of the Chief Judge or designee
• Exercises all the duties and powers granted to a Conciliation Court Referee by M.S.A. 491A.03 Subdivision
• Familiarity with M.S.A. 491A.01 through 491.03
• Compliance with the Code of Judicial Conduct as adopted by the MN Supreme Court
• Refrains from making any extra-judicial public statements about pending proceedings
• Prohibits broadcasting televising recording or taking photographs in the courtroom or virtual hearing during sessions of Conciliation Court or recesses
• Prioritizes assignments and disposes promptly of the business of Conciliation Court
• Affords every party in a proceeding the full right to be heard according to law and maintains compliance with Rule 2.9 of the Code of Judicial Conduct
• Conciliation Court referees shall not serve as a lawyer in the Countys conciliation court for which they serve nor as a lawyer in any appeals from judgments originating from the Countys conciliation court for which they serve
• Presides over assigned hearings; reviews court calendars before scheduled sessions of court; grants continuances; reads or listens to allegations and determines if action is supported by facts; hears and evaluates evidence of witnesses and technical experts; listens to presentation of case; and rules on admissibility of evidence and methods of conducting testimony
• Prepares orders that meet Judicial Branch standards
• Carries out work assignments with a substantial degree of discretion and independent judgment in accordance with applicable state laws rules of court and local practices
• Maintains order and decorum in all proceedings and treats all parties with courtesy and respect
• Advises litigants that they will be notified by mail of the Conciliation Court Referees decision

Minimum qualifications:

• Must be a licensed attorney in the State of Minnesota
• Must have at least five years of experience as a practicing attorney
• Must be in good standing and have no disciplinary actions within the past 5 years
• Must reside or maintain an office in or near the county in which they serve
• May not have a client base that would create a frequent conflict in the type of cases most commonly heard in conciliation court (e.g. credit card debt landlord tenant)
• Must pass background check(s)

Preferred qualifications:

• Civil litigation experience
• Possesses experience knowledge and comfort with technology and electronic records

Service and Compensation:

• Must not cancel a scheduled assignment more than twice in a twelve-month period.
• Will be compensated in the amount of $75 per half day court session; or if waived a parking fee reimbursement may be requested.
• Appointed referees may be asked to serve up to one or two calendars per month depending upon need.
• Must serve at least once every twelve months.

Equal Employment Opportunity

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 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.