Assistant Clerk Magistrate - Peabody District Court

Job no: 501752
Work type: Full-time
Location: Peabody
Categories: Legal/Attorney

Official Title: Assistant Clerk Magistrate - Peabody District Court

Pay Grade: Asst. Clerk

Starting Pay: $134,389.69

Salary Notes: Salary for this position is set by Statute.

Notes:

• Prior Attorney preferred.
• Prior civil experience preferred.
• This position is designated as management position and is covered by the Trial Court Personnel Policies and Procedures Manual.

Position Summary:
• This position involves responsible legal work and supervisory responsibilities.
• The employees in this position assist the Clerk of Court in performing administrative duties as set forth in state statutes and court rules.
• Administrative responsibilities include the preparation and maintenance of all court papers and records and performance of administrative tasks to ensure that cases move rapidly and smoothly to a determination by the court.
• Work is performed under the direction of the Clerk or First Assistant Clerk.
• Supervision is exercised over support personnel within the Clerk-Magistrate's Office.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities: Any one position may not include all of the duties and responsibilities listed below nor do the listed examples include all tasks which may be found in these positions.
• Receives applications for criminal complaints and reviews them for probable cause.
• Reviews applications for search warrants filed by police and others and determines whether such warrants may issue.
• Conducts hearings and determines whether criminal complaints and/or arrest warrants may issue, determines appeals from civil motor vehicle citations, municipal by-law violations and environmental citations.
• Conducts trials of small claims and makes judgments of the same. In the absence of a justice, arraigns defendants, determines questions of bail, and conducts preliminary probation violation hearings.
• Calls the list of cases scheduled before a justice and makes the official record of the proceedings.
• Reviews filings from attorneys and Pro Se litigants and informs them on court procedure.
• Arranges for hearings and notifies counsel.
• Certifies and transmits official copies of court records as required.
• Issues process as required by the court or prescribed by statutes and rules of court.
• Receives, examines and reviews all filings and has responsibility to ensure they comply with rules of court, and to establish their suitability for filing.
• Maintains electronic and written indexes of cases entered.
• Supervises the receipt, recording and disbursements of fees and money by the court.
• Distributes and implements changes in court rules and office procedure.
• Administers hearings inside and outside of court where no judge is present.
• Performs related work as required.

Job Competencies:
• Thorough knowledge of state statutes, case law and court rules which prescribe the powers and duties of the Clerk-Magistrate and ability to interpret and apply them to the administrative procedures of the office.
• Thorough knowledge of court procedure, legal documents, laws and legal factors pertaining to the court.
• Thorough knowledge of the organization, functions, jurisdiction and authority of the court.
• Knowledge of and ability to use computer software such as MS Office, including word processing, spreadsheets, data bases, and PowerPoint.
• Ability to maintain complex and accurate court records.
• Ability to plan and supervise the work of others.
• Good communication skills and the ability to maintain effective working relationships with court officials, attorneys, subordinate employees, government agencies and the general public.

Minimum Requirements: These are the minimum requirements necessary to apply for a position of Assistant Clerk.

A Bachelor's Degree; and knowledge, skills and abilities acquired through 6 or more years of relevant work experience in criminal justice, public administration or business administration including supervisory experience; or an equivalent combination of higher education and relevant experience equal to 10 years total;

OR

A law degree or a graduate degree in a relevant field (for example: criminal justice, public administration, or business administration); and knowledge, skills and abilities acquired through 2 or more years of relevant work experience.

Advertised: 29 Sep 2026 Eastern Daylight Time
Applications close: 13 Oct 2026 Eastern Daylight Time

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