Description:

Job Summary:
Consumer debt actions—residential mortgage foreclosures and credit card debt collection cases—constitute approximately 50 percent of all civil filings in A Government Entity Court of Common Pleas. Consequently, the Court of Common Pleas is investing significant resources in developing unified processes and procedures to manage and resolve these cases. This position will oversee the Residential Mortgage Foreclosure Diversion Program ("Foreclosure Diversion Program") and a Credit Card Debt Diversion Program ("Debt Diversion Program"). These programs are designed to amicably resolve residential foreclosure and consumer debt proceedings through counseling and conciliation which, in turn, will minimize case processing time, reduce litigation-related costs, and prevent the adverse social and economic consequences of mortgage foreclosure and unpaid consumer debt. The Consumer Debt & Civil Case Management Staff Attorney ("Staff Attorney") will be responsible for administering the Foreclosure Diversion and Debt Diversion Programs by acting as a single point of contact for all parties and stakeholders, facilitating and guiding the conciliation process, and spearheading ongoing program development and growth efforts. The Staff Attorney will also be responsible for providing general civil case management support to ensure that complex cases are processed efficiently and consistently. Staff attorney supervises one part-time paralegal position.

Reporting Relationships:
All work is performed under the direct supervision of the supervising judge as designated by the President Judge and under the general supervision of the President Judge of the Court of Common Pleas.

Essential Job Functions:
40% Foreclosure Diversion / Debt Diversion Program administration tasks, including: serving as the single point of contact for parties and Program stakeholders; managing the Program-eligible cases and generating all applicable Orders to manage case progress and litigant participation; communicating with attorneys and pro se litigants to ensure Program compliance and generating Orders / notices to defendants to participate in the applicable diversion Program; assigning a housing or consumer debt counselor for defendants, when applicable; conducting intake calls with eligible homeowners and debtors and supplying intake information to the assigned housing or debt counselor; overseeing the exchange of documents between parties, utilizing RxOffice, and managing calendaring to monitor program-mandated timelines; reviewing all Praecipes for Default Judgments in accordance with the Administrative Orders for both Diversion Programs; tracking all cases participating in the Foreclosure Diversion and Debt Diversion Programs and corresponding with the Prothonotary and supervising Judge to keep them apprised of the status of participating cases; when necessary, directing litigants to low-cost attorney options or assigning pro bono representation for eligible cases; and identifying and communicating with plaintiff's counsel who frequently file foreclosure and credit card debt collection actions in A Government Entity.

30% Foreclosure Diversion Program / Debt Diversion Program conciliation conference tasks, including: acting as the conciliation conference officer or assigning conciliation conference officers for every case; scheduling and overseeing conciliation conference sessions; managing continuances and re-scheduling of conciliation conferences; monitoring and/or supervising the preparation of conciliation settlement agreements and generating all necessary orders; soliciting and training conciliation conference officers and maintaining a current roster of conciliation conference officers.

20% Foreclosure Diversion Program / Debt Diversion Program data collection and ongoing research and development tasks, including: cultivating and maintaining a close relationship with participating housing and debt counseling agencies; facilitating community outreach through public advertising efforts and the teaching of CLEs; preparing operational reports for the President Judge and supervising Judge regarding, for example, the number of total Program-eligible cases and the number of successful conciliation conferences; maintaining the steering committee for the Foreclosure Diversion Program; conducting internal reviews of both Programs every 6 months and adjusting Program requirements and processes as necessary. Supervise staff. Perform employee performance evaluations. Train staff.

10 % General civil case management tasks, including: assisting the Court in the management of civil cases by working with judges and Court staff who handle civil cases for disposition by court order or opinion; providing support to chambers that need assistance with complex civil cases and alleviating any upsurge in judges' civil case loads by coordinating with judicial clerks to assist with drafting opinions and orders and performing in-depth analysis and research of legal issues; acting as the Court's intermediary with attorneys practicing in the Court to ensure efficient case resolution; being the point of contact for the President Judge to give the President Judge feedback on the efficiency of civil case resolution and to provide ideas for increased efficiency; supporting discovery motions court by assisting judges with complex discovery matters which necessitate the appointment of a discovery master; reviewing legal opinions and various legal publications for research purposes; staying current on relevant laws, regulations, and court processes and procedures and disseminating updated information.

Other Specific Tasks or Duties
Performs related work as required.

Minimum Qualifications:

Education equivalent to completion of a law degree from an accredited college or university. Admitted to the Pennsylvania State Bar.
One–three years of experience in civil legal practice.
Or any combination of acceptable education and experience which has provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities cited below.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

Comprehensive knowledge of the mortgage foreclosure process and of consumer debt practices.
Thorough knowledge of the principles of tax and contract law.
Thorough knowledge of the principles, procedures, and practices of civil trials, hearings, alternative dispute resolution, and related court activities.
Advanced legal and non-legal verbal and written communication skills.
Skill in implementing and utilizing virtual communication technology.
Skill in analyzing legal documents, identifying pertinent issues, summarizing findings and conclusions, and explaining reasoning and results to interested parties with and without legal training.
Skill in drafting adjudications, opinions, memoranda, and related legal documents expressing applicable issues, relevant law and precedent, and judicial viewpoints.
Careful attention to detail and skill in managing day-to-day details of logistically complex programs.
Skills in negotiation and conflict resolution.
Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with members of the Judiciary, attorneys, pro se defendants, and other involved parties.

Supervisory skills include: evaluating staff work performance, enforce policies and procedures, manage work schedules, train staff, and creating a cohesive work environment with staff.

Required Licenses/Certifications/Clearances

This position requires a pre-employment background check as required by policy to perform the duties.
This position requires an active license to practice law in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Physical Requirements/Work Environment

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
While performing the duties of this position, the employee is regularly required to sit sometimes for long periods of time.
The employee must be able to communicate with court and non-court personnel. The employee is frequently required to go from one location to another including courtrooms, Judges' chambers, conference rooms, and/or non-court offices.
The employee must regularly lift and/or move judicial files weighing up to 10 pounds. Occasionally there may be some lifting involving boxes with case files.
This position requires the ability to operate a laptop or PC and/or any other general office equipment.
The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.