Administrative Paralegal - Register of Wills & Clerk of Orphans' Court

Job Description

Department:                     Register of Wills & Clerk of Orphans’ Court 

Sub-Department:             N/A

Pay Grade:                      104               

FLSA Status:                   Non-Exempt

Employment Status:       Full Time 

Reports to:                      Register and First Deputies  

Supervises:                     N/A

Job Summary:

Serves as a deputy for the Register of Wills in the probate process and to accept, record, process, and preserve all documents filed in the Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans’ Court.  Performs various administrative functions in a timely manner assuring the efficient operation of the office.  Works directly with the public, attorneys, courts, and others in relation to the offices.

Essential Job Functions: 

• Serves as a deputy for the Register of Wills during the probate process to include analyzing petitions, Wills, codicils, trust, and other documents to determine if they meet statutory requirements for proper execution, bond requirements, and if the petitioner is qualified to serve as personal representative.
• Reviews legal filings for adherence to Pennsylvania Statute and Local Rules, accepts and processes payments for the filing fees, accepts and records documents in computer system, creates a scanned image of the documents.
• Drafts legal decrees on such matters as bond, alter wills, and small estate certifications for signature by the Register of Wills.   
• Processes payments and forms as an agent for the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue for inheritance taxes and issues official receipts.
• Serves as a deputy for the Clerk of Orphans’ Court for filings of accounts, adoptions, appeals, claims against estates, guardianships, minors’ estates, and small estate proceedings.
• Assists couples in the marriage license application process, conducts statutorily required interview to determine if applicants have the mental capacity to marry, are not under duress, and that there are no legal impediments to marriage; processes documentation for proof of identity including international documentation when needed, administers oaths, tracks timeliness of returns, and verifies statutory requirements are met, records marriage returns, and issues certified copies of the marriage license.
• Responsible for accepting documents for filing, reviews and interprets documents to determine the actions needed, records and scans adjudications, orders, and decrees and serves those documents to attorneys or other parties as well as serving notices required under Pennsylvania law and rules.
• Interacts with court staff, judges, and other internal departments as well as with attorneys and other professionals and the public (via telephone, mail, electronic mail, and in person) with procedural questions and inquiries relating to the office.
• Schedules appointments for video conferencing as well as in-person appointments for probate, marriage licenses applications, and research.
• Reconciles daily cash drawer and performs other administrative functions of the office.
• Adheres to specialized department procedures and timelines.
• Maintain confidentiality of records.
• Performs other job-related duties as required.

Minimum Requirements to Perform the Work: 

Education:

• Associates degree or equivalent training and experience.

Work Experience:

• 1-3 years of working experience including working with the public.
• 1-3 years office and computer training.
• A legal background is a plus. 

Company Description

Mission Statement:To provide impactful and essential county services in the most effective, courteous, and financially responsible manner possible. 

We are always looking for talented, self-motivated individuals to join our team. If you think you are ready to be a part of an exciting team, then we encourage you to continue with this job application!

TECHNOLOGY SUPPORT/ISSUES WITH APPLYING: 

If you are having technology issues with the application or with uploading your resume and/or cover letter please reach out to KeldairHR Customer Support at support@keldairhr.com or Cumberland County Human Resources at humanresources@cumberlandcountypa.gov. 

EMAIL CONFIRMATION: 

If you do not receive a confirmation email within minutes of your job application submission, please check your email junk and or spam folders.   

Benefits

Medical Benefits:

• Capital Blue Cross Medical Insurance 
  • Health Savings Account
  • Wellness program with wellness incentives
• Capital Blue Cross Vision Insurance 
• United Concordia Dental Insurance

Retirement Benefits:

• County Retirement Pension 
  • 5% minimum pre-tax contribution required, with the option of increasing your contribution over 5% up to 15% post-tax
  • Fully vested after 5 years of credited service
  • Normal Retirement Options:
    • Age 55 with 20 years of credited service
    • Age 60 with any amount of credited service
• Voluntary 457b Deferred Compensation Plan
• Military Time Buy Back Options

Paid Time Off:

• Vacation
  • 10 days per year, accrued per pay period (Non-Exempt) 
  • 15 days per year, accrued per pay period (Exempt)
  • Increase for both Non-Exempt and Exempt of 5 days per year after 2 years of service
• Personal
  • 3 Personal days per year, pro-rated based on starting date
• Sick
  • 5 Sick days per year, pro-rated based on starting date
• 12 Paid County Holidays
  • No waiting period to receive paid holidays

Additional Benefits:

• Educational Assistance
  • 80% of cost of tuition and books up to the annual IRS limit per calendar year (after 6 months of Full-Time Employment)
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) – certain eligibility requirements must be met
• Employee Assistance Program
  • Resources for: Childcare, Eldercare, Legal, Financial, and Coaching
• Flexible Spending Account
• Dependent Care Account
• Short Term Disability
• Long Term Disability
• Life Insurance