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How to hire a judicial assistant

Judicial assistant hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring judicial assistants in the United States:

  • In the United States, the median cost per hire a judicial assistant is $1,633.
  • It takes between 36 and 42 days to fill the average role in the US.
  • Human Resources use 15% of their expenses on recruitment on average.
  • On average, it takes around 12 weeks for a new judicial assistant to become settled and show total productivity levels at work.

How to hire a judicial assistant, step by step

To hire a judicial assistant, you need to identify the specific skills and experience you want in a candidate, allocate a budget for the position, and advertise the job opening to attract potential candidates. To hire a judicial assistant, you should follow these steps:

Here's a step-by-step judicial assistant hiring guide:

  • Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
  • Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
  • Step 3: Make a budget
  • Step 4: Write a judicial assistant job description
  • Step 5: Post your job
  • Step 6: Interview candidates
  • Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new judicial assistant
  • Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist
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  1. Identify your hiring needs

    The judicial assistant hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

    Determine employee vs contractor status
    Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

    A judicial assistant's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, judicial assistants from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

    This list presents judicial assistant salaries for various positions.

    Type of Judicial AssistantDescriptionHourly rate
    Judicial AssistantParalegals and legal assistants do a variety of tasks to support lawyers, including maintaining and organizing files, conducting legal research, and drafting documents.$15-29
    Court ClerkA court clerk is responsible for supporting court procedures and civil justice systems by performing administrative and clerical duties for law enforcement personnel and court officers. Court clerks perform data processing procedures, sorting documents, storing court records, maintaining confidentiality on clients' information, managing internal communications, scheduling meetings, and assisting in court investigations... Show more$13-21
    Corporate ParalegalA Corporate Paralegal helps attorneys gather information and materials in preparation for different kinds of cases, hearings, or meetings. They also work in the legal departments of large corporations and for government agencies.$20-50
  2. Create an ideal candidate profile

    Common skills:
    • Schedule Hearings
    • Customer Service
    • Data Entry
    • Court Orders
    • Court Proceedings
    • District Court
    • Court Procedures
    • Telephone Calls
    • Court Calendar
    • Legal Research
    • Travel Arrangements
    • Court System
    • Court Hearings
    • Management System
    Check all skills
    Responsibilities:
    • Manage highly complex case processing and coordination for judicial activities for judges, magistrates and clerks of the court.
    • Maintain records of probate documents and matters.
    • Assist attorney with preparing clients for arbitration, depositions and/or court hearings.
    • Process motions, identify and notify necessary parties and issue subpoenas, if applicable.
    • Organize and submit subpoenas, process transmittal documents and entry forms as a seasonal employee.
    • Organize litigation files and other legal documentation.
    More judicial assistant duties
  3. Make a budget

    Including a salary range in your judicial assistant job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A judicial assistant salary can vary based on several factors:
    • Location. For example, judicial assistants' average salary in indiana is 41% less than in new york.
    • Seniority. Entry-level judicial assistants earn 46% less than senior-level judicial assistants.
    • Certifications. A judicial assistant with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
    • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a judicial assistant's salary.

    Average judicial assistant salary

    $45,511yearly

    $21.88 hourly rate

    Entry-level judicial assistant salary
    $33,000 yearly salary
    Updated December 15, 2025

    Average judicial assistant salary by state

    RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
    1New York$57,215$28
    2California$55,640$27
    3District of Columbia$55,309$27
    4Connecticut$54,727$26
    5Alaska$52,962$25
    6Illinois$51,072$25
    7Nevada$50,799$24
    8Colorado$49,809$24
    9Virginia$48,058$23
    10Nebraska$45,734$22
    11Utah$44,659$21
    12Vermont$43,935$21
    13Arizona$43,491$21
    14Maryland$43,169$21
    15Montana$42,982$21
    16Florida$41,865$20
    17Wisconsin$39,934$19

    Average judicial assistant salary by company

    RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rateJob openings
    1City and County of Denver Government$53,339$25.643
    2City of Reno$47,209$22.70
    3United States Courts$45,931$22.0854
    4U.S. District Court$45,826$22.03
    5Lincoln Holdings LLC$45,322$21.79
    6Superior Court Of California$43,987$21.152
    7My Florida Regional Mls$42,552$20.46
    8Midvale City, Utah$40,941$19.68
    9Lake County$40,528$19.482
    10Alaska State Library$40,524$19.483
    11Washington County$39,133$18.812
    12Maricopa County$34,377$16.535
    13State Of Montana$32,089$15.4313
    14Florida Department of Transportation$30,355$14.59
    15State Of Florida$29,510$14.1969
  4. Writing a judicial assistant job description

    A good judicial assistant job description should include a few things:

    • Summary of the role
    • List of responsibilities
    • Required skills and experience

    Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a judicial assistant job description:

    Judicial assistant job description example

    Join Our Team

    The City of Peoria strives to be an employer of choice and most of our employees turn jobs into long-term careers. The salary shown in the job description is full range for this position from entry to later career.

    Tell me more.....

    The purpose of this position is to perform specialized duties in accordance with Court policies and procedures, which involves considerable public contact and knowledge of court cases with judicial instructions. This is accomplished by performing a wide variety of duties including legal support, clerical, cash handling, data entry, and responding to and resolving customer inquiries. Other duties may include completing related tasks as assigned.

    To view the full job description, work environment and physical demands, click here

    The ideal candidate for this position will be able to:

    • Prepare and process a variety of cases including misdemeanor, civil traffic, parking violations, and other civil matters.
    • Perform a variety of computer data entry functions including input of traffic citations and long form complaints.
    • Provide customer service by assisting public at the front counter and by telephone.
    • Record information during court proceedings, noting any court action on various documents.
    • Perform clerical duties including typing correspondences and sorting and distributing mail. Collect and post fees and fines.
    • Assist judges, attorneys, and defendants in the courtroom.


    Why Peoria?

    Recently voted the #1 place, to live, work and play, Peoria is a community you can be proud to work for.

    In addition to offering a competitive salary, Peoria offers competitive compensation and benefit package to eligible employee groups. Click here to view benefits offered.

    About Peoria

    The City of Peoria, AZ is a thriving city in the Northwest Valley that provides excellent municipal services to our community. Recently ranked as the #1 place to live in Arizona by Money Magazine, and in the top 50 happiest places to live in the country, we are committed to maintaining the level of service to our residents to sustain and enhance the lives, and culture of Peoria.

    Join our growing team and become a part of the buzz that is Peoria! If you are passionate about providing excellent service through anticipating our community's needs, creating partnerships, promoting sustainability, and embracing diversity, then #PeoriaisthePlace for you!

    Get an inside look at the Culture of Peoria

    We are:

    P-Professional~E-Ethical~O-Open~R-Responsive~I-Innovative~A-Accountable

    Application Process:

    A standard twelve-month probationary period must be served. However, it may be extended depending on incumbent performance. Applications will be accepted for current vacancies only until closing date, or until a sufficient number of applications have been received.

    DURING THE SELECTION PROCESS, ANY APPLICANT REQUIRING ACCOMMODATION FOR A DISABILITY SHOULD ADVISE THE HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT

    AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

    OPORTUNIDAD DE EMPLEO CON DERECHOS IGUALES

    Other Requirements

    • High School graduate or equivalent
    • 1-2 years of experience
  5. Post your job

    To find judicial assistants for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

    • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
    • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any judicial assistants they would recommend.
    • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level judicial assistants with the right educational background.
    • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.
    Post your job online:
    • Post your judicial assistant job on Zippia to find and recruit judicial assistant candidates who meet your exact specifications.
    • Use field-specific websites.
    • Post a job on free websites.
  6. Interview candidates

    To successfully recruit judicial assistants, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

    It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

    The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

  7. Send a job offer and onboard your new judicial assistant

    Once you've selected the best judicial assistant candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

    You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

    After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new judicial assistant. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

  8. Go through the hiring process checklist

    • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
    • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
    • Define job responsibilities and requirements
    • Establish budget and timeline
    • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
    • Write job description
    • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
    • Promote the job internally
    • Process applications through applicant tracking system
    • Review resumes and cover letters
    • Shortlist candidates for screening
    • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
    • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
    • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
    • Conduct background checks on top candidates
    • Check references of top candidates
    • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
    • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
    • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
    • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
    • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
    • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)
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How much does it cost to hire a judicial assistant?

Recruiting judicial assistants involves both the one-time costs of hiring and the ongoing costs of adding a new employee to your team. Your spending during the hiring process will mostly be on things like promoting the job on job boards, reviewing and interviewing candidates, and onboarding the new hire. Ongoing costs will obviously involve the employee's salary, but also may include things like benefits.

You can expect to pay around $45,511 per year for a judicial assistant, as this is the median yearly salary nationally. This can vary depending on what state or city you're hiring in. If you're hiring for contract work or on a per-project basis, hourly rates for judicial assistants in the US typically range between $15 and $29 an hour.

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