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State of New Hampshire · 1 day ago

REPORTER OF DECISIONS

New Hampshire, United States

Full-time

Onsite

Mid, Senior Level

$107K/yr - $130K/yr

7+ years exp

The State of New Hampshire, Judicial Branch, Supreme Court is seeking a Reporter of Decisions. This high-level position is responsible for the timely and accurate review, editing, and publishing of the Supreme Court’s opinions and final merits orders, requiring excellent legal editing and writing skills, as well as project management experience.

Customer ServiceGovernmentService Industry

Responsibilities

Supervises and manages the processing of cases after oral argument or submission on the briefs and through issuance of the Supreme Court’s opinion or final merits order

Tracks the status and progress of cases after oral argument or submission on the briefs and provides regular reports to the justices on the status of those cases in compliance with applicable time standards

Assists the justices in identifying and resolving the cases that warrant additional resources or present unusual urgency

Reviews drafts of each opinion or final merits order for clarity, conciseness, internal consistency, grammatical and citation accuracy, conformity to the appellate record, soundness of legal reasoning, and adherence to the Court’s precedents

Provides editorial suggestions to the authoring justice and his or her law clerks. Monitors cases decided by opinion or final merits order for motions to reconsider and presents those motions to the Court for timely consideration and disposition

Updates and maintains the Supreme Court’s citation guidelines for New Hampshire references and ensures the availability of those guidelines to the public

Acts as the lead authority and subject-matter expert in negotiating contracts for the publication of the New Hampshire Reports, in administering the publishing contract, and in monitoring the publisher’s compliance with the contract

Reviews and proofreads all materials to be included in bound volumes of the New Hampshire Reports and reports corrections, as necessary, to the publisher

Coordinates and manages the electronic publication of Supreme Court opinions and final merits orders on the judicial branch website

Reviews and responds to queries from the reading public regarding perceived editorial errors in opinions and final merits orders and implements editorial corrections where appropriate

Develops internal policies and procedures for the efficient and accurate preparation of draft decisions and for their finalization and issuance as opinions or final merits orders

Works closely with the Supervisory Law Clerks to ensure that all law clerks understand and follow the Court’s internal policies and procedures for decision processing, and serves as an ongoing technical resource, jurisprudential advisor, and informal mentor to the Supreme Court’s team of law clerks

Works with the Chief Justice of the Superior Court and the Chief Judge of the Circuit Court to develop and implement a policy for electronic publication of trial court orders

Qualification

Juris Doctor (J.D.)New Hampshire Bar membershipLegal editing skillsProject management experienceLegal research methodsMicrosoft Word proficiencyProofreading legal documentsLegal citation rulesIndependent judgmentEffective communicationAttention to detailOrganizational skillsCollaborative work

Required

A Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree

Active membership in the New Hampshire Bar

Seven years of experience in the practice of law, at least five of which involved analyzing, writing, and editing legal documents

A demonstrated record of progressively responsible experience in project management

Knowledge of New Hampshire Constitution, statutes, decisional law, and court rules, administrative orders, policies, and procedures

Knowledge of New Hampshire appellate and trial court processes and legal terminology

Knowledge of Federal Constitution, statutes, and decisional law

Proficiency in English grammar, syntax, diction, and usage

Knowledge of legal citation rules and practices

Experience in proofreading and editing legal documents

Familiarity with legal research methods

Proficiency in the use of Microsoft Word, including document management, typography, layout, and formatting

Ability to convert documents into an electronic format suitable for online publication

Experience in the development of written policies and procedures for multi-step processes

Ability to manage projects and work activities from beginning to end

Meticulous attention to matters of technical, procedural, and substantive legal detail

Effective oral and written communication skills

Ability to work independently, collaboratively, and in complete confidentiality

Ability to develop and maintain effective professional working relationships with justices, law clerks, and other staff

Ability to analyze and evaluate complex information

Ability to organize, prioritize, and coordinate work activities and meet critical deadlines

Ability to use initiative and independent judgment within general policy guidelines

Ability to adapt the performance of the Reporter of Decisions' statutory duties and other responsibilities to the evolving expectations of the public, the bench, and the bar in an electronic age

Successful completion of a background check, including a criminal records check