Juvenile Courtroom

Explain the scope and purpose of juvenile court and proceedings, required noticing, describe Title IV-E required findings, types of hearings, post disposition reporting, transfers between counties, restraining order procedures, rules of confidentiality and ICWA.

Shirley Jett is a Court Manager for the Superior Court of Los Angeles County and started with the courts in 1973.  She became a Superior Court Clerk in 1980 and transferred to the Training Academy in 2001 where she trained new judicial assistants in criminal and juvenile delinquency courtroom procedures. 

She has also taught seminars for the Superior Court Clerk Association and the California Clerks Association.  She started teaching the Criminal Courtroom Procedures-Misdemeanors class for CCTI team in 2005 and taught the Juvenile Delinquency Office to Courtroom class for CCTI in July.

Liza Lopez has been employed with Riverside Superior Court for 15 years.  She has experience in Family Law, Criminal, Civil and Juvenile as a Court Services Assistant, Senior Court Services Assistant and Courtroom Clerk.  She was promoted to the position of Court Service Supervisor in 2005, after working in Juvenile for four years.  Her current assignment is Court Services Supervisor over Family Law and Juvenile Courtrooms for Western Riverside.  She also became a Facilitator for CCTI in May 2009.

Probate Overview for the Clerk Presented by Angela Bradrick

This class will discuss the steps involved in opening and closing a probate estate.  A discussion of the different types of petitions will be addressed, including: Petitions to Administer Estate; Petitions for Succession to Property; Spousal Property Petitions; and Affidavits re Real Property of Small Value.  Included in the material will be copies of pleadings routinely filed with the court and a discussion of their relevancy will follow.

Angela Bradrick obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, majoring in English Literature, in May, 1995.  She went on to the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, located in Sacramento, California.  She earned her Juris Doctorate degree in May, 1999, and became a member of the California State Bar Association in December, 1999.

Thereafter, she opened her own law practice specializing in family law and probate, occasionally accepting civil cases.  In 2001, Angela Bradrick accepted a position as a Legal Research Attorney with the Placer County Superior Court.  Initially, she was assigned to civil and probate matters.  Recently, she was promoted to Senior Legal Research attorney and has been assigned to probate and family law.  She created the Placer Court’s family law case management program and regularly sits as a pro tem judge for the court.

Employee Motivation Presented by Cynthia Maynard

Participants will study the role of motivation in building a successful workforce or team.  The course examines the nature of motivation, how you can successfully motivate employees by measuring and building the motivation levels of employees, how to determine motivational responsibility, and how to recognize motivators and de-motivators.  You will also learn how to motivate employees with special needs, how to build relationships that increase motivation, and how to help employees increase their own motivation levels.

Cindi Maynard is currently a Leadership and Organizational Development (LEAD) Specialist with the Superior Court of California, County of Riverside.  Cindi is responsible for designing and implementing various technical and staff enrichment training programs for the court.

Prior to this she worked seventeen years for the Riverside County Office of Education, Regional Occupational Program (ROP) as a Retail Sales & Marketing Instructor.  In addition, Cindi developed and implemented a Quality Management Systems Program for BMW of Riverside.

Cindi attended California State University, San Bernardino, University of California, Riverside and the University of Hawaii.  She holds a California Designated Subjects Lifetime Teaching Credential.

Training Fundamentals:  Adult Learning Styles 

(Maximum class size: 30)  For any court employee who seeks to improve their training skills.

This introductory class will provide a fundamental understanding of adult learning principles and the importance of providing training that addresses all types of learning styles.

Through lecture, problem-solving activities, and group discussion, class participants will:

Tracy Wellenkamp is an Education Specialist with the Administrative Office of the Courts. Prior to joining the AOC in June 2009, she worked as a court supervisor for the Superior Court of California, County of Alameda. She has served as a member of the Court Personnel Education Committee and was most recently its Chair prior to accepting her appointment to the AOC. She is a member of the Criminal Publication Committee and has served as faculty for both the CCA and the Court Clerk Training Institute.

Rhonda Sharbono joined the Administrative Office of the Courts in October of 2006 as an Education Specialist focused on court staff education.  Prior to joining the AOC, she was a training and development manager for the USCIS National Customer Service Center in Lawrence, Kansas.

Grace Tang is an Education Specialist in court staff education for the Administrative Office of the Courts.  Prior to joining the AOC in January 2007, she worked as a professional development manager for the Northern California Human Resources Association in San Francisco.

Presentation Skills in Your Workplace Presented by Chris Reich

Do you panic or feel insecure when you are asked to present information to your unit or co-workers? Do you want to improve your presentation skills in the workplace?  Do you want to learn the presentation skills you need to become a manager in the courts?  If yes, the class is for you. 

This class will include information on the following topics: 

Chris Reich has been teaching business and technology skills for 25 years.  He has worked with individuals and very large groups covering topics from computer skills to ethics to etiquette. 

Students enjoy his casual, humorous style. “I believe learning should be a fun, on-going process,” says Chris. “If people hate a given subject, it’s usually because they’ve had a bad teacher. Too many classes are rigidly structured to make things easy for the instructor to get through the material. I’m never afraid to try new things in a learning setting.  If I see someone struggling, I’ll change my approach on the spot. The goal is for the learner to gain as much as possible in the time allowed, not just to get through a bunch of material.”

Chris uses stories and humor to relax people.  Relaxed students absorb more information. Students should never be uncomfortable.  “When I first taught computer classes, I met people who were terrified of the machines. Taking a little time to explain the basics before plunging into the material eased the tension and opened the students to learning fun things.”

Public speaking tops the list of most feared things to do. It doesn’t have to be scary if you know the techniques used by experts. In fact, you might find public speaking to be actually fun after one of Chris’s presentation classes!

Time Management Presented by Linda Gardner

If you’re doing more and enjoying it less, it’s time to make real choices about how and when to spend your time. This seminar gives you the tools to find a balance, achieve your goals and be more effective and productive.

Attendees will learn to:

Linda Gardner has been employed by the Riverside Courts for over 28 years. In 1981 she began her employment as a Municipal Court Clerk in the traffic and criminal divisions. Since that time Linda has worked in the juvenile, family law, civil, small claims, appeals and exhibits departments.

Her ministerial functions include document processing, court calendaring, case management and public service at both the municipal and superior court levels. Linda was promoted to Courtroom Assistant in 1986 and Court Services Supervisor in 1990. She has been in her current position as a Courtroom Assistant Trainer since January 2009. She received her Associates of Arts Degree in 1998 and Juris Doctorate in 2005. She is also a professor at the University of Phoenix teaching for the Criminal Justice Administration (CJA) and Management departments.

JU8715 – Disposition of Arrest Presented by Jerry Cassady

The data gathered from this form is vital to the record keeping system of the Department of Justice and the criminal justice community.  The purpose of the Adult Disposition of Arrest and Court Action JUS 8715 form is to report the disposition of an arrest(s), indictments(s), and/or subsequent action(s) to the DOJ for each separate arrest event.  Participants will be provided specific guidelines and information on the completion and submission of the JUS 8715..

Jerry Cassady has worked over 30 years at the California Department of Justice.  He has a broad breath of experience starting as a Criminal Identification Specialist in the Fingerprint Program where we learned the basics of criminal identification.  Later, as a technical advisor in the Command Center, Jerry worked directly with staff in a variety of law enforcement agencies, including local social service agencies, city/county law enforcement, the FBI and international agencies such as Interpol. 

During the last ten years, Jerry has been a field representative providing both training and inspection services related to a variety of DOJ programs, including the Live Scan Unit.   Currently, he is a (CLETS) Field Representative and provides training to outside personnel on the 8715, 8715A, 8716, and 8717 Disposition forms.

When Jerry is not at the Department, he enjoys European traveling, gardening, reading and camping.  He received his degree from Sacramento State University in 1976 and resides in Sacramento with his family.

Civil Overview Class Presented by Ann Madden

Class Description: This class is designed for court employees with less than 2 years of experience in civil case processing.

Summary: This course provides a basic overview of clerical duties and responsibilities relating to general limited and unlimited civil cases.

Learning Objectives Through lecture, discussion, written materials, and interactive activities, the participant will be able to:

Ann Madden is an Administrator with the Superior Court of Los Angeles County. She became familiar with civil processing as a Civil Department Supervisor for over ten years. Ann has served on the Publications Committee for the California Court Association for more than12 years, during five of which she served as chair. Committee members under her leadership were responsible for writing and publishing clerical procedure manuals for civil, small claims, and criminal divisions. Ann has served as a faculty member for the Court Clerk's Training Institute. She joined the CCTI Civil Counter Filing faculty team in 2007 and previously served as a team faculty member of the CCTI Appellate Processing: The Appellate Experience.

Prison Packets Presented by Linda Sepulveda

Class Description: This is a hands on training in preparing state prison abstracts and the prison packets.

Linda Sepulveda has been working for Santa Cruz Superior Court since 1982.  She has worked in various areas of the court.  Her main expertise is criminal.  She is a member of the criminal publication committee and has taught at CCTI.  Linda was also a participant in the AOC Broadcast on Prison Abstracts.  She is currently the case management liaison for her court.

Effective Learning Environments Presented by Rhonda Sharbono & Grace Tang

Class Description: This class will explore the fundamentals of creating a safe and effective learning environment. Through lecture, problem-solving activities, and group discussion, class participants will:

For any court employee who plans, coordinates, or facilitates training.

Rhonda Sharbono is a Senior Education Specialist who joined the Administrative Office of the Courts in October of 2006. She focuses on education for AOC Managers & Supervisors along with court personnel. Prior to joining the AOC, she was a training and development manager for the USCIS National Customer Service Center in Lawrence, Kansas.

Grace Tang is an Education Specialist in court staff education for the Administrative Office of the Courts. Prior to joining the AOC in January 2007, she worked as a professional development manager for the Northern California Human Resources Association in San Francisco.

It’s the Message – Effective E-Mail Presented by Anne Colt

Class Description: E-mail is fast becoming the preferred form for both personal and professional written communication.  This class identifies strategies for composing and formatting persuasive e-mail messages that are opened and acted upon.  The class also presents tools and techniques for managing and sending e-mail and reviews netiquette guidelines. 

Topics include:

Anne Colt retired last year from the Superior Court of California, County of San Diego where she had been a staff development specialist over fifteen years.  She has presented training programs for the CCA, the AOC, CJER, and other California courts. Anne is past president of the Association of Court Trainers and has served as vice-president of the San Diego Chapter of the International Society for Performance Improvement.  She holds a master’s degree in educational technology from San Diego State University.

Preliminary Examinations Presented by Suzanne Schleder & Tracy Wellenkamp

Class Description: Participants will learn the importance of this stage in the felony process. This class will cover the courtroom clerks responsibilities during this hearing: time limits, taking minutes, administering oaths, marking exhibits, bail status and terminology.

Suzann Schleder is from the Superior Court of San Joaquin County.  She began her career with the Stockton municipal court in 1988 as a temporary deputy clerk in the criminal department.  In her 21 years with the court, Suzanne has been a deputy clerk I, II, and III, courtroom clerk, Legal Process Supervisor and currently holds the position of Case Management System Coordinator.

Suzanne has served as faculty for the Court Clerk Training Institute for eight years, as faculty for Criminal Felony Courtroom Procedures, and Traffic Office and Courtroom Procedures.  For the last several years she has also presented training for the Superior Court Clerks Association, CCA, and at CJER Regional Staff Training Days and at her local court as a trainer for CCMS – The California Case Management System.

Suzanne is currently the Chair of the AOC/CJER Court Personnel Education committee (CPEC), liaison to the AOC/CJER Technology Education committee, the Chair of the Criminal Publications committee for the California Court Association, a member of the Northern California Association of Court Trainers, and graduate of the CCA Level I Certification program.

Tracy Wellenkamp is an Education Specialist with the Administrative Office of the Courts. Prior to joining the AOC in June 2009, she worked as a court supervisor for the Superior Court of California, County of Alameda. She has served as a member of the Court Personnel Education Committee and was most recently its Chair prior to accepting her appointment to the AOC. She is a member of the Criminal Publication Committee and has served as faculty for both the CCA and the Court Clerk Training Institute.

Political Communication Presented by Lorraine Benavides

Class Description: This class will explore the fundamentals of communicating in the court environment.  Courts are an interesting place and the rules do vary from other organizations.   This class will assist you in communicating in the court and provide you with a sense of ease in your day-to-day communications.   Through lecture, problem-solving activities, and group discussion, class participants will:

For any court employee who plans, coordinates, or facilitates training.

Review the basic principles of communication

Discuss the importance of communicating to judges, executives, managers and supervisors.

Identify elements of communication.

Discuss the challenges of creating a safe and effective communication environment.

Lorraine Benavides is the Human Resources Director for the Ventura Superior Court and has over 20 years of experience in the area of Human Resources and Training.  She has been employed with the Superior Court of California, County of Ventura since July, 1992.

Her background includes leadership development, staff relations and developing and presenting programs on communication, career development, and on race and ethnic issues. 

Lorraine has presented programs for the California Court Association (CCA), the Court Clerks Training Institute, the Administrative Office of the Court (AOC), and the Center for Judicial Education and Research (CJER) where she helped to develop statewide training programs such as The Professional Clerk and Effective Communication.

Prior CCA Committee Involvement Includes

Association of Court Trainer’s (ACT)

Oxnard High School Law Enforcement Academy

-  Advisory Board Member of 2 years

CJER Technical Assistance Program (CCTAP)

- Committee Member for Review and Design of Core Curriculum for Court Staff

Managing and Addressing Professional Success (MAPS)

- Project Leader for Local Training/Succession Plan Initiative

ALL DAY CLASS 9:00 – 4:45

DMV – Criminal & Traffic Presented by Jennifer Andrade, Robyn Breidinger, Miguel Acosta

Class Description: An overview of CLETS Training on drivers license and registrations, license records, and customer service at the DMV. 

Jennifer Andrade-Hamaker  has worked for the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) in field offices, and various headquarter units for 14 years.  She has a wealth of knowledge and expertise gleaned from years of experience in various aspects of DMV’s operations.  In addition she is well informed regarding the statutes and departmental policies pertaining to both the driver license and vehicle registration programs.  Jennifer has recently entered the position of Court Liaison Officer with DMV’s Justice and Government Liaison Branch, responsible for providing uniform information to Federal, State and Local Courts; Law Enforcement Agencies; Parking and Toll agencies; and other government agencies; regarding the department’s administrative policies and procedures.

Robyn Breidinger is the newest member to the Justice and Government Liaison Branch (JAG).  Robyn has an extensive background in vehicle registration, having worked in the headquarters processing units for 25 years. Additionally, she was a manager in the Revenue Services Support unit working closely with dishonored checks and the Franchise Tax Board collection unit.  She also managed the Special Processing Unit, processing special interest plates for the department.  She was instrumental in the issuing of the 85,000 clean air stickers for hybrid vehicles.

As a Liaison Officer, Ms. Breidinger enhances the department’s image through her effective, efficient, and courteous service to federal, state, and other local courts and enforcement agencies by providing information and assistance in the resolution of problems and concerns. 

Miguel Acosta was appointed in June 2009 as Chief of the Justice and Government Liaison Branch.

Mr. Acosta has worked for the DMV for more than 10 yrs and has been involved in supervising projects related to several customer service improvement initiatives.  His supervisory experience includes liaison work with both the DMV’s external and internal customers.  Mr. Acosta will bring this experience to Justice & Government in working with the courts, law enforcement, and parking agencies.  He believes in providing open communication, empowerment, training and development to his staff to support and enable them to make independent, sound and effective decisions with an emphasis on quality customer service. 

Mr. Acosta earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Calif. Davis as well as a Master of Art in Public Policy and Public Admin. From the Calif. State Univ. of Sacramento.  He has studied law at Lincoln Law School in Sacramento and is a graduate of the DMV Leadership Academy.