Minimum education requirements for trial court executive officers

(a) Applicability

All California trial court executive officers must complete these minimum education requirements. All executive officers should participate in more education than is required, related to each individual's responsibilities and in accordance with the education recommendations set forth in rule 10.479.

(b) Content-based requirement

(1) New executive officers must complete the presiding judge and court executive officer orientation program provided by the Judicial Council's Center for Judicial Education and Resources (CJER) within one year of becoming an executive officer and should participate in additional education during the first year.

(2) Executive officers should participate in CJER's presiding judge and court executive officer orientation program each time a new presiding judge from their court participates in the course and each time the executive officer becomes the executive officer in a different court.

(c) Hours-based requirement

(1) Each executive officer must complete 30 hours of continuing education, including at least three hours of ethics education, every three years.

(2) For a new executive officer, the first three-year education cycle begins on January 1 of the year following the period provided for completion of the required education for new executive officers.

(3) The following education applies toward the required 30 hours of continuing education:

(A) Any education offered by an approved provider (under rule 10.481(a)) and any other education approved by the presiding judge as meeting the criteria listed in rule 10.481(b).

(B) Each hour of participation in education by an approved provider under rule 10.481, including education that is instructor-led (live remote or in-person), asynchronous (such as videos and e-learning), and self-directed study, counts toward the continuing education requirement on an hour-for-hour basis. The presiding judge has discretion to determine the number of hours, if any, of instructor-led (live remote or in-person) education required to meet the continuing education requirement.

(C) A court executive officer who serves as faculty by teaching legal or judicial education to a legal or judicial audience may apply education hours as faculty service. There is no restriction on the number or percentage of hours that a court executive officer may claim as faculty service. Credit for faculty service counts toward the continuing education requirement on an hour-for-hour basis in the same manner as all other types of education.

(d) Extension of time

(1) Upon request and for good cause, a presiding judge may grant an extension, up to one year, to complete the education requirements in this rule.

(2) If the presiding judge grants a request for an extension of time, the presiding judge and the executive officer pursue interim means of obtaining relevant educational content.

(3) An extension of time to complete the hours-based requirement does not affect the timing of the executive officer's next three-year education cycle.

(e) Record of participation; statement of completion

Each executive officer is responsible for:

(1) Tracking their own participation in education and keeping a record of participation for three years after each course or activity that is applied toward the requirements;

(2) At the end of each year, giving the presiding judge a copy of their record of participation in education for that year; and

(3) At the end of each three-year education cycle, giving the presiding judge a signed statement of completion for that three-year education cycle.