OK so WHAT is a Jack Halpin Award? – Updated!

Posted on August 2, 2012

67


Taken from the Ralph Anderson & Associates job offering for the Executive Director of the AOC. You tell me if Mr. Jahr meets the minimum qualifications.

Qualifying Experience and Education

Experience: The ideal experience for this position would include a minimum of ten (10) years of significant management experience in an administrative capacity in a court system with similar complexities.(nope) Other public sector candidates with public agency experience may also be considered, if they can demonstrate a successful track record of increasingly responsible experience as a “generalist” at the executive level in a  comparable sized organization. (not even close) Generalist candidates will also need to demonstrate a keen understanding of the court system and legal matters in order to be competitive.

Education: A Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university is required. A degree in law or an advanced degree in judicial administration, public administration, business administration, or a related discipline is desired.

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE

The position of Administrative Director requires someone who enjoys problem solving,  has vision, can both lead and implement the directions of others, and can ensure that the day-to-day operations of the Administrative Office of the Courts are running smoothly and efficiently, particularly in an atmosphere of reduced budgets and staff.

The ideal candidate will have had a highly successful career demonstrating strong leadership and management skills. The successful candidate must have experience in balancing competing demands, the ability to set priorities, a strong commitment to providing accountability, and also be able to offer creative solutions to the challenges facing California’s judicial branch. He or she must excel at communicating with different audiences, have excellent political sense, and be able to work collaboratively with judges, lawyers, legislators, and staff at every level. Only individuals with impeccable ethics and integrity will be considered. This position requires someone who is smart, intuitive, courageous, self-confident, capable of listening and learning, and ready for the unexpected. (nope)

The ideal candidate should have a strong track record of success and leadership in:

• Financial operations; including fiscal management and budgetary control in a complex, large budget environment; (nope)

• Legislative advocacy and coalition building with varied constituencies; (nope)

• Delivering services, and developing improvements and efficiencies; (nope)

• Strategic planning: capacity to meet current changes in condition while retaining focus on longer term goals. (nope) Fiscal realities may require reductions and realignment in budget and staff, call for innovations in court administration, and necessitate reconsideration and redirection of resources services to the courts to meet current court needs and public demands — all balanced with enhancing fundamental values and long term goals integral to the branch’s operations and the administration of justices;

• Collaboration: the ability to partner with the Chief Justice and Judicial Council, the courts, the management team, Legislative and Executive branches, the State Bar, and interested constituencies to provide the highest level of service and to preserve the administration of and access to justice for all Californians; (without opening the doors to the courts so the serfs can have their justice)

• Communications: skill in communicating within the branch, with branch partners, the media, the public, and the other branches of government; and skill in listening; and (He’ll get used to being a teleprompter fed bobblehead doll soon enough)

• Management: responsibility for a large and complex statewide organization engaged in a numerous diverse programs;(nope) create and oversee a skilled, experienced, and reliable management team. (certainly not at the AOC. Is the candidate applying somewhere else?Are we talking about the same AOC? ) The ideal candidate will be aware that California’s economic situation has required and may continue to require the branch to participate in additional budget reductions occurring statewide, while at the same time seeking to ensure adequate funding statewide to provide fair and effective justice for all. Like the Council and other branch leaders, the ideal candidate is committed to the impartiality of the Judicial Branch, to its ability to provide fundamental services expected of this third branch of government, and to the branch’s continued ability to manage its resources to best serve the public while remaining appropriately accountable and deserving of the public’s trust. (translation: you have to be willing to be the fall guy and take the blame)

The most impressive credential we found on Mr. Jhar’s resume is that he is the distinguished recipient of a “Jack Halpin Award” We were impressed that he dared to list it.

We’re trying to figure out what a Jack Halpin Award is.

Is this an award for those who most creatively subvert the state constitution for the longest period of time? Nonethess, there are three things worrysome about this resume.

  • One that there exists a Jack Halpin Award, but then again we have the Ronald George and Bill Vickrey Awards and we would propose a few others. The Jack Abramoff award for creative judicial branch lobbying , the Bernie Madoff award for creative accounting and the Ken Lay award for prudent financial planning and media management.
  • Two, that this resume would proudly display a Jack Halpin award. Kinda shows your cards doesn’t it? It sets expectations for the wonderful citizens of Shasta County that you don’t care and that you will faithfully re-appoint Halpin until his death?
  • Three that this resume reads like one of King George’s hatchet men. The man behind the curtain indeed.

Behold the slimmest resume you will ever see for the position of an executive director (link) of any organization of comparable size.  If this is the best that they could come up with, we’re doomed.

Our HR department kept on repeating “Are you kidding me?” line after line after line. 

RESUME

STEVEN E. JAHR
BORN:  SEPTEMBER 16,1948, BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA
ATTENDED PUBLIC SCHOOL: PASADENA, CALI FORNIA
GRADUATED: UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT SANTA BARBARA, 1971 – B.A.
GRADUATED: HASTINGS COLLEGE OF THE LAW, SAN FRANCISCO, 1974 – J.D.
ADMlTfED TO CALlFORNlA BAR: 1974

PRIVATE PRACTICE OF LAW: SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, 1974 – 1980. ClVlL LITIGATION, MAINLY IN THE FIELDS OF PRODUCTS LIABILITY AND DEFENSE OF PROFESSIONALS.  I REDDING, SHASTA COUNTY, 1980 – 1986. ClVlL LITIGATION, EMPHASIZING PROFESSIONAL LIABILITY DEFENSE, AND COMMERCIAL LITIGATION. PARTNER IN BANDELL, SWANSON AND JAHR.

PUBLIC OFFICES:
APPOINTED TO JUSTICE COURT IN 1986 BY SHASTA COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS. PRESIDING JUDGE, SHASTA COUNTY MUNICIPAL COURT, 1991. (IN 1988, THE LOWER COURTS IN SHASTA COUNTY WERE CONSOLIDATED INTO ONE MUNICIPAL COURT). APPOINTED TO SHASTA COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT BY GOVERNOR WILSON IN OCTOBER, 1991. PRESIDING JUDGE, SHASTA  COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT, 1993,1994,1995,1996. STOOD UNOPPOSED FOR ELECTION IN 1988,1990,1992,1998 AND 2004.

PRINCIPAL MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES – SHASTA COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT:

OVERSAW COURTHOUSE RENOVATION PROJECT, 1992-1996. –

PREPARED FIRST SET OF COUNTYWIDE LOCAL RULES OF COURT, 1992.

DESIGNED AND IMPLEMENTED ClVlL CASE DELAY REDUCTION PROGRAM IN SUPERIOR AND MUNICIPAL COURTS, 1992 – 1993. DEVELOPED AND IMPLEMENTED FULL JUDICIAL CONSOLIDATION OF SUPERIOR AND MUNICIPAL COURT FUNCTIONS, INCLUDING A COMPLETE RECONFIGURATION OF ALL CRIMINAL CALENDARS, ADOPTING A DIRECT “HOME COURT” CALENDAR MODEL, 1994 – 1995.

STATEWIDE JUDICIAL ACTIVITIES:
CALIFORNIA JUDGES ASSOCIATION

VICE-PRESIDENT, 1992 – 1993.
MEMBER OF EXECUTIVE BOARD, 1990 – 1993.
MEMBER OF ClVlL LAW AND PROCEDURE COMMITTEE, 1988 – 1990.

TRIAL COURT BUDGET COMMISSION: . APPOINTED AS A CHARTER MEMBER IN 1993 BY FORMER CHIEF JUSTICE MALCOLM LUCAS. SERVED ON BUDGET EVALUATION AND APPEALS  OMMITTEE, ALLOCATION CRITERIA COMMITTEE, AND THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. RE-APPOINTED AND NAMED CHAIR BY CHlEF JUSTICE RONALD M. GEORGE, 1997.

SERVED IN THAT CAPACITY FOR TWO BUDGET YEARS OVERSEEING THE DEVELOPMENT OF PROGRAMMATIC BUDGETING AND A METHOD FOR THE ALLOCATION OF STATE APPROPRIATIONS FOLLOWING PASSAGE OF THE TRlAL COURT FUNDING ACT OF 1997, WHICH SHIFTED ALL RESPONSIBILITY FOR FUNDING TRlAL COURT OPERATIONS TO THE STATE GOVERNMENT.

TASK FORCE ON TRlAL COURT FUNDING: . APPOINTED AS CHAIR BY FORMER CHIEF JUSTICE LUCAS IN EARLY 1996. CONTINUED TO SERVE AS CHAIR AT THE DIRECTION OF CHlEF JUSTICE GEORGE, PARTICIPATING IN CONSENSUS-BUILDING WITHIN THE JUDICIAL BRANCH AND IN NEGOTIATIONS WlTH THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS IN SUPPORT OF GOVERNOR WILSON’S STATE TRIAL COURT FUNDING REFORM PROPOSAL.

JUDICIAL COUNCIL OF CALIFORNIA:
APPOINTED FOR A THREE YEAR TERM IN 1998 BY CHlEF JUSTICE GEORGE.  APPOINTED CHAIR OF THE COUNCIL’S INTERNAL RULES AND PROJECTS COMMITTEE.

ADDITIONAL STATEWDE ACTIVITIES:

FOLLOWING COMPLETION OF TERM ON JUDICIAL COUNCIL, PARTICIPATED ON APPOINTMENT BY THE CHlEF JUSTICE OR THE ADMINISTRATIVE DIRECTOR OF THE COURTS ON TASK FORCES AND WORKING GROUPS FORMED TO ADDRESS SPECIFIC SUBJECTS INCLUDING ATTORNEY DISQUALIFICATION, PROBATION SERVICES, COURT SECURITY, AND CONSERVATORSHIP OVERSIGHT. ALSO SERVE CURRENTLY ON COMMISSION FOR IMPARTIAL COURTS, AND ON EMERGENCY RESPONSE AND SECURITY TASK FORCE.

JUDICIAL EDUCATION ACTIVITIES:
I REGULAR FACULTY FOR THE CALIFORNIA CENTER FOR JUDICIAL EDUCATION AND RESEARCH (CJER), THE EDUCATIONAL ARM OF THE JUDICIAL COUNCIL WHICH PROVIDES CONTINUING
EDUCATION TO CALIFORNIA’S JUDGES. FOR 10 YEARS, TAUGHT THE COURSE ON ClVlL SUMMARY JUDGMENTS TO NEW TRlAL JUDGES AT CJER’S ANNUAL JUDICIAL COLLEGE. NUMEROUS OTHER FACULTY ASSIGNMENTS WlTH CJER INVOLVED SUBJECTS IN ClVlL LAW AND PROCEDURE, TRlAL COURT MANAGEMENT, AND TRlAL COURT BUDGETING. MEMBER OF CJER’S ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOR CIVIL PROCEEDINGS BENCH BOOKS. PROVIDED EDITORIAL COMMENT ON THE DRAFT CHAPTERS FOR THE FOUR VOLUME SET, PUBLISHED BmEEN 1994 AND 1998, WHICH TOTALED MORE THAN 2500 PAGES OF TEXT DESIGNED TO ASSIST TRlAL JUDGES IN CONDUCTING ClVlL PROCEEDINGS CORRECTLY, EFFICIENTLY AND FAIRLY. CONTINUED IN THAT CAPACITY WlTH RESPECT TO THE ANNUAL SUPPLEMENTS TO THOSE VOLUMES, AND IN CONNECTION WlTH THE PREPARATION OF THE SECOND EDITION OF THE ZND EDITION OF THE BENCH BOOKS..
PRESENTER AT MANDATORY CONTINUING LEGAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS FOR LAWYERS SPONSORED BY OUR LOCAL BAR ASSOCIATION.

AWARDS:
RECEIVED DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD AS JURIST OF THE YEAR, 1997, FROM THE JUDICIAL COUNCIL OF CALIFORNIA. RECEIVED THE JACK HALPIN AWARD, 2008, FROM THE SHASTA TRINITY COUNTIES BAR ASSOCIATION AND THE SHASTA COUNTY BENCH.

Posted in: Branch Boondoggles, Flapdoodles & Pravda Propaganda, Judicial Council of California