2024 California Rules of Court
Rule 10.474. Trial court managers, supervisors, and other personnel
(a) Applicability
All California trial court managers, supervisors, and other personnel must complete these minimum education requirements. All managers, supervisors, and other personnel 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.
(Subd (a) amended effective January 1, 2008.)
(b) Content-based requirements
(1) Each new manager or supervisor must complete orientation courses within one year of becoming a manager or supervisor, unless the court's executive officer determines that the new manager or supervisor has already completed these orientation courses or courses covering equivalent content. The courses must include orientation about:
(A) The judicial branch of California;
(B) The local court; and
(C) Basic management and supervision.
(2) Each new court employee who is not a manager or supervisor must complete orientation courses within one year of becoming a court employee, unless the employee's supervisor determines that the new court employee has already completed these orientation courses or courses covering equivalent content. The courses must include orientation
(A) The judicial branch of California;
(B) The local court; and
(C) Basic employee issues, such as sexual harassment and safety; and
(D) The employee's specific job.
(3) The court executive officer may determine the appropriate content, delivery mechanism, and length of orientation based on the needs and role of each individual employee.
(Subd (b) amended effective January 1, 2008.)
(c) Hours-based requirements
(1) Each court manager or supervisor must complete 12 hours of continuing education every two years.
(2) Each court employee who is not a manager or supervisor must complete 8 hours of continuing education every two years, with the exception of employees who do not provide court administrative or operational services. Those employees are not subject to the continuing education hours-based requirement but must complete any education or training required by law and any other education required by the court executive officer.
(3) The two-year continuing education cycle for all managers, supervisors, and other personnel begins on January 1 of each odd-numbered year. The orientation education required for new managers, supervisors, and other personnel under (b) applies toward the required hours of continuing education. New managers, supervisors, or employees enter the two-year continuing education cycle on their first day of employment and must complete a prorated number of continuing education hours for that two-year education cycle.
(4) Any education offered by an approved provider (under rule 10.481(a)) and any other education, that is approved by the executive officer or the employee's supervisor as meeting the criteria listed in rule 10.481(b) applies toward the education required under this rule.
(5) 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 approved in advance by the direct supervisor of the manager, supervisor, or court employee, counts toward the continuing education requirement on an hour-for-hour basis. The court executive officer 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.
(6) A manager, supervisor, or employee 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 manager, supervisor, or employee 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.
(7) The court executive officer may require managers, supervisors, and other court personnel to participate in specific courses or to participate in education in a specific subject matter area as part of their continuing education.
(Subd (c) amended effective January 1, 2023; previously amended effective January 1, 2008, January 1, 2012, January 1, 2013, and January 1, 2015.)
(d) Extension of time
(1) Upon request and for good cause, the executive officer may grant an extension, up to one year, to complete the education requirements in this rule.
(2) If the executive officer grants a request for an extension of time, the executive officer and the manager, supervisor, or employee who made the request must also 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 next two-year education cycle.
(Subd (d) amended effective January 1, 2023; previously amended effective January 1, 2015.)
(e) Records of participation
(1) Each court is responsible for tracking participation in education and for tracking completion of minimum education requirements for its managers, supervisors, and other personnel.
(2) Managers, supervisors, and employees must keep records of their own participation for two years after each course or activity that is applied toward the requirements.
(Subd (e) amended effective January 1, 2023.)
Rule 10.474 amended effective January 1, 2023; adopted as rule 10.464 effective January 1, 2007; previously amended and renumbered effective January 1, 2008; previously amended effective January 1, 2012, January 1, 2013, and January 1, 2015.
Advisory Committee Comment
The time frame for completion of compliance courses based on statutory or regulatory mandates is unaffected by the one-year extension in (d)(1).