The Committee for Public Counsel Services, the Massachusetts public defender agency, is seeking an experienced trial attorney to serve as a Senior Trial Counsel in the Youth Advocacy Division for clients and courts in the central and western parts of Massachusetts.
DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION MISSION STATEMENT
CPCS is committed to protecting the fundamental constitutional and human rights of our assigned clients through zealous advocacy, community-oriented defense, and the fullness of excellent legal representation. We are dedicated to building and maintaining strong professional relationships, while striving to accept, listen to and respect the diverse circumstances of each client, as we dedicate ourselves to meeting their individual needs. It is our CPCS mission to achieve these goals, and in furtherance thereof, we embrace and endorse diversity, equity and inclusion as our core values as we maintain a steadfast commitment to: (1) Ensure that CPCS management and staff members represent a broad range of human differences and experience; (2) Provide a work climate that is respectful and supports success; and (3) Promote the dignity and well-being of all staff members. CPCS leadership is responsible for ensuring equity, diversity, and inclusion. The ability to achieve these goals with any level of certainty is ultimately the responsibility each member of the CPCS community.
THE AGENCY
CPCS is the state agency in Massachusetts responsible for providing an attorney when the state or federal constitution or a state statute requires the appointment of an attorney for a person who cannot afford to retain one. The agency provides representation in criminal, delinquency, youthful offender, child welfare, guardianship, mental health, sexually dangerous person, and sex offender registry cases, as well as in appeals and post-conviction and post-judgment proceedings related to those matters.
DIVISION OVERVIEW
The Youth Advocacy Division (YAD), the juvenile defender division of CPCS, is committed to ensuring that every indigent child in Massachusetts has access to zealous legal representation in delinquency, GCL Revocation, juvenile murder, juvenile appeals, and youthful offender cases from a diverse and ever improving community of juvenile defenders consisting of both private assigned counsel and staff public defenders. YAD provides leadership, training, support, and oversight to the indigent juvenile defense bar in Massachusetts. As youth in Massachusetts have a right to jury trials, an Attorney in Charge (AIC) oversees the trial office which integrates the work of attorneys, a social service advocate (SSA), and an administrative assistant (AA) to fully address the legal and developmental needs of our clients. YAD currently has one Senior Trial Counsel. This second position will focus on cases in the central and western parts of the state.
The clients YAD represents are diverse across every context imaginable and bring many unique cultural dimensions to the matters YAD addresses. This reality creates a critical need for the YAD Senior Trial Counsel to be culturally competent and able to work well with people of different races, ethnicities, gender and/or gender preferences, abilities, and limited English proficiency, among other protected characteristics.
POSITION OVERVIEW
The Senior Trial Counsel (“STC”) will provide legal representation and advocacy to juveniles who are charged primarily with Juvenile and Superior Court jurisdiction offenses the central and western parts of Massachusetts. The STC will take on a leadership role in the division, including first or second seating trial attorneys in serious felony or otherwise complex cases. The STC will mentor less experienced trial attorneys and aid in training trial attorneys on how to litigate complex cases. The STC will collaborate with the YAD Management Team, the Director of Strategic Litigation, and others on novel issues, as well as with the other STC. The STC, if qualified, will be expected to represent clients in murder cases. Additionally, the STC will assist lawyers in using the science of adolescent development in the litigation of cases; and help in the development of strategic strategies to reduce racial and ethnic disparities.
RESPONSIBILITIES
First-seating, or second-seating, YAD trial attorneys, in serious felony or otherwise complex cases, primarily in the Juvenile and Superior Court;
Training trial attorneys on how to prepare and litigate complex cases;
Mentoring trial attorneys as directed, focusing on mentee attorneys’ serious felony or otherwise complex caseloads;
Sharing the application of the science of adolescent development to the representation of adolescents;
Collaborating with the YAD Administration and Senior Management Team and others on strategic approaches to novel or cutting edge legal issues;
Collaborating with other STCs and management in MHLD, PDD, and CAFL on serious or complex co-occurring matters; devising and participating in cross-divisional training and mentorship;
Taking assignments in multiple counties, as deemed appropriate by YAD Senior Management; and,
Other duties as assigned.
MINIMUM ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS
Applicants must:
Be eligible to practice law in Massachusetts, as a member of the Massachusetts bar in good standing, or as the member of the bar of another jurisdiction eligible to engage in limited Massachusetts practice under Supreme Judicial Court Rule 3:04;
Have a minimum of seven years’ experience as an attorney, including at least three years’ experience with Juvenile Delinquency practice;
Applicants must be on the “murder list,” have a pending application to be on the murder list, or have an application submitted to the murder list within 24 months after being selected for the role;
Access to an automobile in order to travel to courts, clients, and investigation locations that are not easily accessible by public transportation, including the central and western parts of Massachusetts; and,
Access to a personal computer with home internet access sufficient to work remotely.
QUALIFICATIONS/SKILLS
Applications will be strengthened by:
A familiarity with Worcester and/or the western Massachusetts juvenile court systems;
A thorough understanding of representing juvenile clients, and, in particular, be knowledgeable and skilled in the area of adolescent development;
Significant trial experience with juvenile and youthful offender cases, Superior Court cases, or equivalent jury trial experience or equivalent appellate experience;
Extensive experience involving expert matters, including mental health, forensic science, and electronic evidence;
Experience mentoring and/or training attorneys; and
Demonstrated ability to work well with others.
Interested candidates should submit a letter of interest and resume. Candidates must also complete the Senior Trial Counsel application, which may be found here.
EEO Statement
The Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS) is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ethnicity, sex, disability, religion, age, veteran or military status, genetic information, gender identity, or sexual orientation as required by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and other applicable federal and state statutes and organizational policies. Applicants who have questions about equal employment opportunity or who need reasonable accommodations can contact the interim Director of Human Resources Management, Mark Conlon, at [email protected]
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