Attorney in Charge - PDD Malden

The Public Defender Division (PDD) of the Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS) is seeking to fill the Attorney-in-Charge position in its Malden Office. The PDD provides legal representation and zealous advocacy to indigent clients who are charged with criminal offenses in both the District and Superior Courts.

We fight for equal justice and human dignity by supporting our clients in achieving their legal and life goals.  We zealously advocate for the rights of

individuals and promote just public policy to protect the rights of all

 Our Values

 Courage   •   Accountability   •   Respect   • Excellence

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 of each member of the CPCS community.

AGENCY OVERVIEW

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.

OFFICE OVERVIEW

The Public Defender Division Malden Office is located in Middlesex County and is approximately four miles from downtown Boston. The office is centrally located in the heart of Malden center and is easily accessible to major highways (Route 93, Route 28, and Route 60) while also being in close proximity to the Malden Square MBTA train station and an MBTA bus stop.

Please access the Malden Office’s webpage here: https://www.publiccounsel.net/dir/malden-dist-pd/

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Malden Office Attorney-in-Charge (AIC) is expected to perform a multitude of functions and responsibilities that are unmistakably attendant to being the leader of a high functioning trial office within the agency, and the northern region.

The Malden Office AIC supervises and assists staff Trial Attorneys in every facet of our legal representation to ensure the zealous and effective advocacy of every assigned client that has been entrusted to our broadly encompassed care. The AIC is also responsible for managing the Supervising Staff Attorneys, Social Services Advocates, Investigators, and highly trained Administrative Assistants. The AIC is expected to maintain an active, albeit reduced, caseload providing the same fullness and excellence of representation, no different than any other Trial Attorney, while consistently striking the proper balance between case responsibilities and managerial duties.

The Public Defender Division’s mission is to ensure that criminal defendants are given the full and fundamental protections of the United States Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the Massachusetts Constitution. We believe that every defendant should receive zealous advocacy, and should always be treated with respect and dignity, especially when confronted with the potential loss of personal liberty.

The clients we represent are diverse across every context imaginable and bring many unique cultural dimensions to the matters we address. This reality creates a critical need for CPCS staff to be culturally competent and able to work well with people of different races, ethnicities, genders and/or sexual orientation identities, abilities, and limited English proficiency, among other protected characteristics.

The Malden AIC is responsible for leading the PDD Malden Office involvement with local community groups and organizations that are also committed to the service of our clients.

RESPONSIBILITIES

The Attorney-in-Charge must be able to supervise and assist trial lawyers in the development of trial strategies, motions practice, and myriad other tasks that trial lawyers must undertake. The Attorney-in-Charge is also responsible for the supervision and development of non-attorney support staff in the office.

The administrative responsibilities for this position include, but are not limited to:

Understanding, communicating, and ensuring compliance with the agency’s Personnel Policies;
Being thoroughly familiar with the CPCS case management system, including the ability to generate and interpret case statistics and reports;
Ensuring that attorneys’ schedules and caseloads are reasonable and conform with CPCS guidelines, performance standards, and practice advisories;
Ensuring case files are properly maintained and scanned at the conclusion of each case;
Assigning all cases promptly;
Ensuring that all cases are promptly opened and closed in the agency’s case management system;
Ensuring that all cases are promptly checked for conflicts of interest, and when discovered, reassigning those cases immediately;
Ensuring that detailed running sheets for each case are current and electronically maintained;
Ensuring that annual performance evaluations are completed for all staff in a timely and comprehensive manner; and
Other duties as assigned.

In addition, the Attorney-in-Charge is responsible for:

Ensuring that information about recent developments in the law, CPCS policies and practices, and other relevant matters are disseminated to staff in a timely manner;
Providing ongoing in-house training to ensure continued excellence by all staff in furtherance of the CPCS mission statement;
Fostering positive relationships within the community and courthouses, and ensuring that a professional relationship and leadership role is maintained with the assigned private bar in the county;
Providing zealous and effective representation of the AIC’s own clients consistent with PDD guidelines and performance standards; and,
Other duties as assigned.

The Attorney-in-Charge must also attend regular meetings with other office heads, Managing Directors, and the Deputy Chief Counsel to discuss management and policy issues. The Attorney-in-Charge is directly supervised by a Managing Director.