Supervising Staff Attorney - PDD Hyannis

The Public Defender Division of CPCS, Hyannis Office, is seeking a Supervising Staff Attorney with a minimum of five years of experience providing criminal defense representation. Candidates must have sufficient trial experience in both the District and Superior Courts so they may supervise all Trial Attorney staff.

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 PDD Hyannis Office provides public defense services in all of Barnstable County. The office is located at 973 Iyannough Road in Hyannis (Route 132), near the Cape Cod Mall. Free parking is available. The office represents clients in the Barnstable Superior Court and the Barnstable, Falmouth, and Orleans District Courts. There are 9 trial attorneys (including a Supervising Staff Attorney and the Attorney in Charge), an investigator and a social service advocate in the office. The office is co-located with CPCS Youth Advocacy Division and Children and Family Law Division offices.

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Public Defender Division of CPCS, Hyannis Office, is seeking a Supervising Staff Attorney with a minimum of five years of experience providing criminal defense representation. The Supervising Staff Attorney supervises both newer and experienced staff Trial Attorneys, who practice in both the District and Superior Court, in every facet of our legal representation to ensure that we provide zealous and effective advocacy of and for every assigned case and client, whom have been entrusted to our broadly encompassed care. The Supervising Staff Attorney is expected to maintain an active, albeit reduced, caseload providing the same fullness and excellence of representation, no different than any other PDD staff Trial Attorney.
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.

RESPONSIBILITIES

The Supervising Staff Attorney will supervise Trial Attorneys assigned to both District and Superior Court cases in addition to their case responsibilities. The Supervising Staff Attorney must be capable of supervising new Trial Attorneys as well as experienced Trial Attorneys practicing in the Superior Court, particularly around serious felony or otherwise complex cases.

The direct representation duties of the Supervising Staff Attorney include:

· Client interviews;
· Arraignment and bail advocacy;
· Legal research and writing;
· Pretrial investigation including visiting crime scenes, locating and interviewing witnesses, collecting and reviewing documentary evidence;
· Preparing and arguing pretrial motions, affidavits and legal memorandum;
· Dispositional investigations and advocacy;
· Jury and bench trials of criminal cases; and,
· Representing clients in interlocutory proceedings.

The supervisory duties of the Supervising Staff Attorney include, but are not limited to, the following in accordance with the CPCS Guidelines for Supervision of Public Defender Trial Attorneys and the Guidelines for the Implementation of Unified Public Defender Division Offices:

· Regular one-on-one meetings with individual supervisors to review case files, as well as group meetings, to review case preparation and performance;
· In-court supervision, including second-seating of trials and significant pretrial hearings;
· Preparation of annual performance evaluations;
· Presentation of in-office training sessions;
· Supervision of other staff, such as investigators and student interns, as delegated by the office’s Attorney in Charge; and,
· Other duties as assigned.

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 Chief Human Resources Officer, Ted Waterman, at [email protected]