The Committee for Public Counsel Services, the Massachusetts public defender agency, is seeking a full-time Paralegal with a strong sense of the myriad systemic and individual injustices that contribute to wrongful convictions and a commitment to fighting those injustices in the Innocence Program.
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, family regulation, 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.
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.
OFFICE OVERVIEW
The Innocence Program is a unit within the Private Counsel Division of CPCS that is responsible for identifying, litigating, and overseeing counsel assignments in all post-conviction cases in which an indigent Massachusetts defendant asserts factual innocence of the underlying crime and/or seeks post-conviction forensic analysis to support a claim of factual innocence. The Innocence Program also collaborates with a wide range of stakeholders across the criminal legal system to develop protocols and trainings aimed at expanding access to post-conviction discovery and forensic analysis. The Innocence Program presently oversees three federal grant awards from the Department of Justice.
POSITION OVERVIEW
The Innocence Program is accepting applications for a full-time Paralegal. The Paralegal will play a vital role in the intake and case selection process, including obtaining and organizing core case documents and overseeing key aspects of our data collection and case management system. The Paralegal will also assist the Program Director in collecting and analyzing in-house and grant partner data for inclusion in semi-annual federal grant reports.
The person hired for this role must be extremely well organized, detail-oriented, and able to handle a wide variety of tasks including public records requests, legal research, copy editing, assisting with legal briefing, and support during courtroom proceedings. This position will provide significant exposure to post-conviction litigation and wrongful conviction work in Massachusetts and is ideal for someone with an interest in these topics.
RESPONSIBILITIES
The duties of the Paralegal include, but are not limited to:
Support of grant-funded program activities and collaborations
• Coordinating data collection from panel members for inclusion in semi-annual grant reports and grant-funded in-house data project;
• Locating trial court dockets and transcripts for inclusion in ongoing microscopic hair review project;
• Drafting data-related components of semi-annual grant reports;
• Overseeing administrative aspects of quarterly meetings with external stakeholders, including agendas, meeting reminders, and meeting minutes.
Support of in-house case selection, case management, and in-house litigation
• Collecting and digitally organizing key documents for all new applications for assistance, including by traveling in-person to courthouses when needed;
• Conducting investigative and archival research via internal records, trial and appellate court dockets, and on-line databases, including Westlaw and Lexis;
• Preparing and pursuing public record requests;
• Organizing and maintaining litigation-related resources, such as expert witness CVs, relevant trial transcripts, relevant research papers, and model briefs and motions;
• Preparing court documents for filing, including copy editing, cite checking, preparing tables of contents, and assembling exhibits for inclusion in the record appendix;
• Providing courtroom support for legal proceedings, including assisting with courtroom technology, note-taking, preparing exhibits and exhibit lists, and assisting with witness preparation;
• Answering phone, written, and email inquiries from individuals inquiring about the status of their applications for assistance;
• Other duties as assigned.
MINIMUM ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS
Candidates must have:
• A Bachelor’s degree or Paralegal certificate;
• Access to reliable transportation in order to travel to locations that are not easily accessible by public transportation; and,
• Access to a personal computer with home internet access sufficient to work remotely.
Substitution: Two years of paralegal experience may be substituted for the degree/certificate.
APPLICATION
Candidates should submit a résumé, writing sample (no more than ten pages in length), and letter of interest. The letter of interest should include a description of the candidate's education and experience, as well as a descriptive statement of the reasons the applicant wishes to work in the Innocence Program.
QUALIFICATIONS/SKILLS
• A strong interest in the criminal legal system and systemic causes of wrongful convictions;
• Familiarity with legal search engines such as Westlaw and Lexis;
• Facility with MS Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook;
• Excellent editing, proof-reading, and organizational skills;
• Ability to work independently on time-sensitive matters, with an attention to detail;
• Ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously, prioritize and effectively manage workload, and regularly meet deadlines;
• Ability to communicate effectively and persuasively orally and in writing;
• Strong interpersonal and written communication skills and flexibility to work with different personalities;
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team; and,
• Skills and experience in interacting with persons of various social, racial, cultural economic and educational backgrounds.
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.
To be considered for this position, please apply at https://careers-publiccounsel.icims.com/jobs/2428/paralegal---innocence-...