The Mental Health Litigation Division (MHLD) of the Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS) is seeking a full-time Trial Attorney for civil commitment cases including trials and a limited number of appellate cases for its Northampton Commitment Unit. This office is responsible for civil commitments filed in the Northampton District Court for individuals facing civil commitments to Baystate Medical Center, Cooley Dickinson Hospital, Providence Hospital, Vibra Hospital of Western Mass, and Holyoke Hospital.
DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION MISSION STATEMENT
CPCS is committed to protecting the fundamental constitutional and human rights of its clients by providing zealous advocacy, community-oriented defense, and excellent representation. In fulfilling its mission, CPCS is committed to fostering diversity at all levels of the agency. We are dedicated to building a strong professional relationship with each of our clients, to understanding their diverse circumstances, and to meeting their needs. In striving always to achieve those goals, CPCS embraces diversity and inclusion as core values and is steadfast in our commitment to: (1) ensuring that CPCS management and staff members represent a broad range of human difference and experience; (2) providing a work climate that is respectful and that supports success; and (3) promoting the dignity and well-being of all staff members. CPCS's leadership is responsible for ensuring excellence, diversity, and inclusion. Our ability to achieve these goals depends on the efforts of all of us.
POSITION OVERVIEW
The Committee for Public Counsel Services (“CPCS”) is Massachusetts’ public defender agency providing legal representation for those unable to afford an attorney. The Mental Health Litigation Division is committed to protecting the legal and constitutional rights of citizens facing civil commitment to mental hospitals, guardianships and involuntary treatment including the administration of antipsychotic medications. Mental Health Litigation Division Trial Attorneys receive training in issues relating to mental health and the statutory and constitutional rights of our clients.
The Mental Health Litigation Division (MHLD) of the Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS) is seeking a full-time Trial Attorney for civil commitment and guardianship cases and a limited number of appellate cases for its Northampton Commitment Unit. This office is responsible for civil commitments filed in the the District Courts for individuals facing civil commitments to Baystate Medical Center, Baystate Franklin, Baystate Wing, Cooley Dickinson Hospital, Providence Hospital, Vibra Hospital of Western Mass, and Holyoke Hospital and other hospitals in Western Massachusetts. The office will also be representing clients facing guardianship petitions in the Probate and Family Courts in the five western counties.
Mental Health Litigation Division Trial Attorneys provide zealous representation in mental health cases, primarily to indigent persons in proceedings seeking the initial commitment to, continued confinement at, or authorization to treat by, psychiatric facilities operated by the Massachusetts Department of Corrections, Department of Mental Health (DMH) and private psychiatric facilities licensed by DMH. Attorneys will appear primarily in District and Municipal Court sessions conducted at facilities for which the Unit is responsible or in Superior Court divisions within the county in which the facilities are located, but may be required to represent clients in proceedings emanating from other facilities and conducted in other courts of the Commonwealth. Trial Attorneys may also represent clients in appeals to the Appellate Divisions of the District and Municipal Courts. Trial attorneys will also represent clients in guardianship proceedings including substituted judgment proceedings all which are heard in the Probate and Family Courts.
RESPONSIBILITIES
To that end, they will be expected to:
- Visit with and interview clients at the facilities
- Conduct pre-trial investigation and discovery, including reviewing facility and other medical and psychiatric records, and
interviewing facility staff
- Work extensively with forensic psychiatric and psychological clinicians
- Locate and interview witnesses and consult with service providers
- Conduct legal research and writing
- Represent clients in pretrial proceedings, hearings, and interlocutory appeals
Trial Attorneys will be supervised by and report to the Commitment Unit Attorney in Charge.
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 Director of Human Resources Management, Lisa Bacon
MINIMUM ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS
Applicants must be members in good standing of the Massachusetts bar, or be licensed in another jurisdiction and eligible to practice in Massachusetts under Supreme Judicial Court Rule 3:04.
Access to reliable transportation in order to travel to courts, mental health facilities, and other locations is required. Foreign language skills are desirable.
Preference will be given to attorneys who are currently certified to accept CPCS mental health assignments.
To apply, please submit a cover letter with a statement of interest, resume, and writing sample.