The Training Department of the Committee for Public Counsel Services, the Massachusetts public defender agency, is seeking applicants for a Racial Equity Statewide Training Lead. The Racial Equity Statewide Training Lead develops, supports, promotes, and executes racial equity trainings and works to ensure that CPCS Training Department trainings are inclusive and proactively confront and fight against racism in all of our practice areas.
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.
DEPARTMENT OVERVIEW
The CPCS Training Department provides high quality training to all staff and private assigned counsel. The Training Department, led by the Training Chief, includes four-practice area Training Units - Criminal Defense, Children and Family Law, Mental Health Litigation, and Youth Advocacy. It also includes seven cross practice area working groups on Forensics, Holistic Defense, Professional Development, Representing Emerging Adults, Racial Equity, Trial Skills, and Wellness. In addition to providing substantive and skills training to attorneys, the Training Department ensures that all other professional staff members are provided appropriate training in their areas of expertise.
The Training Department works collaboratively to educate, train, empower, and support staff and private, assigned counsel so they may provide excellent representation and client-centered advocacy to the agency’s clients. The Training Department also plays a significant role in the provision of diversity, management, supervision, employment law, and other training to staff and private assigned counsel.
POSITION OVERVIEW
The Racial Equity Statewide Legal Training Attorney will work with the Training Chief, Director of Equity and Inclusion, the EID Working Group, The Racial Equity Training Team, and other stakeholders to develop, support, promote, and execute racial equity training and work to ensure that Training Department trainings are inclusive and proactively confront and fight against racism in all of our practice areas. The Racial Equity Statewide Training Lead is responsible for coordinating racial equity training initiatives including hosting a recurring “Why Race Matters” racial equity webinar series and creating and maintaining web-based equity resources. The Racial Equity Statewide Training Lead will support both staff and the private bar in their work.
The Racial Equity Statewide Training Lead will report directly to the Training Chief.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Duties of the Racial Equity Statewide Training Lead include, but are not limited to:
• Working with the Training Chief and collaborating with the Director of Equity and Inclusion, the EID Working Group, and the Racial Equity Training Team to ensure that all CPCS Training Department training is anti-racist and inclusive;
• Collaborating with the practice area Training Units to ensure that all CPCS trainings and training materials are inclusive and proactively confront and fight racism in all of our practice areas;
• Writing and editing training materials, with a focus on maximizing opportunities to train on litigating issues of racial bias and reducing racial and ethnic disparities in the justice system and within CPCS;
• Organizing and hosting the recurring “Why Race Matters” racial equity webinar series;
• Developing and maintaining CPCS Racial Equity resource;
• Providing guidance to members of the racial equity training team and contributing feedback for their annual performance evaluations and professional development;
• Providing support to Training Department employees and other CPCS Departments and Divisions to ensure a racial equity lens in current and future training programs that supports the zealous representation of clients across CPCS; and,
• Other duties as assigned.
MINIMUM ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS
• Must be eligible to practice law in this jurisdiction as a member of the Massachusetts bar in good standing, or as an attorney in another jurisdiction who is eligible to engage in limited Massachusetts practice under Supreme Judicial Court Rule 3:04; and,
• Must have a minimum of five years of litigation experience;
• Access to reliable transportation in order to travel to various training locations and courts across the Commonwealth; and,
• Access to a personal computer with home internet access sufficient to work remotely.
Applicants should submit a resume, a letter of interest, and a writing sample.
QUALIFICATIONS/SKILLS
The successful candidate will have experience in some or all of the areas listed below:
• Significant experience as a public defender practicing in the mental health, criminal defense, youth defense, children and family law or the SDP/SORB practice areas;
• Expert level cultural sensitivity/competence, diversity and inclusion, and anti-racism training, course work, or other experience developing expertise in these areas;
• Understanding the challenge and role of intersectionality and how differences in addition to race are training considerations;
• Experience as a presenter or coach at training programs or at in-house office training sessions;
• Ability and willingness to train interested staff members to become trainers;
• Excellent writing and oral presentation skills;
• Exceptional organizational ability;
• Exceptional interpersonal skills;
• Curriculum development skills;
• Technological proficiency including distance learning; and,
• Management, supervision or mentoring experience.
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/2461/racial-equity-statewid...