The Public Defender Division of the Committee for Public Counsel Services, the public defender agency of Massachusetts, is seeking a Trial Attorney in our Boston Office, covering Municipal, District, and Superior courts in Suffolk County. The Public Defender Division provides legal representation and zealous advocacy to the indigent community.
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 ofindividuals 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 Boston Office of the Public Defender Division provides public defense services for Suffolk County. The Boston Trial Unit is conveniently located in the downtown area of Boston. It is accessible by MBTA subway and buses, Amtrak Commuter Rail, and ferry services. The Boston Office shares space with CPCS Administration, and other divisions and units on two floors of a modernized office building. Other amenities include restaurants, retail businesses, and historic landmarks.
POSITION OVERVIEW
The Public Defender Division is seeking an attorney to provide criminal defense representation in our Boston Office. The attorney will represent clients in many of courts the office serves, such as the Superior, Municipal, and District Courts, and occasionally represent clients on interlocutory appeals, civil commitments, as witnesses before the grand jury or trial court, and in certain collateral matters as permitted by a supervisor.
The Public Defender Division’s mission is to ensure that criminal defendants are given the full fundamental protections of the United States Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the Massachusetts Constitution. We believe that every defendant should not only receive zealous advocacy but respect and dignity as they deal with the potential loss of their 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.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Interviewing clients;
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 memoranda;
Dispositional investigations and advocacy;
Jury and bench trials of criminal cases;
Litigating cases in the Superior Court as well as the District Courts;
Representing witnesses before the grand jury or trial court;
Representing clients in interlocutory proceedings;
Where appropriate, working collaboratively with private attorneys on cases assigned through the Private Counsel Division of CPCS; and
Other duties as assigned.
MINIMUM ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS
A Trial Attorney must be committed to serving a culturally diverse, low-income population and must be eligible to practice law in Massachusetts, either as a member of the Massachusetts bar in good standing, or as the member of the bar of another jurisdiction eligible to engage in limited Massachusetts practice under Supreme Judicial Court Rule 3:04;
Access to an automobile to travel to courts, clients, investigation locations, and other necessary places that are not easily accessible by public transportation; and,
Access to a personal computer with home internet access sufficient to work remotely.
QUALIFICATIONS/SKILLS
Candidates should possess the following attributes for the position of Trial Attorney:
A demonstrated commitment to the principle of zealous advocacy in the representation of indigent persons in criminal cases;
A demonstrated commitment to our organizational values;
A commitment to continuing legal and organizational training;
Strong interpersonal and analytical skills;
Ability to work within a criminal defense-oriented community and capacity, both independently and collaboratively;
Significant experience as lead counsel on jury trials and evidentiary motions practice in the Superior Court (or equivalent) for a minimum of three (3) years is desirable, but not required; and,
Foreign language skills to support interaction with predominant limited English proficient groups in the region are desirable, but not required.
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]