Innocence Program Fellowship Application 2023-2024
The Committee for Public Counsel Services Innocence Program (IP), located in Roxbury Massachusetts, is accepting applications for sponsored public interest fellowships beginning in the fall of 2023. Third-year law students and attorneys seeking funding from outside sources and school-specific sources for work involving criminal justice may apply. You are encouraged to apply to the CPCS Innocence Program to secure your placement here prior to applying to your funding organization. Note: The CPCS Innocence Program does not fund its own in-house fellowship; please apply to CPCS only if you are seeking outside funding from an organization (e.g. Soros) and/or law school.
This fellowship may be required to work remotely for some or all of the work week.
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.
POSITION OVERVIEW
The Committee for Public Counsel Services Innocence Program (IP), located in Roxbury Massachusetts, is accepting applications for sponsored public interest fellowships beginning in the fall of 2023. Third-year law students and attorneys seeking funding from outside sources and school-specific sources for work involving criminal justice may apply. You are encouraged to apply to the CPCS Innocence Program to secure your placement here prior to applying to your funding organization. Note: The CPCS Innocence Program does not fund its own in-house fellowship; please apply to CPCS only if you are seeking outside funding from an organization (e.g. Soros) and/or law school.
Applications Preferred by September 9, 2022.
The Innocence Program is a unit of the Massachusetts public defender’s office that is devoted to identifying and fighting wrongful convictions across the state. Our staff and private panel attorneys represent indigent state defendants who have been convicted and punished for crimes they did not commit. We accept both DNA and non-DNA based innocence claims, with special attention to cases involving eyewitness identification evidence, flawed or invalidated forensic science testimony, and false confessions. In the 12 years since our creation, our staff and panel attorneys have been instrumental in overturning the convictions of 21 wrongfully convicted Massachusetts defendants, 16 of whom have been fully exonerated. We also helped establish an innovative partnership with prosecutors, criminal clerks, and scientists from the Massachusetts State Police Crime Laboratory to identify areas of common concern related to wrongful convictions.
Subject Area of the Fellowship
The IP welcomes fellowship applications on any significant issue involving innocence litigation, wrongful convictions, prisoner reentry, or community engagement on these topics. Recent IP fellows have co-counseled cases in active litigation to seek DNA testing or challenge wrongful convictions. They also created training resources for trial attorneys and post-conviction attorneys, researching causes of wrongful convictions including hair microscopy, false confessions, and informants and snitches.
POSITION DESCRIPTION
Fellows will work with IP staff and panel attorneys on the evaluation, investigation, and litigation of post-conviction innocence cases in Massachusetts, including direct representation in a co-counsel capacity. Fellows also work with staff members on non-litigation projects, including the development of educational resources and programs related to wrongful convictions and community engagement around the causes and costs of wrongful convictions. The fellowship’s length will be governed by the funding organization’s policy.
This fellowship may be required to work remotely for some or all of the work week.
MINIMUM ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS
Applicants should have a commitment to criminal justice issues and to the importance of whole-client representation, be self-motivated, and be able to work well with a wide range of people. Excellent research and writing skills are required.
Applicants must have access to their own computer with home internet access so they may work remotely some or all of their fellowship period.
Please upload a resume, list of references, and writing sample, along with a cover letter indicating specific interests, possible project proposal, and fellowship or funding source(s).
Applications will be considered on a rolling basis, with preference given to those application received by September 9, 2022.
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