The Mental Health Litigation Division of the Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS), the Massachusetts public defender agency, is seeking to fill the Attorney in Charge position in its Roxbury Trial Office. This office is responsible for civil commitments filed by Lemuel Shattuck Hospital, Dr. Solomon Carter Fuller Mental Health Center, Faulkner Hospital, and other facilities in the metro-Boston area.
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.
DIVISION OVERVIEW
The Mental Health Litigation Division (MHLD) provides leadership, training, support, and oversight for four staffed trial offices, trial and support unit, training unit, an appellate unit, and a panel of private trial and appellate attorneys. The Division is committed to protecting the legal and constitutional rights of persons facing civil commitment to public and private psychiatric facilities, the involuntary administration of extraordinary medical treatment, including anti-psychotic medications, and the appointment of a guardian. We are dedicated to zealous advocacy and a client centered model.
Mental Health Litigation Division 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. Attorneys may also represent clients in appeals to the Appellate Divisions of the District and Municipal Courts.
OFFICE OVERVIEW
Roxbury is one of 23 official neighborhoods of Boston and serves as the "heart of Black culture in Boston." Roxbury was one of the first towns founded in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630. Today Roxbury is home to a diverse community which includes African American, Hispanic, Asian, and white families. The neighborhood has a total population of nearly 60,000 people. The MBTA provides subway and bus services to the Roxbury community.
POSITION OVERVIEW
The Attorney in Charge (AIC) oversees a trial office comprised of one AIC, four staff Trial Attorneys, one Social Services Advocate, and one Administrative Assistant. The Roxbury Trial Office primarily covers the Boston Municipal Court and other District and Superior Courts as case assignments require. This office is responsible for civil commitments filed by Lemuel Shattuck Hospital, Dr. Solomon Carter Fuller Mental Health Center, Faulkner Hopsital, and other facilities in the metro-Boston area.
The AIC reports directly to the MHLD Managing Director. The AIC is expected to collaborate with other MHLD AICs, the Division’s Deputy Chief Counsel and other Directors to fulfill the Division and Agency’s mission.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
The Attorney in Charge is responsible for the management of the day-to-day operations and personnel in the Roxbury Trial Office, including, but not limited to the following:
• Supervising the staff Trial Attorneys, the Social Services Advocate, and the Administrative Assistant, and ensuring that annual performance evaluations are completed for all staff in a timely and comprehensive manner;
• Ensuring that all cases are assigned promptly and opened and closed in a timely fashion;
• Representing individual clients with a reduced caseload of civil commitments, 8B petitions, and related mental health proceedings;
• Fostering a respectful, positive and collaborative work environment;
• Training and supporting the staff attorneys, social service advocate, and administrative assistant;
• Fully embracing the CPCS case management system, including the ability to generate and interpret case statistics and reports, and ensuring the collection of data for performance management, program evaluation, and policy advocacy;
• Providing on-going in-house training for staff and working with the MHLD Training Director to help develop and deliver training for staff;
• Understanding, communicating, and ensuring compliance with the agency’s Personnel Policies;
• Collaborating with other Attorneys in Charge, MHLD Directors and the MHLD Deputy Chief Counsel on matters affecting the Division and the Agency; and,
•Other duties as assigned.
The Attorney in Charge is also responsible for representing clients in accordance with CPCS and MHLD practice standards:
• Visiting with and interviewing clients at the facilities;
• Conducting pre-trial investigation and discovery, including reviewing facility and other medical and psychiatric records, and interviewing facility staff;
• Working extensively with forensic psychiatric and psychological clinicians;
• Locating and interviewing witnesses and consulting with service providers;
• Conducting legal research and writing; and,
• Representing clients in pretrial proceedings, hearings, and interlocutory appeals.
MINIMUM ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS
Applicants for the position of Attorney in Charge shall:
• 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;
• Have a minimum of seven years’ experience as an attorney, including at least 4 years handling mental health cases;
• Have access to an automobile in order to travel to clients, facilities, courts, and related locations that are not easily accessible by public transportation; and,
• Have access to a personal computer with home internet access sufficient to work remotely.
To apply: please submit a statement of interest, a résumé and a writing sample. The statement of interest should include a description of the candidate’s trial, supervisory, and administrative or management experience, as well as a discussion of any priorities and vision for leading the office.
QUALIFICATIONS/SKILLS
• Demonstrated commitment to serve racially, ethnically, and culturally diverse low-income populations;
• Experience working with clients of all ages, races, and backgrounds, including among others, LGBTQIA clients, survivors of trauma, people with disabilities, and indigent and other vulnerable populations;
• Significant trial experience;
• Administrative and managerial skills and supervisory experience;
• Having strong interpersonal and communication skills, along with the ability to understand and handle sensitive and confidential information;
• Foreign language skills to support interaction with limited English proficient groups in the region are desirable;
• Strong interpersonal and analytical skills; and,
• Ability to work in a community and defense-oriented capacity, both independently and collaboratively.
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/2421/attorney-in-charge---m...