The Public Defender Division of the Committee for Public Counsel Services, the public defender agency of Massachusetts, is seeking a full-time Supervising Staff Attorney for its Appeals Unit in Boston. 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 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.

OFFICE OVERVIEW

The state-wide Public Defender Division (“PDD”) Appeals Unit is centrally located in downtown Boston, within walking distance of the John Adams Courthouse, where both the Supreme Judicial Court and Massachusetts Appeals Court hear cases. The Unit is a close-knit office with a strong culture of collegiality and collaboration. The Unit prides itself on providing excellent, client-centered representation and strives to advance the law for the benefit of defendants around the state.

The Appeals Unit provides legal representation and appellate advocacy for indigent adult clients in the Massachusetts appellate courts, and occasionally in federal court or state trial courts. The cases handled by the Appeals Unit are primarily direct appeals in criminal cases (from misdemeanors to serious felonies), but also include motions for new trials, interlocutory appeals, and amicus briefs in selected cases. In addition, the Unit provides training and assistance to trial attorneys around the state and often assists the agency with system-wide issues and challenges.

Currently, attorneys in the Appeals Unit work remotely on Mondays and Tuesdays and are expected to be in the office from Wednesday to Friday. 

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Appeals Unit of the Public Defender Division is seeking a Supervising Staff Attorney, with a minimum of five years of experience providing appellate criminal defense representation or equivalent legal experience. Under the direction of the Unit’s Attorney in Charge, the Supervising Staff Attorney will assist in the supervision of Appeals Attorneys and will also have their own reduced caseload.

MINIMUM ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS

The following attributes are required for the position of Supervising Staff Attorney: 

• 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 Court Rule 3:04;
• A minimum of five years of experience providing appellate criminal defense representation or equivalent legal experience;
• Access to an automobile in order to travel to courts, clients, and investigation locations that are not easily accessible by public transportation; and,
• Access to home internet access sufficient to work remotely. 

Candidates must also be able to work in a defense-oriented capacity, both independently and collaboratively, and be committed to working with a culturally diverse, low-income population.  Candidates must possess very strong writing and oral advocacy skills

QUALIFICATIONS/SKILLS

Candidates should possess the following attributes for the position of Supervising Staff Attorney:

• Significant experience representing clients as lead counsel on criminal appeals or equivalent legal experience for a minimum of seven (7) years;
• Willingness and ability to work positively and collaboratively with both the Attorney in Charge and Supervisees;
• 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 to work successfully, both independently and collaboratively; and,
• Foreign language skills to support interaction with predominant limited English proficient groups in the region are desirable, but not required.

To apply, candidates must submit a resume, letter of interest which includes a description of prior appellate and supervisory experience, and a writing sample. Please indicate whether the writing sample was substantially edited by anyone else.

RESPONSIBILITIES

The direct representation duties of the Supervising Staff Attorney include, but are not limited to:

•  Interviewing clients;
• Conducting legal research;
• Collecting and reviewing documentary evidence;
• Writing briefs, reply briefs, motions for reconsideration, and applications for direct and further appellate review;
• Arguing before the Appeals Court and the Supreme Judicial Court, including preparation via moot arguments, and assisting other attorneys with their moot arguments;
• Conducting post-conviction investigation, including visiting crime scenes and locating and interviewing witnesses, when needed, and litigating post-conviction motions, including motions for new trial, when appropriate;
• Providing formal and informal assistance to PDD Trial Attorneys on trial court level cases;
• Providing training to PDD and Private Counsel Division staff attorneys;
• Drafting or assisting in the drafting of amicus briefs;
• Assisting the agency in work on special projects involving systemic legal issues with broad impact;
• Participating in brainstorming sessions on Appeals Unit cases with the other members of the Unit;
• Keeping up with new opinions on criminal law and procedure issued by the Supreme Judicial Court, Massachusetts Appeals Court, and United States Supreme Court; and,
• Other duties as assigned.

 The supervisory duties of the Supervising Staff Attorney include, but are not limited to, the following in accordance with the CPCS Guidelines for Supervision of Public Defender Attorneys:

•  Regular one-on-one meetings with individual supervisees to review case preparation and performance;
• Careful editing of supervisees’ written pleadings, with attention to legal analysis as well as style and grammar;
• Assisting the attorney-in-charge in case selection and assignment;
• Preparation of annual performance evaluations;
• Presentation of in-office training sessions; and,
• Other duties as assigned.

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, Sandra DeBow-Huang, at sdebow@publiccounsel.net