The Immigration Impact Unit of the Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS), the public defender agency of Massachusetts, is seeking to fill the position of Staff Counsel I to provide immigration advice, training, and litigation support to court appointed attorneys throughout Massachusetts. 

The position allows for a hybrid work schedule. 

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 Immigration Impact Unit (IIU) supports CPCS staff attorneys and bar advocates in all divisions of CPCS to provide equitable, client-centered representation to immigrant clients and provides technical assistance on relevant immigration issues. The IIU provides training, litigation support, and advice in individual cases on the impact of criminal and juvenile delinquency charges on a client’s immigration status, as well as the impact of a client’s immigration status on child welfare/family defense cases, mental health, and other civil commitment proceedings. The unit also engages in some systemic litigation on issues regarding immigration enforcement and other issues impacting CPCS clients.

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Staff Counsel I will work under the direction of the Director of the Immigration Impact Unit and will work in close collaboration with other staff counsel in the IIU. The Staff Counsel I position supports CPCS staff attorneys and bar advocates in all divisions of CPCS to provide equitable, client-centered representation to immigrant clients and to provide technical assistance on immigration issues.

The Staff Counsel I position provides advice and expertise in individual cases on the impact of criminal and juvenile delinquency charges on a client’s immigration status, as well as the impact of a client’s immigration status in parole, mental health, and other civil commitment proceedings.

The Staff Counsel I position, in collaboration with other staff counsel in the IIU, will have the opportunity to explore litigation on systemic issues that impact our immigrant clients, for example issues related to ICE involvement in the state criminal system. The attorney will provide litigation support on post-conviction motions, and draft amicus briefs in relevant cases.

The position is eligible for a hybrid work schedule.

This position reports to the Director of the Immigration Impact Unit.

MINIMUM ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS

• Staff Counsel I 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;
• Experience litigating immigration cases in Federal court at both the District and Circuit court levels;
• Experience in immigration law;
• Access to reliable transportation is required in order to travel to courts, meetings, and training locations that are not easily accessible by public transportation; and,
• Access to home internet access sufficient to work remotely.

QUALIFICATIONS/SKILLS

Candidates should possess the following attributes for this position:

• Experience in the interplay between Massachusetts criminal and federal immigration law is strongly preferred;
• Experience with impact or systemic litigation in the immigration law arena is strongly preferred;
• Excellent analytic and writing skills; 
• Candidates must be able to work independently and collaboratively and must be strongly committed to working with indigent immigrant clients.

To apply: please supply a resume, a personal statement of interest, and a writing sample.

RESPONSIBILITIES

The duties of the Staff Counsel I include, but are not limited to: 

• Providing immigration advice and expertise on individual cases to court-appointed attorneys throughout Massachusetts;
• Monitoring immigration-related issues that impact immigrants in the criminal legal system and litigating those issues in federal and/or state court, when necessary;
• Drafting written resources, training materials, and practice advisories on relevant federal immigration law for Massachusetts practitioners;
• Developing and presenting training programs for court-appointed attorneys on immigration issues related to their practices;
• Providing litigation support to court-appointed attorneys on post-conviction motions filed to minimize adverse immigration consequences; 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