Attorney in Charge - YAD Quincy

Committee for Public Counsel Services•Quincy, MA

About The Position

The Youth Advocacy Division (YAD) of the Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS), Massachusetts’s public defender agency, seeks an experienced juvenile defender to lead its Quincy office. The office includes an Attorney in Charge, four staff attorneys, a Social Service Advocate, and an Administrative Assistant. The Attorney in Charge oversees a trial office that integrates legal and social-service work to address clients’ legal and developmental needs. The role combines local office management, individual client representation, support for YAD statewide, and collaboration with private assigned counsel to strengthen juvenile defense practice and training. The Attorney in Charge reports directly to a Managing Director of YAD and participates in regular meetings with other YAD Attorneys in Charge, local Juvenile Supervising Attorneys, and the YAD management team. CPCS provides court-appointed representation to people who cannot afford an attorney when required by law. YAD works to ensure indigent children in Massachusetts receive zealous representation in delinquency, GCL revocation, juvenile murder, juvenile appeals, and youthful offender cases. CPCS emphasizes community-oriented defense, excellent legal representation, diversity, equity, inclusion, and respectful professional relationships. The Attorney in Charge is expected to follow CPCS’s enabling legislation, Massachusetts Rules of Professional Conduct, CPCS performance guidelines, and other agency practice standards.

Requirements

Be eligible to practice law in Massachusetts as a member of the Massachusetts bar in good standing, or be an attorney in another jurisdiction eligible for limited Massachusetts practice under Supreme Judicial Court Rule 3:04.
Have at least seven years of experience handling criminal defense cases.
Have access to an automobile for travel to courts, clients, and investigation locations not easily accessible by public transportation.
Have reliable home internet access sufficient to work remotely.

Nice To Haves

Strong experience in juvenile defense, particularly community-oriented defender practice.
Experience supervising, managing, and training attorneys and other staff.
Demonstrated commitment to and understanding of juvenile justice practice and policy.
Demonstrated commitment to zealous advocacy for indigent people in criminal cases.
Ability and commitment to complete annual performance evaluations in a timely and comprehensive manner.
Demonstrated writing and public speaking skills.
Strong organizational and administrative abilities.
Substantial knowledge of state and local resources useful to juvenile defendants.
Ability to provide in-house training and disseminate information about case law and other relevant legal developments.
Substantial experience using forensic experts.

Responsibilities

Manage and supervise the juvenile public defender office, overseeing client representation using YAD’s Positive Youth Development approach to interdisciplinary representation in delinquency, youthful offender, and related proceedings.
Maintain a reduced caseload and take the lead on difficult and potentially precedent-setting cases.
Ensure cases are assigned promptly and opened and closed in a timely manner.
Ensure timely and comprehensive annual performance evaluations for all staff.
Apply the Positive Youth Development approach to zealous advocacy, including education advocacy and the use of staff and private social workers.
Use the CPCS case management system, including generating and interpreting case statistics and reports for performance management, program evaluation, and policy advocacy.
Participate in, support, and provide leadership to local juvenile defender communities and stakeholders, and encourage staff to engage meaningfully in client communities.
Provide ongoing in-house staff training and work with the YAD Training Director to develop and deliver training for private counsel.
Build and maintain working relationships with the local Juvenile Court, Probation, DYS, DCF, community agencies, and other juvenile justice stakeholders; represent YAD in selected circumstances.
Perform other duties as assigned.
Attend regular meetings with other YAD Attorneys in Charge, local Juvenile Supervising Attorneys, and the YAD management team.
Adhere to CPCS’s enabling legislation, Massachusetts Rules of Professional Conduct, CPCS performance guidelines, and other agency practice standards.