Trial Attorney - LGBTQ+ Liaison - CAFL Transition Age Youth Office

Committee for Public Counsel Services • Framingham, MA

21h • Remote

About The Position

The Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS), the public defender agency for Massachusetts, is establishing a new Transition Age Youth (TAY) Office within the Children and Family Law Division. This office, part of the Family Justice Advocates (FJA), aims to improve representation and advocacy for young adults and transition-aged youth navigating the family regulation system. The TAY Office will provide multidisciplinary support, including direct client representation, legal training, and consultation to attorneys statewide. The LGBTQ+ Liaison role within this office will serve as a primary resource for the Family Justice Advocates and private panel CAFL attorneys on matters concerning the representation of LGBTQ+ youth. Initially operating as a fully remote office, the TAY Office will eventually be located in the Metro West or Greater Boston area, with a potential site in Framingham. CPCS is dedicated to fighting for equal justice and human dignity by supporting clients in achieving their legal and life goals through zealous advocacy and promoting just public policy.

Requirements

• Committed to serving a culturally diverse, low-income population
• 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
• Access to an automobile in order to travel to courts, clients, and investigation locations that are not easily accessible by public transportation
• Access to a personal computer with home internet access sufficient to work remotely
• Demonstrated commitment to the principle of zealous advocacy in the representation of indigent persons
• Demonstrated expertise in LGBTQ+ youth representation and a commitment to improving the representation of LGBTQ+ youth in Massachusetts
• Strong interpersonal and analytical skills
• Ability to work in a community and defense-oriented capacity, both independently and collaboratively

Nice To Haves

• Trial experience in termination of parental rights cases as counsel for a parent and/or as counsel for a child or children or substantial experience working with adolescents or young adults
• Foreign language skills are desirable

Responsibilities

• Visiting and interviewing adolescents, young adults, and their sibling clients
• Pre-trial investigation and discovery, including locating and interviewing witnesses, reviewing documentary evidence, and consulting with experts and other service providers
• Legal research and writing, including preparing papers for National conferences, with publishing opportunities
• Advocating through the internal DCF administrative processes
• Representing clients in pretrial proceedings, hearings, trials, and interlocutory appeals
• Advocating with DCF and other providers for appropriate services for clients and other family members
• Coordinating advocacy with CPCS, CAFL, and FJA social work staff
• Providing direct support to child welfare attorneys through advisory case support, requests for assistance, and ongoing regionally based training
• Training FJA staff and others on the representation of LGBTA+ youth
• Advising and consulting with FJA and CAFL private panel attorneys on cases that involve LGBTQ+ youth
• Assisting with the creation of annual plans for young adult and transition age youth advocacy training programs and projects
• Participating in state and local coalitions to drive policy reform
• Maintaining strong working relationships with the local Juvenile Court, Probation, DYS, DCF, DESE, community agencies, and other stakeholders in the Juvenile and Child Welfare systems
• Other duties as assigned

Benefits

• 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.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed