Trial Attorney - CAFL Transition Age Youth Office

Committee for Public Counsel Services•Framingham, MA

18h•Remote

About The Position

The Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS), the public defender agency for Massachusetts, is establishing a new Transition Age Youth Office within the Children and Family Law Division. This office, part of the Family Justice Advocates "conflicts office," will utilize a multidisciplinary team to enhance representation and advocacy for young adults and transition-aged youth navigating the family regulation system. Initially operating as a fully remote office, the final location is anticipated to be in Framingham or another Metro West or Greater Boston area. CPCS is dedicated to fighting for equal justice and human dignity by supporting clients in achieving their legal and life goals, zealously advocating for rights, and promoting just public policy. The agency's mission is to protect constitutional and human rights through zealous advocacy and excellent legal representation, embracing diversity, equity, and inclusion as core values. CPCS provides legal representation when constitutionally or statutorily required for individuals who cannot afford an attorney, covering a range of case types including criminal, delinquency, family regulation, and mental health matters. The Transition Age Youth (TAY) Office specifically focuses on providing multidisciplinary support for transition-aged youth, offering case support, training, and direct client representation in Care and Protection cases (ages 14-22), Children Requiring Assistance, and Permanency for Young Adult cases. The TAY Office is part of the Family Justice Advocates (FJA), CAFL's "conflicts trial office," which handles cases where CAFL staff attorneys have a conflict of interest. The TAY Office will consist of an Attorney in Charge, trial attorneys, a social worker, an administrative assistant, and a peer support specialist.

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
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
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
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