Trial Attorney - YAD Lowell

Commonwealth of Massachusetts • Lowell, MA

8h

About The Position

The Youth Advocacy Division (YAD) of the Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS), Massachusetts’s public defender agency, is seeking a Trial Attorney for its Lowell office. YAD Trial Attorneys represent children and young people in delinquency and youthful offender cases, using the Positive Youth Development Approach alongside the criminal defense skills used in district and superior courts. They also provide post-dispositional advocacy and support to youth committed to the Department of Youth Services (DYS), school-based advocacy, and work on projects to improve legal representation and outcomes for court-involved children. Trial Attorneys help address racial and ethnic disparities in the juvenile legal system and may be assigned cases in other counties as needed.

CPCS provides counsel to people who cannot afford an attorney when representation is required by the constitution or statute. YAD is CPCS’s juvenile defender division and supports a community of staff public defenders and private assigned counsel. Its trial offices integrate the work of Trial Attorneys, social service advocates, and administrative assistants to address clients’ legal and developmental needs.

The Lowell office also covers Lawrence. The successful candidate must be committed to serving a culturally diverse, low-income population and must be eligible to practice law in Massachusetts. The position requires access to an automobile for travel to courts, clients, and investigation locations that are not easily accessible by public transportation, as well as home internet sufficient to work remotely.

Requirements

• Commitment to serving a culturally diverse, low-income population.
• Eligibility to practice law in Massachusetts as a member of the Massachusetts bar in good standing, a law school graduate under Supreme Judicial Court Rule 3:03, or an out-of-state bar member eligible for limited Massachusetts practice under Supreme Judicial Court Rule 3:04.
• Access to an automobile for travel to courts, clients, and investigation locations not easily accessible by public transportation.
• Access to home internet sufficient to work remotely.
• Experience with criminal defense, especially youth defense.
• Experience with a community-oriented defender practice.
• Ability to provide trauma-informed and culturally competent representation.
• Knowledge of adolescent development and positive youth development.
• Demonstrated commitment to social justice issues and experience working with individuals from diverse backgrounds.
• Knowledge of state and local resources useful to juvenile defendants.
• Understanding of juvenile justice practice and policy issues.
• Experience with educational system advocacy.
• Experience with the child welfare system.
• Experience working with children and youth.

Nice To Haves

• Fluency in Spanish is strongly preferred.
• Lawyers with four or more years of experience are encouraged to apply.

Responsibilities

• Provide zealous legal representation in delinquency and youthful offender cases using the Positive Youth Development Approach and criminal defense skills.
• Provide post-dispositional advocacy and support to youth committed to the Department of Youth Services.
• Provide school-based advocacy.
• Work on projects to improve legal representation and outcomes for court-involved children.
• Play a leadership role in reducing racial and ethnic disparities in the juvenile legal system.
• Handle cases in other counties as needed.

What This Job Offers

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