Trial Attorney - YAD Springfield

Commonwealth of Massachusetts • Springfield, MA

16h • Hybrid

About The Position

The Youth Advocacy Division (YAD) of the Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS), the Massachusetts public defender agency, is seeking to fill a Trial Attorney position in its Springfield Office. 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. 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, child welfare, 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. The YAD, the juvenile defender division of CPCS, is committed to ensuring that every indigent child in Massachusetts has access to zealous legal representation in delinquency, GCL Revocation, juvenile murder, juvenile appeals, and youthful offender cases from a diverse and ever improving community of juvenile defenders consisting of both private assigned counsel and staff public defenders. YAD provides leadership, training, support, and oversight to the indigent juvenile defense bar in Massachusetts. As youth in Massachusetts have a right to jury trials, an Attorney in Charge (AIC) oversees a trial office which integrates the work of Trial Attorneys, a social service advocate (SSA), and an administrative assistant (AA) to fully address the legal and developmental needs of our clients. The Springfield YAD office covers juvenile courts in the four most western counties in the state: Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden, and Hampshire. This attorney position will potentially handle duty assignments in each of these counties. Thus, applicants must be willing to travel distances and be flexible with court assignments.

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, as a law school graduate under Supreme Judicial Court Rule 3:03, 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 home internet access sufficient to work remotely.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with criminal, especially youth defense.
• Experience with a community-oriented defender practice.
• Ability to provide trauma informed and culturally competent representation.
• Knowledge of adolescent development.
• A demonstrated commitment to social justice issues and experience working with individuals of diverse backgrounds.
• Knowledge of positive youth development.
• Knowledge of state and local resources of use 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.
• Fluency in Spanish is strongly preferred.
• Lawyers with four or more years of experience are encouraged to apply.

Responsibilities

• Provide zealous legal representation on delinquency and youthful offender cases using the Positive Youth Development Approach, as well as using all the same criminal defense skills needed to practice in district and superior courts.
• Provide post-dispositional advocacy and support to DYS committed youth.
• Provide school-based advocacy.
• Work on projects related to improving legal representation and outcomes for court involved children.
• Play a leadership role in working towards reducing the racial and ethnic disparities in the juvenile legal system.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level