Job Description

The Youth Advocacy Division of the Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS), the Massachusetts public defender agency, is seeking to fill a Staff Counsel position in its EdLaw Project. The EdLaw Project is a dynamic team seeking to shut down the school to prison pipeline. EdLaw attorneys engage in direct client representation, provide extensive technical assistance and mentoring to CPCS attorneys and bar advocates, and engage in statewide education policy advocacy and litigation.

This position will be seated in Western Massachusetts where there is available CPCS office space and is eligible for a hybrid work schedule.

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.

Our Values

Courage • Accountability • Respect • Excellence

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION MISSION STATEMENT

CPCS is committed to protecting the fundamental constitutional and human rights of our assigned clients through zealous advocacy, community-oriented defense, and the fullness of excellent legal representation. We are dedicated to building and maintaining strong professional relationships, while striving to accept, listen to and respect the diverse circumstances of each client, as we dedicate ourselves to meeting their individual needs. It is our CPCS mission to achieve these goals, and in furtherance thereof, we embrace and endorse diversity, equity and inclusion as our core values as we maintain a steadfast commitment to: (1) Ensure that CPCS management and staff members represent a broad range of human differences and experience; (2) Provide a work climate that is respectful and supports success; and (3) Promote the dignity and well-being of all staff members. CPCS leadership is responsible for ensuring equity, diversity, and inclusion. The ability to achieve these goals with any level of certainty is ultimately the responsibility of each member of the CPCS community.

AGENCY OVERVIEW

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, 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.

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.

EDLAW OVERVIEW

The EdLaw Project is an education advocacy unit that provides multi-disciplinary support in education advocacy matters across divisions in CPCS and across the state. We offer a wide variety of experiences to the attorneys who work here including direct client representation, mentorship and policy advocacy. We are a supportive and cohesive team that currently includes eight attorneys, two social workers, an intake coordinator / paralegal and an administrative assistant. EdLaw provides the opportunity for attorneys to work specifically at the intersection of school and court, an intersection that often leads a student on the path to future involvement in the criminal legal system.

EdLaw has offices in Boston, Roxbury, Salem, and Springfield. This position will be seated in Western Massachusetts where there is available CPCS office space and is eligible for a hybrid work schedule

The EdLaw Project of CPCS is seeking an education attorney to join our team. The EdLaw Project provides direct representation to children and young people involved with the juvenile court, legal training and support to attorneys and social workers, and free advice and consultation to families across the state. The education attorney position will have responsibilities across all areas listed above.

The Staff Counsel will report to the Director of Education Advocacy.

Attorneys with a minimum of three years of relevant legal experience, including some specific experience with education advocacy, are encouraged to apply.

Qualifications

MINIMUM ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS

• Attorneys must be committed to serving a culturally diverse, low-income population and must be 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 to travel to courts, clients, and school locations that are not easily accessible by public transportation; and,
• Access to home internet access sufficient to work remotely.

QUALIFICATIONS/SKILLS

Candidates should possess the following attributes for the position of Staff Counsel:

• Experience providing direct education law representation (three or more years preferred). Candidates with fewer years of experience who demonstrate strong knowledge, initiative, and the ability to manage an active caseload will be fully considered;
• Experience with the juvenile court system;
• Experience with the child welfare system;
• Experience with state agencies such as DCF, DMH and DDS;
• Ability to provide trauma informed and culturally competent representation;
• A demonstrated commitment to justice;
• Experience working with children and young people of diverse backgrounds;
• Knowledge of state and local resources of use to children and young people;
• Understanding of juvenile legal practice and policy issues; and,
• Fluency in Spanish, Portuguese or Haitian-Creole is strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

RESPONSIBILITIES

The duties of the Staff Counsel include, but are not limited to:

• Providing direct representation in all areas of education advocacy including school-based meetings, special education team meetings, school discipline hearings and appeals (including possible appeals to district and superior court), state complaints, and other collateral consequences of school failure;
• Meeting with clients and conducting intake interviews;
• Providing direct support to delinquency and child welfare attorneys through advisory case support, requests for assistance, and ongoing regionally based training;
• Providing direct representation in administrative hearings before the Bureau of Special Education Appeals;
• 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;
• Participating in state and local coalitions to drive education policy reform;
• Keeping up to date on practice issues and emerging laws to be able to provide appropriate and timely training and assisting with researching, preparing, and publishing training materials, legal outlines, practice guides, and practice advisories;
• Conducting legal research and writing, including preparing papers for National conferences, with publishing opportunities;
• Mentoring attorneys from area law firms on pro bono education matters;
• Working on projects related to improving legal representation and outcomes for court involved children;
• Assisting with the creation of annual plans for education advocacy training programs and projects; and,
• Other duties as assigned.

EEO Statement

The Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS) is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ethnicity, sex, disability, religion, age, veteran or military status, genetic information, gender identity, or sexual orientation as required by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and other applicable federal and state statutes and organizational policies. Applicants who have questions about equal employment opportunity or who need reasonable accommodations can contact the Chief Human Resources Officer, Sandra DeBow-Huang, at sdebow@publiccounsel.net