OverviewThe Public Defender Division of the Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS), the Massachusetts public defender agency, is excited to announce the opening of a new Conflict Advocacy Office in Hampden County. We are seeking an experienced attorney to be the first Attorney in Charge of the Conflict Advocacy Office. The Attorney in Charge will lead and manage the Conflict Advocacy Office as well as represent individual clients.
POSITION OVERVIEW
The Attorney-in-Charge of the CAO is expected to perform a multitude of functions and responsibilities that are unmistakably attendant to being the leader of a high functioning trial office within the agency.
The Attorney-in-Charge supervises and assists staff Trial Attorneys to ensure the zealous advocacy and effective representation of every assigned client entrusted to our legal care. The Attorney-in-Charge is responsible for managing the day-to-day functioning of the office including supervision of other staff, including Administrative Assistants.
The Attorney-in-Charge is expected to maintain an active, albeit reduced caseload, and it is also incumbent upon the Attorney-in-Charge to provide the same fullness and excellence of representation, no different than any other Trial Attorney, while consistently striking a balance between those responsibilities, and the required managerial duties and obligations of an Attorney-in-Charge.
Qualifications
MINIMUM ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS
The following attributes are required for the position of Attorney-in-Charge:
- Eligible to practice law in this jurisdiction as a member of the Massachusetts bar in good standing, or as an attorney in another jurisdiction who is eligible to engage in limited Massachusetts practice under Supreme Judicial Court Rule 3:04;
- A minimum of seven years of experience handling criminal cases, at least four of which were as assigned counsel for indigent persons in criminal cases;
- Access to an automobile in order to travel to courts, clients, and investigation locations that are not easily accessible by public transportation; and,
- Access to home internet access sufficient to work remotely.
QUALIFICATIONS/SKILLS
- Significant Superior Court or equivalent jury trial experience;
- Administrative and managerial skills and supervisory experience;
- Commitment to working with a culturally diverse, low-income population;
- A demonstrated commitment to the principle of zealous advocacy in the representation of indigent persons in criminal cases;
- Ability and commitment to complete annual performance evaluations in a timely and comprehensive manner;
- Strong interpersonal and analytical skills;
- Ability to work in community and defense-oriented capacity, both independently and collaboratively; and,
- Foreign language skills, Spanish in particular, are desirable.
Responsibilities
RESPONSIBILITIES
The Attorney-in-Charge must be able to supervise and assist trial lawyers in the development of trial strategies, motions practice, and myriad other tasks that trial lawyers must undertake. The Attorney-in-Charge is also responsible for the supervision and development of non-attorney support staff in the office.
The administrative responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
- Understanding, communicating, and ensuring compliance with the agency’s Personnel Policies;
- Being thoroughly familiar with the CPCS case management system, including the ability to generate and interpret case statistics and reports;
- Ensuring that attorneys’ schedules and caseloads are reasonable and conform with CPCS guidelines, performance standards, and practice advisories;
- Ensuring case files are properly maintained and scanned at the conclusion of each case;
- Assigning all cases promptly;
- Ensuring that all cases are promptly opened and closed in the agency’s case management system;
- Ensuring that all cases are promptly checked for conflicts of interest, and when discovered, reassigning those cases immediately;
- Ensuring that detailed running sheets for each case are current and electronically maintained;
- Ensuring that annual performance evaluations are completed for all staff in a timely and comprehensive manner; and,
- Other duties as assigned.
In addition, the Attorney-in-Charge is responsible for:
- Ensuring that information about recent developments in the law, CPCS policies and practices, and other relevant matters are disseminated to staff in a timely manner;
- Providing ongoing in-house training to ensure continued excellence by all staff in furtherance of the CPCS mission statement;
- Fostering positive relationships within the community and courthouses, and ensuring that a professional relationship and leadership role is maintained with the assigned private bar in the county;
- Providing zealous and effective representation of the AIC’s own clients consistent with PDD guidelines and performance standards; and,
- Other duties as assigned.
The Attorney-in-Charge must also attend regular meetings with other office heads, Managing Directors, and the Deputy Chief Counsel to discuss management and policy issues. The Attorney-in-Charge will be directly supervised by a Managing Director.
Candidates should submit a letter of interest, resume, and writing sample. The letter of interest should include a description of the candidate’s trial, supervisory, and administrative or management experience, as well as a discussion of their priorities and vision for leading the office.
