The Public Defender Division of CPCS, the Massachusetts public defender agency, is seeking two Supervising Attorneys with a minimum of five years of legal experience including at least three years providing criminal defense representation for its Framingham Office. Candidates must have sufficient trial experience in both the District and Superior Courts so they are qualified to supervise all Trial Attorney staff.

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Public Defender Division of CPCS, Framingham Office, is seeking two Supervising Attorneys with a minimum of five years of legal experience including at least three years providing criminal defense representation. Under the direction of the office’s Attorney in Charge, Supervising Attorneys will assist in the supervision of Trial Attorneys and will also have their own reduced caseload. Clients are indigent persons charged with criminal offenses within the final jurisdiction of the respective court. 

MINIMUM ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS

The following attributes are required for the position of Supervising Attorney: 

• 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 Court Rule 3:04;
• A minimum of five years of legal experience including at least three years providing criminal defense representation in District and Superior Courts;
• 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.

Candidates must have sufficient trial experience in both the District and Superior Courts so they may supervise all Trial Attorney staff.

QUALIFICATIONS/SKILLS

The following attributes are preferred for the position of Supervising Attorney: 

• Significant jury trial experience as lead counsel in criminal cases; including Superior Court cases;
• Commitment to working with a culturally diverse, low-income population,
• Willingness and ability to work positively and collaboratively with both the Attorney in Charge and Supervisees;
• 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

The Supervising Attorney will supervise Trial Attorneys assigned to District and Superior Court cases in addition to their case responsibilities. The Supervising Attorney must be capable of supervising new Trial Attorneys as well as experienced Trial Attorneys practicing in the Superior Court, particularly around serious felony or otherwise complex cases.

The direct representation duties of the Supervising Attorney include:  

• Client interviews;
• Arraignment and bail advocacy;
• Legal research and writing;
• Pretrial investigation including visiting crime scenes, locating and interviewing witnesses, collecting and reviewing documentary evidence;
• Preparing and arguing pretrial motions, affidavits and legal memoranda;
• Dispositional investigations and advocacy;
• Jury and bench trials of criminal cases; and,
• Representation of clients in interlocutory proceedings.

The supervisory duties of the Supervising Attorney include, but are not limited to, the following in accordance with the CPCS Guidelines for Supervision of Public Defender Trial Attorneys and the Guidelines for the Implementation of Unified Public Defender Division Offices:

• Regular one-on-one meetings with individual supervisees to review case files, as well as group meetings, to review case preparation and performance;
• In-court supervision, including second-seating of trials and significant pretrial hearings;
• Preparation of annual performance evaluations;
• Presentation of in-office training sessions;
• Supervision of other staff, such as investigators and student interns, as delegated by the office’s Attorney in Charge; and,
• Other duties as assigned.