Overview

The Youth Advocacy Division (YAD), the juvenile defender division of CPCS, is seeking a Supervising Staff Attorney for its Springfield office. The Supervising Staff Attorney will provide zealous legal representation on delinquency and youthfuloffender cases using the Positive Youth Development Approach and under the direction of the offices Attorney in Charge, will assist in the supervision of staff Trial Attorneys and help set a positive and supportive office culture.

 

POSITION OVERVIEW

 

As youth in Massachusetts have a right to jury trials, the Attorney in Charge (AIC) oversees a trial office which integrates the work of attorneys, social service advocates (SSA), investigators, and administrative assistants (AA) to fully address the legal and developmental needs of our clients. The Springfield office is comprised of one AIC, two Supervising Attorneys, seven staff attorneys, two SSAs, an investigator, and two full time AAs and a part time AA. The Springfield office covers the four western counties of Massachusetts: Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden, and Hampshire.

 

YAD is seeking a Supervising Staff Attorney with a minimum of five years of experience providing representation in delinquency and youthful offender cases for its Springfield office. Under the direction of the offices Attorney in Charge, the Supervising Staff Attorney will assist in the supervision of staff Trial Attorneys and their coverage of outlying Juvenile Courts. The Supervising Staff Attorney will also have their own reduced caseload.

 

The Supervising Attorney will report to the Attorney in Charge.

Qualifications

MINIMUM ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS

 

• ASupervisingAttorney must be committed to serving a culturally diverse, low-income population and must be eligible to practice law in Massachusetts, either as a memberof 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;
• A minimum of five years experience and a demonstrated commitment to the principle of zealous advocacy in the representation of youth in delinquency and youthful offender 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.

There is a strong preference for applicants with seven or more yearsexperience in the representation of youth in delinquency and youthful offender cases.

 

 

QUALIFICATIONS/SKILLS

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

• Lawyers with seven or more years of experience are preferred and encouraged to apply;
• Experience with criminal, especially juvenile 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;
• The knowledge, skills, and ability to, in both an office and remote settings, effectively supervise staff and represent clients;
• Strong interpersonal skills, analytical ability, and legal skills;
• The ability and commitment to complete annual performance evaluations in a timely and comprehensive manner;
• Understanding of juvenile legal practice and policy issues;
• Experience with educational system advocacy;
• Experience working with children and youth;
• Ability to set a positive and supportive culture for all Springfield office staff; and,
• Fluency in Spanish is strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

RESPONSIBILITIES

The Supervising Attorney will provide both supervision of staff attorneys as well as zealous legal representation in a reduced caseload of delinquency and youthfuloffender matters using the Positive Youth Development Approach and all the same criminal defense skills needed to practice in district and superior courts.They also provide post dispositional advocacy and support to DYS committed youth, as well as school-based advocacy. The Supervising Attorney, in conjunction with the AIC and the other Supervising Attorney, will be responsible for setting a supportive and positive culture for the office.

 

The AIC and two Supervising Attorneys will each supervise the coverage of two or three Western Massachusetts Juvenile Courts and the staff attorneys who rotate through these courts. The Supervising Staff Attorney, in addition, will work on discrete projects related to improving legal representation and outcomes for court involved youth.Also, the Supervising Attorney will play a leadership role in working towards reducing the racial and ethnic disparities in the juvenile legal system.

 

The direct representation duties of the Supervising Attorney include, but are not limited to:

• 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;
• Representation of clients in interlocutory proceedings; and,
• Other duties as assigned.

The supervisory duties of the Supervising Staff Attorney include, but are not limited to:

• 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 student interns, as delegated by the offices Attorney in Charge; and,
• Other duties as assigned.

 

Interested candidates should submit a resume, a legal writing sample, and a statement of interest describing the applicants trial experience in delinquency and youthful offender cases and experience as a supervisor.