Supervising Attorney - PDD Boston Central & Boston Metro

About the role

The Public Defender Division of CPCS, the Massachusetts public defender agency, is seeking Supervising Attorneys with a minimum of four years of experience providing criminal defense representation for the Boston Metro Office and the newly created Boston Central Office.

Responsibilities

• Supervise Trial Attorneys assigned to Municipal, District, and Superior Court cases in addition to their case responsibilities.
• Supervise new Trial Attorneys as well as experienced Trial Attorneys practicing in the Superior Court, particularly around serious felony or otherwise complex cases.
• Direct Representation Duties 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;
• Representation of clients in interlocutory proceedings.
• Duties 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 investigators and student interns, as delegated by the office’s Attorney in Charge;
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• 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 four years of experience 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;
• Access to home internet access sufficient to work remotely.

Skills

• 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;
• Foreign language skills, Spanish in particular, are desirable.

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.