Trial Attorney - YAD Lowell

About the role

The Youth Advocacy Division of the Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS), the Massachusetts public defender agency, is seeking to fill a Trial Attorney position in its Lowell Office.

Responsibilities

• Provide zealous legal representation on delinquency and youthful offender cases using the Positive Youth Development Approach, as well as using all the same criminal defense skills needed to practice in district and superior courts.
• Provide post-dispositional advocacy and support to DYS committed youth, as well as school-based advocacy.
• Work on projects related to improving legal representation and outcomes for court involved children.
• Play a leadership role in working towards reducing the racial and ethnic disparities in the juvenile legal system.
• May be assigned cases in other counties as needed.

Qualifications

• A Trial Attorney 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, 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;
• 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

• Experience with criminal, especially youth defense;
• Experience with a community-oriented defender practice;
• Ability to provide trauma informed and culturally competent representation;
• Demonstrated commitment to social justice issues and experience working with individuals of diverse backgrounds;
• Knowledge of positive youth development;
• Knowledge of state and local resources of use to juvenile defendants;
• Understanding of juvenile justice practice and policy issues;
• Experience with educational system advocacy;
• Experience with the child welfare system;
• Experience working with children and youth;
• Fluency in Spanish is strongly preferred;
• Lawyers with four or more years of experience are encouraged to apply.