CPCS Deputy Chief Counsel – Private Counsel Division

OVERVIEW

CPCS is seeking applications for Deputy Chief Counsel of the Private Counsel Division.  The Private Counsel Division delivers legal services to indigent clients through assigned private attorneys in criminal defense trial and post-conviction cases as well as commitment and registration cases for persons convicted of sex offenses.  The Deputy Chief Counsel for the Private Counsel Division is a member of the senior management team that develops and implements agency fiscal, operational, human resource and legislative policies.

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION MISSION STATEMENT

CPCS is committed to protecting the fundamental constitutional and human rights of its clients by providing zealous advocacy, community-oriented defense, and excellent representation.  In fulfilling its mission, CPCS is committed to fostering diversity at all levels of the agency.  We are dedicated to building a strong professional relationship with each of our clients, to understanding their diverse circumstances, and to meeting their needs.  In striving always to achieve those goals, CPCS embraces diversity and inclusion as core values and is steadfast in our commitment to:  (1) ensuring that CPCS management and staff members represent a broad range of human difference and experience; (2) providing a work climate that is respectful and that supports success; and (3) promoting the dignity and well-being of all staff members. CPCS’s leadership is responsible for ensuring excellence, diversity, and inclusion. Our ability to achieve these goals depends on the efforts of all of us.

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS) is the state agency in Massachusetts responsible for providing legal services to indigent persons in criminal and civil matters in which the state or federal Constitutions, state statute or case law require the appointment of counsel for any person who cannot afford to retain counsel.  The agency provides representation on criminal, delinquency, youthful offender, child welfare, mental health, sexually dangerous person and sex offender registry cases, as well as appeals and post-conviction cases related to those matters.

CPCS is seeking applications for Deputy Chief Counsel of the Private Counsel Division.  The Private Counsel Division delivers legal services to indigent clients through assigned private attorneys in criminal defense trial and post-conviction cases as well as commitment and registration cases for persons convicted of sex offenses. Our mission is to provide excellent legal services to each and every client by assuring that all assigned attorneys possess the skills they need through experience or training, meet high standards of performance, and have ready access to mentoring, supervision and continuing legal education. To support this effort CPCS  provides assigned private counsel with access to consulting attorneys with expertise in trial skills, post-conviction matters, immigration law, forensic evidence and expert witnesses and sex offender registration.  The Private Counsel Division also includes a grant funded Innocence Program.

The Private Counsel Division utilizes the services of over 2000 private assigned counsel statewide to provide legal representation in criminal and civil cases.  The Deputy Chief Counsel is responsible for the leadership, support, training and oversight of private bar panels in criminal, sexually dangerous person and sex offender registry cases, and in appeals and post-conviction cases related to those matters.

The Deputy Chief Counsel for the Private Counsel Division is a member of the senior management team that develops and implements agency fiscal, operational, human resource and legislative policies.

Candidates for the Deputy Chief Counsel position must be a member of, or eligible for admission to, the Massachusetts bar.

Candidates for the Deputy Chief Counsel position should:

• Possess strong leadership skills and qualities;
• Embrace the principle of zealous advocacy and community oriented defense in the representation of indigent persons for whom there is a right to court-appointed counsel;
• Have the ability to promote the provision of excellent representation by private assigned counsel;
• Possess in-depth knowledge of criminal law and procedure and strong criminal defense litigation skills;
• Have strong analytical, interpersonal, communication, negotiation, collaboration and decision-making skills;
• Have the ability to develop, support and mentor staff; and,
• Have the ability to work with courts, state agencies and legislators

Preferred candidates will have at least ten years of experience as a trial, managing, or supervisory attorney or comparable legal or administrative experience and education, including previous experience providing or supervising legal services to indigent persons.

Prior experience in using data for policy making, program improvement, and quality control is a plus.

The position will be posted until filled, however preference will be given to candidates who apply prior to July 10, 2018.

The Deputy Chief Counsel for the Private Counsel Division is responsible for:

• Oversight of the certification, training, and representation afforded clients by private attorneys in criminal, sexually dangerous person, and sex offender registry cases in all courts of the Commonwealth;
• Supervision of the Private Counsel Criminal Trial Panel, Post-Conviction, Alternative Commitment and Registration Support, Forensic Services, and  Immigration Impact Units;
• Internal and external leadership of, and advocacy for, the Private Counsel Division and its clients;
• Division-wide planning;
• Ensuring compliance by private attorneys with relevant CPCS Performance Guidelines and other agency policies and procedures, investigating complaints, and assisting, as necessary, CPCS’s Audit & Oversight Department in its review of billings in Private Counsel Division matters.

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 Director of Human Resources Management, Lisa Bacon, at lbacon@publiccounsel.net.