Trial Attorney - CAFL Transition Age Youth Office

The Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS), the public defender agency for Massachusetts, is seeking two attorneys to serve as Trial Attorneys in the Transition Age Youth (TAY) office, an exciting new initiative of the Children and Family Law (CAFL) Division.

The TAY office will be fully remote until office space is procured. The final office location is expected to be in Framingham but may be in another Metro West or Greater Boston area location. These positions may be sited in FJA Offices in Springfield or Worcester depending on available space and the needs of the office and candidate. These positions are eligible for hybrid work schedules.

We fight for equal justice and human dignity by supporting our clients in achieving their legal and life goals. We zealously advocate for the rights of individuals and promote just public policy to protect the rights of all.

• Courage
• Accountability
• Respect
• Excellence

CPCS is committed to protecting the fundamental constitutional and human rights of our assigned clients through zealous advocacy, community-oriented defense, and the fullness of excellent legal representation. We are dedicated to building and maintaining strong professional relationships, while striving to accept, listen to and respect the diverse circumstances of each client, as we dedicate ourselves to meeting their individual needs. It is our CPCS mission to achieve these goals, and in furtherance thereof, we embrace and endorse diversity, equity and inclusion as our core values as we maintain a steadfast commitment to: (1) Ensure that CPCS management and staff members represent a broad range of human differences and experience;

(2) Provide a work climate that is respectful and supports success; and (3) Promote the dignity and well-being of all staff members. CPCS leadership is responsible for ensuring equity, diversity, and inclusion. The ability to achieve these goals with any level of certainty is ultimately the responsibility of each member of the CPCS community.

CPCS is the state agency in Massachusetts responsible for providing an attorney when the state or federal constitution or a state statute requires the appointment of an attorney for a person who cannot afford to retain one. The agency provides representation in criminal, delinquency, youthful offender, family regulation, guardianship, mental health, sexually dangerous person, and sex offender registry cases, as well as in appeals and post-conviction and post-judgment proceedings related to those matters.

The clients we represent are diverse across every context imaginable and bring many unique cultural dimensions to the matters we address. This reality creates a critical need for CPCS staff to be culturally competent and able to work well with people of different races, ethnicities, genders and/or sexual orientation identities, abilities, and limited English proficiency, among other protected characteristics.

The Transition Age Youth (TAY) office is a new, statewide advocacy unit dedicated to improving the experiences and outcomes for youth and young adults (ages 14-22) navigating the Massachusetts family regulation system. TAY provides specialized training, case consultation, and limited direct client representation. The team will include an Attorney in Charge, four attorneys, a social worker, a peer support advocate, and an administrative assistant.

TAY is part of Family Justice Advocates (FJA), the “CAFL conflicts offices.” FJA has separate physical offices, management, computer systems, and other mechanisms in place to ensure its independence and separation from all other CPCS offices for conflict-of-interest purposes.

The TAY office…