Paralegal - Criminal Appeals Unit, Private Counsel Division

Overview

The Committee for Public Counsel Services, the Massachusetts public defender agency, is seeking a full-time Paralegal in the Private Counsel Division Criminal Appeals Unit.

The Committee for Public Counsel Services, the Massachusetts public defender agency, is seeking a full-time Paralegal in the Private Counsel Division Criminal Appeals Unit.

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.

• Accountability
• Respect
• Excellence

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION MISSION STATEMENT

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 Private Counsel Division Criminal Appeals Unit assigns attorneys to approximately 800 post-conviction cases yearly. These are cases in which an individual has been convicted of a crime after a trial or has pleaded guilty to a crime. The unit also oversees approximately 400 attorneys on the post-conviction panel.

The Criminal Appeals Unit (CAU) is seeking a full-time Paralegal to assist post-conviction panel members on direct appeals of adult criminal convictions. The Paralegal must have a commitment to ensuring that individuals convicted of crimes are provided with zealous post-conviction representation.

Under the direction of the CAU attorneys, the Paralegal will assist attorneys in assembling the case records necessary for direct appeals of adult criminal convictions and assist CAU attorneys with court filings and obtaining records and transcripts. The Paralegal will also create and maintain client, case, and panel attorney electronic records as well as respond to inquiries from CPCS clients, courts, and other stakeholders.

The Paralegal will report to the Director of the Criminal Appeals Unit.

MINIMUM ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS

Candidates Must Have

• A Bachelor’s degree or Paralegal certificate;
• Access to reliable transportation in order to travel to locations that are not easily accessible by public transportation; and,
• Access to home internet access sufficient to work remotely.

Substitution:
Two years of…