Oversight Counsel - Appellate Panel Unit, CAFL

Overview

The Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS), the Massachusetts public defender agency, is seeking an experienced attorney to promote high-quality representation of children and adults in family regulation/child welfare appeals. The attorney will be a core member of the Children and Family Law Division’s Appellate Panel Support Unit (APSU), which provides support, oversight, and training for approximately 150 private attorneys who represent children and adults in family regulation/child welfare appellate matters.

The selected attorney may be seated in Boston, Worcester, or at another CPCS office location, depending on APSU needs, the attorney, and space availability.

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.

Our Values

Courage
• Accountability
• Respect
• Excellence

Agency overview CPCS is the state agency in Massachusetts responsible for providing an attorney when required by the constitution or statute for individuals who cannot afford one. The agency represents clients in criminal, delinquency, youthful offender, family regulation, guardianship, mental health, sexually dangerous person, and sex offender registry matters, as well as in appeals and post-conviction and post-judgment proceedings.

The clients CPCS serves are diverse and bring different cultural dimensions to matters addressed. CPCS staff must be culturally competent and able to work with people of diverse races, ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations, abilities, and language proficiencies.

The CAFL Division provides attorneys to children and indigent adults in care/protection, termination of parental rights, child requiring assistance, guardianship-of-a-minor, and related civil matters, including appeals. At trial, most CAFL clients are represented by private trial panel attorneys; on appeal, by private appellate attorneys on CAFL’s appellate panel.

Office Overview CAFL’s Appellate Panel Support Unit (APSU) provides support and oversight for approximately 150 private CAFL appellate panel attorneys. The CAFL appellate panel handles about 90% of CAFL final and interlocutory appeals. The APSU assigns appellate counsel to children and indigent parents in relevant appeals, and offers certification training, issue preservation, brief-writing, appellate motion practice, and oral argument training. APSU Oversight Counsel may participate in related CAFL projects and may handle a small caseload if interested.

The Oversight Counsel in the APSU supports private CAFL appellate panel attorneys statewide to provide high-quality representation in CAFL appellate matters. Responsibilities include reviewing briefs, observing moot court oral arguments, drafting practice tips, participating in trainings, and providing other support for private counsel and unit administration. The selected attorney may be seated in Boston, Worcester, or another CPCS location, as needed.

The position reports to the CAFL Director of Appellate Panel.

The Oversight Counsel will assist the CAFL Director of Appellate Panel in panel management, including but not limited to:

• Overseeing and assessing the performance of appellate panel members
• Monitoring panel members’ compliance with performance standards
• Advising trial and appellate panel members about case strategy
• Overseeing the appellate panel mentor program and evaluating panel members for graduation from the program
• Assigning final and interlocutory appeals to panel members
• Reviewing briefs, moot court performances, and evaluating oral arguments
• Reviewing applications for admission to the panel certification training
• Delivering training programs on family regulation/child welfare trial and appellate topics for panel members and staff attorneys
• Drafting appellate bulletins and providing resources for trial and appellate panel members (including research/motion and pleadings resources)
• Serving as liaison with trial courts’ clerks’ offices, the…