Attorney in Charge- CAFL Transition Age Youth Office

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Attorney in Charge (AIC) will play a significant leadership role by assisting in the opening of a new Transition Age Youth (TAY) Office. The AIC will oversee the TAY Office to fully address the legal needs of the office s clients as well as providing support and training to the Children and Family Law private panel attorneys. The AIC will also help with the management of Family Justice Advocates (FJA) as a whole, representing individual clients, and working closely with the private bar and Massachusetts courts to build a strong community of family regulation defenders.

The AIC must be an experienced manager who excels at supporting, mentoring, and motivating legal and other office staff; developing processes that facilitate the efficient and effective delivery of legal services by staff; and leading teams that work closely with children and young adults who are experiencing governmental interference. The AIC will report to the Family Justice Advocates Managing Director and will participate in regular meetings with other FJA AICs, the local CAFL Resource Attorneys, other CPCS divisions, and the CAFL management team.

The AIC will also collaborate with private assigned counsel.

The Transition Age Youth Office operates as a fully remote office until space is procured, with a final office location expected to be in Framingham or other Metro West or Greater Boston area locations.

Management and Leadership Responsibilities:

• Training, supervising, and evaluating trial attorneys (including a LGBTQ+ specialist), social workers, a peer support specialist, and an administrative assistant
• Assigning cases and other work within the office
• Generating management reports
• Attending meetings with CAFL/FJA administrative staff and staff in other CAFL/FJA offices to discuss management issues and policy
• Providing direct support to child welfare attorneys through advisory case support and ongoing regionally based training
• Assisting private attorneys through trainings and technical assistance
• Developing and presenting trainings statewide on issues impacting young adults and adolescents
• Participating in state and local coalitions to drive policy reform for Transition Age Youth
• Developing and maintaining strong working relationships with local courts, bar associations, CAFL Resource Attorneys, DCF, DYS, DESE, Community Resource Centers, Probation Offices, Family Preservation Project offices, and other stakeholders
• Identifying systemic problems and developing strategies to address them
• Creating professional development opportunities for trial office attorneys and support staff
• Other duties as assigned

Client Representation Responsibilities:

• Visiting and interviewing adolescents, young adults, and their sibling clients
• Pre-trial investigation and discovery, including locating and interviewing witnesses and reviewing documentary evidence
• Legal research and writing
• Advocating through internal DCF administrative processes
• Representing clients in pretrial proceedings, hearings, trials, and interlocutory appeals
• Advocating with DCF and other providers for appropriate services for clients and family members
• Coordinating advocacy with CPCS, CAFL, and FJA social work staff

MINIMUM ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS

• Eligible to practice law in Massachusetts, or eligible to practice under SJC Rule 3:04
• Minimum of seven years’ experience as an attorney, including at least 5 years handling family regulation cases
• Ability to travel to courts, clients’ homes, and other locations not readily accessible by public transportation
• Access to home internet sufficient to work remotely

QUALIFICATIONS/SKILLS

The ideal candidate will possess many of the following professional and personal abilities, attributes, and experiences:

• Commitment to serving low-income, diverse populations
• Experience applying an anti-racist/anti-oppression lens to ensure a diverse, equitable working environment
• Success in leading, managing, developing, and directing high-energy legal teams and other managerial experience
• Supervisory experience
• Ability to model best practices for representing children, parents, and other caretakers in accordance with CPCS Performance Standards
• Des…