Trial Attorney - CAFL Transition Age Youth Office

Overview

The Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS), the public defender agency for Massachusetts, is excited to announce the opening of a Transition Age Youth Office,

a new initiative in the Children and Family Law Division “conflicts office,” the Family Justice Advocates. Trial attorneys will be part of a multidisciplinary team, committed to improving representation and advocacy for the specific issues young adults and transition age youth face when caught up in the family regulation system.

 

The Transition Age Youth Office will open as a fully remote office until office space is procured. The final office location is expected to be in Framingham but may be located in other Metro West or Greater Boston area locations.

 

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

 

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.

 

AGENCY OVERVIEW

 

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.

 

OFFICE OVERVIEW

 

The Transition Age Youth (TAY) Office is a new advocacy unit that provides multidisciplinary support in matters involving transition age youth across the state. We aim to address the varied and complex needs of a vulnerable population. In addition to case support and training, the defense teams provide limited direct client representation.

 

The TAY Office promotes and supports attorneys to provide holistic and high-quality representation of transition age youth throughout the Commonwealth. Attorneys in the TAY Office focus their advocacy on Care and Protection cases for children ages 14-22 and their siblings, Children Requiring Assistance, and Permanency for Young Adult (PYA) cases where youth are in DCF’s continued responsibility pursuant to G.L. c. 119, § 23(f). This new office will be comprised of an Attorney in Charge, trial attorneys, a social worker, an administrative assistant, and a peer support specialist.

The Transition Age Youth office is part of Family Justice Advocates (FJA), CAFL’s “conflicts trial office.”  FJA provides legal representation to children and indigent parents and guardians in family regulation cases in which (a) a CAFL staff attorney in a non-conflict office has been appointed to another party to the case or (b) a conflict of interest prevents CAFL staff attorneys in non-conflict offices from representing any party in the case.

 

The Transition Age Youth Office will open as a fully remote office until office space is procured.  The final office