Private Panel Support Attorney - MHLD Trial Panel Support Unit

The Mental Health Litigation Division (MHLD) of the Committee for Public Counsel Services, the Massachusetts public defender agency, is seeking an experienced and skilled attorney to serve as a Private Panel Support Attorney in Trial Panel Support Unit (TPSU). The TPSU provides leadership oversight and support to attorneys on the MHLD private panels.

Private Panel Support Attorneys are eligible for a hybrid work schedule and may be seated in any CPCS office location, depending on the needs of the TPSU, the attorney, and available and appropriate space.

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.

DIVISION AND OFFICE OVERVIEW

The Mental Health Litigation Division (MHLD) provides trial and appellate representation to indigent persons facing commitment to public or private psychiatric facilities, petitions for authorization to administer or terminate "extraordinary" medical treatment, and petitions seeking to impose guardianships, among other types of petitions in which mental health and capacity are at issue. In commitment proceedings, representation is provided either by MHLD staff attorneys or by private attorneys certified by MHLD to accept such assignments. Clients facing guardianship are primarily represented by private counsel.

The Division consists of an administrative office, which is responsible for certification, oversight, and training of panel attorneys, the assignment of commitment cases, and effective administration of the MHLD; an Appellate Unit that trains, certifies, and oversees appellate attorneys and represents individuals in appeals; and four trial offices that represent indigent clients facing involuntary commitment to both public and private psychiatric facilities throughout the Commonwealth and some guardianship proceedings.

The Trial Panel Support Unit provides support and oversight of a panel of approximately 260 private attorneys who provide representation to approximately 12,000 clients each year in Civil Commitment and Guardianship of Adult proceedings.

POSITION OVERVIEW

Private Panel Support Attorneys assist the Trial Panel Director in the oversight and support of the Trial Panel attorneys, helping to ensure effective and client centered representation of Mental Health Litigation clients in accordance with CPCS performance standards. Private Panel Support Attorneys also respond to requests for assistance by callers to the MHLD intake telephone line.

Private Panel Support Attorneys work with other members of the TPSU team to promote courageous multidisciplinary representation statewide by supporting and reviewing the performance of individual attorneys, responding to advice calls from private panel attorneys, overseeing the MHLD mentor program, and responding to callers to the MHLD intake telephone line. Private Panel Support Attorneys also have opportunities to work on various MHLD and interagency initiatives to improve representation and outcomes for our clients.

Private Panel Support Attorneys are eligible for a hybrid work schedule and may be seated in any CPCS office location, depending on the needs of the TPSU, the attorney, and available and appropriate space.

The Private Panel Support Attorneys report to the MHLD Trial Panel Director.

MINIMUM ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS

• Applicants must be eligible to practice law in this jurisdiction as a member of the Massachusetts bar in good standing, or as an attorney in another jurisdiction who is eligible to engage in limited Massachusetts practice under Supreme Judicial Court Rule 3:04; 
• Applicants must have a minimum of five years’ legal experience, including at least four years of experience representing clients on Mental Health Litigation issues;
• Applicants must have access to reliable transportation throughout the state; and,
• Applicants must have home internet access sufficient to work remotely.

QUALIFICATIONS/SKILLS

• Demonstrated commitment to serve racially, ethnically, and culturally diverse low-income populations;
• Ability to maintain and foster a professional and supportive relationship with the private bar and to serve as a leader when working with the courts, Respondent’s counsel, and professional and community organizations;
• Significant litigation and trial experience;
• Private attorney trial panel experience;
• Willingness to travel within Massachusetts;
• Excellent writing, litigation, and oral presentation skills;
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint) and Monday.com; and,
• Ability to maintain an optimistic outlook along with the humor, integrity, patience and perseverance necessary to advance TPSU efforts and to ensure that MHLD clients are treated with respect and dignity and provided high-quality legal services across Massachusetts.

RESPONSIBILITIES

The duties of the Private Panel Support Attorney include, but are not limited to:

• Providing support and advice to private panel attorneys in MHLD proceedings;
• Providing billing support and technical assistance to trial panel attorneys;
• Assisting with the development and distribution of resources including practice advisories, pleading templates, and other resource materials;
• Working with the Regional Coordinators to support panel attorneys and to complete performance evaluations;
• Assisting in the administration of the MHLD Mentor program, including working closely with MHLD Mentors to support our newly admitted trial panel attorneys;
• Assisting the evaluations of applications from attorneys seeking to join the MHLD trial panel;
• Assisting with Certification Trainings in coordination with the Training Department;
• Reviewing Complex Case Reviews to determine whether to increase billing thresholds and whether to recommend releasing, reviewing, or rejecting billing submissions;
• Assisting the drafting and communication of MHLD trial panel policies and performance standards;
• Investigating complaints against panel attorneys, drafting proposed decisions, and monitoring dispositions of complaints;
• Collaborating with IT, Finance, Audit & Oversight to resolve issues with panel attorneys;
• Responding to client calls to the MHLD intake line as required; and,
• Other duties as assigned.

To apply, interested candidates must submit a written statement of interest, a resume, and legal writing sample.

EEO Statement

The Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS) is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ethnicity, sex, disability, religion, age, veteran or military status, genetic information, gender identity, or sexual orientation as required by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and other applicable federal and state statutes and organizational policies.  Applicants who have questions about equal employment opportunity or who need reasonable accommodations can contact the Chief Human Resources Officer, Sandra DeBow-Huang, at [email protected]