CAFL Appellate Panel Staff Counsel Rotation

The Children and Family Law (CAFL) Division Appellate Panel Support Unit (APSU) is accepting applications from staff attorneys interested in doing a rotation in the APSU.  The rotating attorney will handle a small caseload of final and interlocutory appeals under the supervision of the CAFL Director of Appellate Panel and other APSU attorneys.

The rotating attorney will work with the CAFL Director of Appellate Panel and other staff attorneys to advise trial and appellate attorneys on final and interlocutory appellate issues, conduct oral argument moot courts, review briefs, help assign appeals to appellate panel attorneys, evaluate/assess oral arguments, and help with appellate trainings.  Experience with appeals will help rotating attorneys improve their issue-spotting, issue-preservation, analytical, training, and writing skills.

The rotation is expected to last approximately 12 months with the possibility of extension.

This rotation is considered a lateral transfer and the selected attorney will remain at their current Grade and Step for the duration of the rotation.

The selected attorney may be seated in Boston, Worcester, or at another office location, depending on the needs of the APSU, 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

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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

CAFL Appellate Panel Support Unit (APSU) provides support and oversight for approximately 150 private CAFL appellate panel attorneys.  The CAFL appellate panel handles approximately 90% of all CAFL final and interlocutory (single justice) appeals.  The APSU assigns appellate counsel to children and indigent parents (and occasionally other parties) in care and protection, termination, guardianship, and other appeals in cases arising out of the juvenile court and probate and family court. 

The APSU reviews applications and selects appellate attorneys; provides certification training and ongoing other trainings on topics such as issue preservation, brief-writing, appellate motion practice, and oral argument; handles advice/strategy calls from appellate attorneys and trial attorneys relating to appeals; reviews briefs and other appellate filings; moot courts appellate oral arguments; and observes and debriefs oral arguments with panel members.  APSU staff attorneys often participate in other projects related to CAFL appellate and trial practice and administration, such as drafting practice tips and model pleadings, reviewing legislation and regulations, overseeing law students and their research projects, and other matters.  APSU staff attorneys also handle a small caseload of final and interlocutory appeals and, if interested, trial matters.

POSITION OVERVIEW

The APSU rotating staff attorney will fully participate in all APSU tasks.  The rotating staff attorney will learn about the appellate process by participating in trainings and, after gaining some familiarity with the work, will join current staff in providing trainings to panel members.  The rotating staff attorney will maintain a small appellate caseload and be mentored by the CAFL Director of Appellate Panel and current staff attorneys.  The rotating staff attorney will discuss cases and strategize with appellate and trial panel members, review briefs, moot-court oral arguments of appellate panel members, observe oral arguments, produce written practice tips and advisories, and assign appeals to panel members. 

The rotation will last for 12 months.  This term may be extended depending on interest, the needs of the rotation attorney’s current office, and the needs of the Appellate Panel Support Unit. 

This rotation is considered a lateral transfer and the salary will be based on the current pay scales.

MINIMUM ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS

Candidates must have:

• 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;
• At least two years of full-time litigation experience representing children and parents in child welfare cases;
• Access to an automobile in order to travel to offices, courts, and other locations that are not easily accessible by public transportation; and,
• Access to home internet access, sufficient to work remotely, and proficiency using zoom and/or other online platforms.

QUALIFICATIONS/SKILLS

Candidates should possess the following attributes:

• Excellent writing, litigation, and oral presentation skills;
• Strong organizational ability and interpersonal skills;
• Some appellate and training experience preferred;
• The ability to work on multiple projects simultaneously, both independently and collaboratively;
• The capacity for close attention to detail;
• Strong interpersonal and analytical skills; and
• A demonstrated commitment to the principle of zealous advocacy in the representation of indigent persons in family regulation/child welfare cases.

Eligibility for your application must be approved by your Managing Director pursuant to the Rotation Process Guidance. Staff must work for CPCS for two years prior to being eligible for a rotation position.

Interested candidates should submit a written statement of interest, resume, and two legal writing samples (totaling no more than 20 pages).  Writing samples – which should be redacted – can be motions, briefs, memoranda, letters, or anything else “legal,” but they should not be based on model motions and should be the candidate’s own work-product.  The statement of interest should include a description of the candidate’s trial experience, and appellate, administrative, and training experience (if any), and how this background and experience will enable the candidate to succeed in this position. 

RESPONSIBILITIES

The APSU rotating staff attorney will assist the CAFL Director of Appellate Panel and other APSU staff attorneys by:

• Overseeing and assessing the performance of appellate panel members; 
• Advising trial and appellate panel members about case strategy;
• Working with appellate panel mentors to evaluate panel mentees to determine graduation from the program;
• Reviewing briefs, moot-courting oral arguments, and evaluating oral arguments;
• Reviewing applications for admission to the panel certification training;
• Delivering virtual and in-person training programs on appellate issues, writing, and child welfare issues for trial and appellate panel members;
• Drafting practice tips/advisories for trial and appellate panel members; 
• Assisting with appellate panel operational activities, including appellate assignments.
• Supervising student workers (intern/coop/other); and,
• Performing a variety of related duties as assigned.

The rotating staff attorney will accept a small number of final and/or interlocutory appellate assignments and may also maintain a very small trial caseload.

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 sdebow@publiccounsel.net