Human Rights Paralegal Jobs (NOW HIRING)

The Committee for Public Counsel Services, the Massachusetts public defender agency, is seeking a full-time Paralegal with a strong sense of the daily injustices faced by CPCS’ clients and a commitment to fighting those injustices to work in the Special Projects Unit of the Private Counsel Division’s Criminal Appeals Unit. This position will be based in Boston and is eligible for a hybrid work schedule with a minimum of two days in the office required.

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.

UNIT OVERVIEW

The Private Counsel Division Criminal Appeals Unit assigns attorneys to approximately 800 post-conviction cases yearly. These are cases in which an individual has been convicted of a crime after a trial or has pleaded guilty to a crime.  The unit also oversees approximately 400 attorneys on the post-conviction panel. 

The Special Projects Unit (SPU) is part of the Private Counsel Division Criminal Appeals Unit.  This unit assigns cases to criminal post-conviction clients when there have been developments in the law that have a widespread impact on CPCS post-conviction clients and may provide grounds for undoing a conviction, notifies clients and attorneys about these developments and, in some cases, litigates these issues.   

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Special Projects Unit is seeking a full-time Paralegal with a strong sense of the daily injustices faced by CPCS’ clients and a commitment to fighting those injustices. The paralegal will assist the SPU by gathering data and other discovery to assist attorneys in challenging potentially wrongful convictions, working alongside SPU attorneys to prepare for evidentiary hearings, filing public records requests to uncover necessary information related to certain projects, alerting clients and attorneys about factual or legal developments that may affect their closed cases, and responding to inquiries about those developments. This work is limited to the state criminal courts.

The Paralegal will report to the Special Projects Unit Staff Counsel II-Special Projects Manager. This position will be based in Boston and is eligible for a hybrid work schedule with a minimum of two days in the office required.

MINIMUM ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS

Candidates must have:

• A Bachelor’s degree or Paralegal certificate;
• Access to reliable transportation in order to travel to locations that are not easily accessible by public transportation; and,
• Access to home internet access sufficient to work remotely. 

Substitution: Two years of paralegal experience may be substituted for the degree/certificate.

QUALIFICATIONS/SKILLS

• A strong interest in seeking sustainable systemic and institutional reform on behalf of CPCS’s indigent clients in all practice area;
• Facility with MS Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook;
• Excellent organizational skills;
• Ability to perform factual research via internal records, public records and on-line databases;
• Ability to perform data analysis;
• Ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing;
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team;
• Skills and experience in interacting with persons of various social, racial, cultural economic and educational backgrounds; and,
• Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively and persuasively orally and in writing.

APPLICATION

Candidates should submit a résumé, writing sample, and statement of interest. The statement of interest should include a description of the candidate's education and experience, as well as a descriptive statement of the reasons the applicant wishes to work in the Special Projects Unit.

RESPONSIBILITIES

The duties of the Paralegal include, but are not limited to:

• Conducting factual research via internal records, public records, and on-line databases;
• Preparing and pursuing public record requests;
• Updating databases and providing support for database users;
• Organizing and summarizing data obtained via discovery;
• Locating and performing preliminary interviews of potential clients and witnesses;
• Analyzing data and presenting findings to attorneys;
• Becoming familiar with the law and processes related to the various legal developments as they arise such as the Massachusetts drug lab scandals;
• Answering phone, written, and email inquiries, utilizing multiple databases, from individuals inquiring about convictions;
• Maintaining accurate electronic records of work performed; and,
• Other duties as assigned.

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.