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Committee for Public Counsel Services · 4 months ago

2026 Children and Family Law Division Trial Attorney - Statewide Positions

US-MA-All Locations

Full-time

Onsite

New Grad, Entry Level

$75K/yr - $130K/yr

The Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS) is the public defender agency for Massachusetts, seeking attorneys to represent children and parents in family regulation cases. The role involves providing legal representation in various family law matters and advocating for the rights of individuals from diverse backgrounds.

CommunitiesLaw EnforcementPublic Relations

Responsibilities

Interviewing adult clients

Visiting and interviewing child clients

Conducting legal research and writing

Conducting pre-72-hour hearing investigation including reviewing pleadings and exhibits, locating and interviewing witnesses, preparing witnesses, gathering facts from the Department of Child Families social worker and other collateral providers, consulting with other parties' counsel regarding their position, collecting and reviewing documentary evidence, identifying objections to testimonial and documentary evidence, and drafting appropriate motions

Obtaining entire DCF file, reviewing DCF action plans, proposing plan changes, advising client on whether to sign, meeting with court investigator, preparing client to meet with court investigator, and preparing motions to strike inadmissible evidence contained in the court investigator report

Preparing necessary motions regarding outstanding discovery, identifying matters requiring further hearing (e.g., services, DCF reasonable efforts, visitation), preparing pre-trial memo, and developing trial strategy with client

Preparing for Foster Care Reviews

Reviewing DCF's permanency plans and filing objections, if necessary

Investigating and representing client's position in extraordinary medical treatment hearings

Filing motions challenging DCF decisions

Conducting care and protection trials and termination of parental rights trials

Representing clients in interlocutory proceedings

Working with the legal team, including social workers and paralegals

Conducting post-judgment representation

Other duties as assigned

Qualification

Trial experienceZealous advocacyForeign language skillsAnalytical skillsInterpersonal skillsCommunity-oriented capacityIndependent workCollaborative work

Required

A Trial Attorney must be committed to serving a culturally diverse, low-income population and must be eligible to practice law in Massachusetts, either as a member of the Massachusetts bar, as a law school graduate under Supreme Judicial Court Rule 3:03, or as an attorney licensed in another jurisdiction who is covered by Supreme Judicial Court Rule 3:04

All Trial Attorney positions require travel; access to reliable transportation throughout the state is necessary

Access to home internet access sufficient to work remotely

A demonstrated commitment to the principle of zealous advocacy in the representation of indigent persons in family regulation cases

Strong interpersonal and analytical skills

Ability to work in a community and defense-oriented capacity, both independently and collaboratively