What are the responsibilities and job description for the Racial Justice Training Lead - Training Department position at Committee for Public Counsel Services?
Overview
The Training Department of the Committee for Public Counsel Services, the public defender agency of Massachusetts, is seeking an experienced attorney for the role of Racial Justice Training Lead. This position will develop and provide legal training focused on raising racial bias and other forms of discrimination in public defense cases across all CPCS practice areas.
The Training Department is located in Boston but the Racial Justice Training Lead may be seated in most CPCS office locations agreeable to the Training Department and selected candidate.
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
C ourage
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.
Department Overview
The Training Department provides high quality training to all staff and private assigned counsel. The Training Department, led by the Training Chief, includes the Forensic Services Unit, as well as four practice area Training Units - Criminal Defense, Children and Family Law, Youth Advocacy, and Mental Health Litigation. The Training Department also leads multiple cross- practice area working groups chaired and staffed by Training Department personnel. In addition to providing substantive and skill-based training to attorneys, the Training Department ensures all other professional staff members are provided appropriate training in their areas of expertise.
Position Overview
The Racial Justice Training Lead will work with the Training Chief and members of the Training Department to develop and provide legal training focused on raising racial bias and other forms of discrimination in public defense cases across all CPCS practice areas.
The Racial Justice Training Lead will create and execute a yearly training series targeted to all CPCS practitioners so they may better identify, analyze, and litigate the impact of race bias in their cases. Additionally, they will work as a support to all working groups within the Training Department to update and develop trainings through an anti-racist lens.
The Racial Justice Training Lead will report to the Training Chief. This is a Staff Counsel II Position.
Qualifications
MINIMUM ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS
The successful candidate will have experience in some or all the areas listed below:
Responsibilities
Responsibilities
Duties of the Racial Justice Training Lead include, but are not limited to:
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
The Training Department of the Committee for Public Counsel Services, the public defender agency of Massachusetts, is seeking an experienced attorney for the role of Racial Justice Training Lead. This position will develop and provide legal training focused on raising racial bias and other forms of discrimination in public defense cases across all CPCS practice areas.
The Training Department is located in Boston but the Racial Justice Training Lead may be seated in most CPCS office locations agreeable to the Training Department and selected candidate.
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
C ourage
- A ccountability
- R espect
- E xcellence
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.
Department Overview
The Training Department provides high quality training to all staff and private assigned counsel. The Training Department, led by the Training Chief, includes the Forensic Services Unit, as well as four practice area Training Units - Criminal Defense, Children and Family Law, Youth Advocacy, and Mental Health Litigation. The Training Department also leads multiple cross- practice area working groups chaired and staffed by Training Department personnel. In addition to providing substantive and skill-based training to attorneys, the Training Department ensures all other professional staff members are provided appropriate training in their areas of expertise.
Position Overview
The Racial Justice Training Lead will work with the Training Chief and members of the Training Department to develop and provide legal training focused on raising racial bias and other forms of discrimination in public defense cases across all CPCS practice areas.
The Racial Justice Training Lead will create and execute a yearly training series targeted to all CPCS practitioners so they may better identify, analyze, and litigate the impact of race bias in their cases. Additionally, they will work as a support to all working groups within the Training Department to update and develop trainings through an anti-racist lens.
The Racial Justice Training Lead will report to the Training Chief. This is a Staff Counsel II Position.
Qualifications
MINIMUM ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS
- 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;
- Must have a minimum of five years full-time experience representing indigent persons as a public defender practicing in the mental health, criminal defense, children and family law, or the SDP/SORB practice areas;
- Access to an automobile in order to travel to courts, clients, and other locations not easily accessible by public transportation; and,
- Access to a personal computer with home internet access sufficient to work remotely.
The successful candidate will have experience in some or all the areas listed below:
- Significant experience in litigation as a public defender in one or more practice areas;
- Experience raising matters of race within a litigation context
- Expertise in cultural humility and anti-racism in a public defense context;
- Experience as a presenter or coach at training programs or at in-house office training sessions, preferably in the area of race and bias in public defense;
- Ability and willingness to train interested staff members to become trainers;
- Excellent writing and oral presentation skills;
- Exceptional organizational ability;
- Exceptional interpersonal skills;
- Experience in curriculum development; and,
- Technological proficiency in learning and knowledge management systems and distance learning.
Responsibilities
Responsibilities
Duties of the Racial Justice Training Lead include, but are not limited to:
- Building and maintaining competence in each CPCS practice area s in order to assist in the development of anti-racist legal trainings and resources for respective practice area;
- Working with practice area training teams to develop trainings targeted at exposing and combating racism and other biases through/with litigation;
- Organizing and hosting an Agency-wide, recurring race and bias in public defense training series;
- Writing and editing related training materials;
- Curating, developing, and maintaining CPCS Anti-Racist Lawyering resources;
- Serving as a resource for related special projects; and
- Other duties as assigned.
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
