Staff Attorney - Immigration Impact Unit

Overview

The Immigration Impact Unit of the Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS), the public defender agency of Massachusetts, is hiring a staff attorney as part of the Massachusetts Access to Counsel Initiative (MACI) at CPCS. This Staff Attorney will focus on representing individuals with connection to the criminal legal system. The Staff Attorney will represent detained and non-detained clients in removal and bond proceedings before the Immigration Court, the Board of Immigration Appeals, related proceedings before the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services ("USCIS") and, when appropriate, in Federal Court.

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.

OFFICE OVERVIEW

The Massachusetts Access to Counsel Initiative (MACI) office located within the IIU will be a new legal services program for immigration representation that will embrace the tenets of public defense and universal representation to provide zealous, holistic, and client centered representation. The MACI-IIU office will provide full-scope representation to people in removal proceedings, both detained and non-detained. The office will set standards of practice and create training to increase the capacity for removal defense representation within Massachusetts.

POSITION OVERVIEW

The MACI team is seeking an attorney to represent detained and non-detained clients in removal and bond proceedings before the Immigration Court, the Board of Immigration Appeals, related proceedings before the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services ("USCIS") and, when appropriate, in Federal Court. This position is funded through a combination of private and MACI program funding. Through the private funding, approximately 50% of this attorney's time will be dedicated to representing individuals who are otherwise ineligible for MACI’s services. The remaining 50% of the position is devoted to providing legal services to MACI eligible clients. This attorney will be focused on the intersection of criminal and immigration law.

The Staff Attorney will report to the Supervising Attorney.

Please note, this position is contingent on annual grant-funding from the Governor’s Office for Immigrant and Refugees and private funding through the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition. Therefore, funding for this position is only guaranteed for the duration of the grant period. While it is anticipated that additional funding may be awarded, that is not guaranteed.

Qualifications

MINIMUM ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS

The following attributes are required for the position of Staff Attorney:

• Must be eligible to practice law either as a member of the Massachusetts bar in good standing or as a member in good standing of the bar of another jurisdiction and be qualified to practice federal immigration law;
• Access to an automobile in order to travel to courts, clients, and detention centers that are not easily accessible by public transportation; and,
• Access to home internet access sufficient to work remotely.

QUALIFICATIONS/SKILLS 

• Commitment to working with a culturally diverse, low-income population;
• A demonstrated commitment to the principle of zealous advocacy in the representation of indigent persons;
• Relevant clinical program, internship, or work experience strongly preferred;
• Strong case management, legal research, and legal writing skills;
• Applicants must be creative, flexible, and highly motivated;
• Applicants must have the ability to work independently as well as collaboratively and manage a difficult area of practice;
• Demonstrated ability to take initiative and work under pressure;
• Interpersonal and communication skills that enable healthy and productive working relationships;
• Ability to perform duties with the highest regard for confidentiality, integrity, and respect; and,
• Proficiency in an additional language(s) other than English preferred, with strong preference for Spanish, Haitian Creole, and Portuguese.

Responsibilities

RESPONSIBILITIES

Duties of a Staff Attorney include, but are not limited to:

• Providing high quality, client-centered representation for detained and non-detained noncitizens in removal proceedings in immigration courts, before the Board of Immigration Appeals and in Federal Court;
• Representing non-detained clients released on bond;
• Engaging in affirmative litigation;
• Working collaboratively with other organizations, pro bono lawyers, and partners;
• Maintaining a full caseload of clients;
• Maintaining, organizing, and updating case files and case management database;
• Participating in ongoing training provided through MACI;
• Participating in regularly scheduled MACI team meetings to discuss individual cases, systemic concerns, and other topics as determined by supervisors;
• Participating in regular supervision meetings; 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