Administrative Assistant Family Justice Advocates Springfield

Overview

The Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS) the public defender agency for Massachusetts is seeking to fill an Administrative Assistant position for its Family Justice Advocates (FJA) Office in Springfield. FJA is CPCS Children and Family Law Division (CAFL) conflicts office in Springfield.

FJA provides legal representation to children and indigent parents in family regulation cases including care and protection proceedings child requiring assistance cases actions to terminate parental rights guardianship-of-a-minor cases and any other child custody proceeding where the Department of Children and Families (DCF) is a party or where the court is considering granting custody to DCF.

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

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 equityand 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

CPCSis 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

Family Justice Advocates is CAFLs conflicts trial office located in Springfield Massachusetts. FJA provides legal representation to children and indigent parents and guardians in family regulation cases in which (a) a CAFL staff attorney in a non-conflict office has been appointed to another party to the case or (b) a conflict of interest prevents CAFL staff attorneys in non-conflict offices from representing any party in the case. Alternatively an attorney in FJA may be appointed to represent a party in a case in which CAFLs existing Springfield trial office attorneys are unable to represent any party because of conflicts relating to a current or former client of a CPCS staff attorney. FJA is considered a separate law firm from all other CPCS offices for conflict of interest purposes. To this end it has a separate managerial system separate physical offices and computer/technology systems and other mechanisms in place to ensure its separation for conflicts purposes from other CPCS offices.

All CAFL trial offices including FJA offices are robust defender teams including attorneys paralegals social workers and administrative support staff. They provide legal representation and advocacy throughout Massachusetts to children and indigent parents in care and protection child requiring assistance termination of parental rights and guardianship-of-a-minor cases as well as other types of custody and adoption proceedings. Team members work diligently to help and support FJA clients to achieve their legal and life goals.

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Administrative Assistant is a key member of CPCS trial office staff supporting the Attorney in Charge in running the day-to-day duties of a fast-paced legal office. The Administrative Assistant must be able to provide excellent support for the staff in the office as well as coordinate communications with other CAFL and FJA offices as well as other CPCS units such as HR Facilities and IT.

The Administrative Assistant reports to the Supervising Administrative Assistant.

Qualifications

MINIMUM ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS

Applicants must have at least (A) one year of full-time or equivalent part-time experience in administrative work or (B) any equivalent combination of the required experience and the substitutions below:

• An Associates or higher degree with a major in business administration business management or public administration may be substituted for the required experience. Education toward such a degree will be prorated on the basis of the proportion of the requirements actually completed.

Applicants must also have access to a personal computer with home internet access sufficient to work remotely.

QUALIFICATIONS/SKILLS

The ideal candidate will be a person who is highly organized creative and detail oriented enjoys interacting with people in a friendly work environment and will take satisfaction from working in an agency whose commitment is to protect the fundamental legal rights of indigent persons.

• Communicating effectively with internal and external contacts at all levels and across diverse and underrepresented groups;
• Strong communication organizational and detail skills;
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills including the ability to interact effectively with diverse colleagues at all levels of the agency and the ability to work as an effective team member;
• Flexibility and strict adherence to confidentiality;
• Typing skill of 50 to 60 wpm preferred;
• Familiarity with advanced Word formatting and editing and Microsoft Excel;
• Legal office experience a plus; and
• Foreign language skills are strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

RESPONSIBILITIES

The Administrative Assistant will support a team of attorneys by:

• Opening and closing cases including running conflict checks;
• Word processing including preparation of CORI requests subpoenas motions letters running sheet entries etc.;
• Filing faxing photocopying scanning and shredding documents transcriptions and transcript requests and other document and record requests as necessary;
• Providing telephone and reception services;
• Communicating effectively with internal and external contacts at all levels and across diverse and underrepresented groups; 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

Required Experience:

Junior IC