Racial Justice Training Lead - Training Department

Commonwealth of Massachusetts; Boston (MA); Hybrid; USD 97,000 - 139,000; Full time

Job summary

An established public defender agency is seeking a Racial Justice Training Lead to develop impactful training focused on racial bias in public defense. This role is crucial in promoting diversity and inclusion within the legal system. The successful candidate will leverage their experience in litigation and cultural competence to create training programs that empower attorneys to address and combat racial bias effectively. Join a dedicated team committed to equal justice and human dignity, making a significant impact in the lives of clients and the community.

Qualifications

• Must be eligible to practice law in Massachusetts.
• Minimum of five years experience as a public defender.

Responsibilities

• Develop and provide legal training on racial bias.
• Organize agency-wide training series on race and bias.
• Create training materials and resources.

Skills

Litigation as a public defender

Cultural humility

Anti-racism expertise

Training presentation skills

Curriculum development

Organizational skills

Interpersonal skills

Technological proficiency

Education

Juris Doctor

Job description

An Official website of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Job Description - Racial Justice Training Lead - Training Department (2500044J)

Job Description

Racial Justice Training Lead - Training Department - ( 2500044J )

Description

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

QUALIFICATIONS/SKILLS

The successful candidate will have experiencein some or allthe 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.

Applicants should submit a resume, writing sample and a letter of interest, which includes information about your experience in the aforementioned areas.

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 [e-mail]

Job

Job

: Legal Services

Agency

Agency

: Committee for Pub Counsel Srvc

Schedule

Schedule

: Full-time

Shift

Shift

: Day

Job Posting

Job Posting

: Apr 25, 2025, 3:00:09 PM

Number of Openings

Number of Openings

: 1

Salary

: 97,381.00 - 138,852.00 Yearly

If you have Diversity, Affirmative Action or Equal Employment Opportunity questions or need a Reasonable Accommodation, please contact Diversity Officer / ADA Coordinator : Sandra DeBow-Huang - 6174826212

Potentially Eligible for a Hybrid Work Schedule : Yes