Appeals Attorney – Juvenile Appeals Unit

MINIMUM ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS

•  An Appeals 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 or as an attorney licensed in another jurisdiction who is covered by Supreme Judicial Court Rule 3:04;
• Minimum of two years of experience in juvenile delinquency/youthful offender, adult criminal and/or child welfare law;
• Access to an automobile in order to travel to courts, offices, carceral institutions, clients, and investigation locations that are not easily accessible by public transportation; and,
• Access to a personal computer with home internet access sufficient to work remotely.

QUALIFICATIONS/SKILLS

• At least five years’ experience in juvenile delinquency/youthful offender, adult criminal and/or child welfare law is preferred;
• Substantial appellate experience;
• Experience with single justice practice in the Supreme Judicial Court;
• Demonstrated proficiency in legal research and writing;
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively;
• Understanding of juvenile justice practice and policy issues;
• Experience working with youth;
• Experience with educational advocacy;
• Working knowledge of adolescent development, the intersection between adolescent development and the law, and the principles of Positive Youth Development; and
• A commitment to the principle of zealous advocacy in the representation of indigent juveniles in delinquency and youthful offender proceedings.
• Foreign language skills are desirable.

APPLICATION Applicants must submit (1) a resume, (2) a thoughtful written statement of interest no longer than two pages which includes a description of the applicant’s prior trial and appellate experience, and (3) two legal writing samples totaling no more than 100 pages, of which the applicant is the primary author.  If the applicant does not have two samples of primary authorship, one jointly authored sample may be included, provided the following are clearly identified: the name and level of involvement of other attorneys; the portions the applicant wrote; and whether anyone edited the portions written by the applicant.  Writing samples concerning criminal or delinquency law are preferred but not required.  Court investigator, GAL or similar reports will not be accepted.