Trial Attorney - Mental Health Litigation, Fall River

MINIMUM ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTSApplicants 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;All Trial Attorney positions require travel; access to reliable transportation throughout the Commonwealth is necessary;Access to a personal computer with home internet access sufficient to work remotely.To apply, please submit a resume, a cover letter detailing your interest in the position, and a legal writing sample.QUALIFICATIONS/SKILLSForeign language skills to support interaction with limited English proficient groups in the region are desirable;Trial experience in mental health cases is preferred;Strong interpersonal and analytical skills;Ability to work in a community and defense-oriented capacity, both independently and collaboratively.POSITION OVERVIEWThe Mental Health Litigation Division (MHLD) of the Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS) is seeking an experienced, full-time Trial Attorney for civil commitment cases including trials and a limited number of appellate cases for its Brockton Commitment Defense Unit. The MHLD Brockton office is responsible for civil commitments filed by Bridgewater State Hospital and other facilities in the Plymouth and Bristol County regions. The MHLD is seeking a Trial Attorney who will be a member of the Brockton office team but will be seated in the CPCS Fall River office and be responsible for civil commitments filed by Southcoast Behavioral Health Hospital, Corrigan Mental Health Center, McLean South, and other facilities in the Plymouth and Bristol County regions.The Mental Health Litigation Division is committed to protecting the legal and constitutional rights of citizens facing civil commitment to a psychiatric facility, guardianship petitions, and involuntary treatment orders including the administration of antipsychotic medications. Mental Health Litigation Division Trial Attorneys receive training in issues relating to mental health and the statutory and constitutional rights of our clients.Mental Health Litigation Division Trial Attorneys provide zealous representation in mental health cases, primarily to indigent persons in proceedings seeking the initial commitment to, continued confinement at, or authorization to treat by psychiatric facilities operated by the Massachusetts Department of Corrections, Department of Mental Health (DMH) and private psychiatric facilities licensed by DMH. Attorneys will appear primarily in District Court sessions conducted at facilities for which the Office is responsible or in Superior Court divisions within the county in which the facilities are located but may be required to represent clients in proceedings emanating from other facilities and conducted in other courts of the Commonwealth. Trial Attorneys may also represent clients in appeals to the Appellate Divisions of the District and Municipal Courts.Trial Attorneys will be supervised by, and report to, the Attorney in Charge of MHLD Brockton.RESPONSIBILITIESDuties of MHLD Trial Attorneys include, but are not limited to:Visiting with and interviewing clients at the facilities;Conducting pre-trial investigation and discovery, including reviewing facility and other medical and psychiatric records, and interviewing facility staff;Working extensively with forensic psychiatric and psychological clinicians;Locating and interviewing witnesses and consulting with service providers;Conducting legal research and writing;Representing clients in pretrial proceedings, hearings, and interlocutory appeals.

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