Administrative Assistant III - CAFL Hampden County Conflict Trial Office

Company: Committee for Public Counsel Services
Location: Springfield
Posted on: May 11, 2022

Job Description:

Overview
The Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS), the public defender agency for Massachusetts, is seeking to fill an Administrative Assistant III position for its Children and Family Law Division (CAFL) Hampden County Conflict Trial Office, located in Springfield. CAFL provides legal representation to children and indigent parents in family regulation cases, including care and protection (C&P) proceedings, child requiring assistance (CRA) 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
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 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, child welfare, 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.
OFFICE OVERVIEW
CAFL is opening a Hampden County Conflict Trial Office (Conflict Office) in Springfield, Massachusetts. The Conflict Office will provide legal representation to children and indigent parents and guardians in family regulation/child welfare 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.
The Conflict Office will be considered a separate law firm from all other CPCS offices for conflict of interest purposes. To this end, it will have 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 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 and guardians in care and protection, child requiring assistance, termination of parental rights, guardianship-of-a-minor cases, and other types of custody and adoption proceedings. Team members work diligently to help and support CAFL clients to achieve their legal and life goals.
CAFL clients are diverse in every way imaginable. Accordingly, all CPCS staff members must be culturally competent and able to work well with people of different races, ethnicities, gender identities and expressions, sexual orientations, abilities, languages, and other characteristics.
Springfield, the third largest city in Massachusetts, is located in Western Massachusetts along the Connecticut River. It is centrally located: Northampton is 25 minutes away, Hartford is 27 minutes away, Worcester is 55 minutes away, Boston is 90 minutes away, and New York City is 2 hours away. Springfield is best known for being the birthplace of basketball and the home of Theodor Geisel, better known as "Dr. Seuss."
POSITION OVERVIEW
The Administrative Assistant III 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 III must be able to provide excellent support for the staff in the office as well as coordinate communications with other CPCS units such as HR, Facilities, and IT.
This is a full-time (35 hours/week) position.
Qualifications
MINIMUM ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS
The ideal candidate will be a person who is both highly organized and detail-oriented and enjoys interacting with people in a friendly work environment and will take satisfaction from working in an agency which is committed to protecting the fundamental legal rights of indigent persons.
The successful applicant must have:

• 
  
• Associate's degree in related area and at least two years of experience as an administrative assistant or office manager; executive level secretarial skills; or an equivalent combination of education, training, experience, and skills are required; and,
  
• Access to a personal computer with home internet access sufficient to work remotely.
  
  Substitutions:
  
  • 
    
  • A bachelor's or higher degree in a related area may be substituted for one year of the required experience. Education toward such a degree will be prorated on the basis of the proportion of the requirements actually completed.
    
    QUALIFICATIONS/SKILLS
    
    • 
      
    • Strong communication, organizational and detail skills;
      
    • Proficiency in MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint);
      
    • Ability to establish effective working relationships and to work as a 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;
      
    • Strong cultural competency and diplomacy skills;
      
    • Legal office experience a plus; and
      
    • Foreign language skills are strongly preferred.
      
      Responsibilities
      RESPONSIBILITIES
      The primary responsibilities of an Administrative Assistant III include:
      
      • 
        
      • Supporting the Attorney in Charge on day-to-day duties of running the office as well as special projects and coordinating communication, support, and resources with HR, Facilities, and IT;
        
      • Opening and closing case files, maintaining open case files, and filing, scanning and shredding of closed cases;
        
      • Providing administrative support, including word and data processing, filing, copying, scanning, and handling correspondence;
        
      • Coordinating and assisting with projects relating to personnel management, program evaluation, and other areas;
        
      • Creating statistical reports regarding attorney caseloads and disposition of cases and maintaining data collected;
        
      • Planning, coordinating, and calendaring meetings and events;
        
      • Assisting with other projects to improve the quality of legal representation and to enhance client services;
        
      • Ensuring effective use of office systems and compliance with agency procedures and practices;
        
      • Communicating effectively with internal and external contacts at all levels;
        
      • Assisting with front desk coverage including all receptionist responsibilities as needed;
        
      • Maintaining and updating office websites; 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 interim Director of Human Resources Management, Mark Conlon, at mconlon@publiccounsel.net

Keywords: Committee for Public Counsel Services, Springfield , Administrative Assistant III - CAFL Hampden County Conflict Trial Office, Administration, Clerical , Springfield, Massachusetts