Administrative Assistant I - CAFL Springfield - Committee for Public Counsel

The Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS), the public defender agency for Massachusetts, is seeking to fill an Administrative Assistant I position for its Children and Family Law Division (CAFL) Springfield Trial Office, located in Springfield.  The Administrative Assistant I supports the office by opening and closing cases, filing, faxing, photocopying, and scanning documents, and providing telephone coverage for the office.

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 of 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, 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

The CAFL Springfield Trial Office is a robust defender team, including attorneys, paralegals, social workers, and administrative support staff. They provide legal representation and advocacy throughout Hampden County to children and indigent adults 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.

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 ½ 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 Springfield Trial Office of the Children and Family Law Division of the Committee for Public Counsel Services is seeking to fill an Administrative Assistant I position to work with attorneys who provide legal representation and advocacy to children and indigent adults in care and protection, child requiring assistance, termination of parental rights, guardianship-of-a-minor cases, and other types of custody and adoption proceedings. The Administrative Assistant I supports the office by opening and closing cases, filing, faxing, photocopying, and scanning documents, and providing telephone coverage for the office.

This is a full-time (35 hours/week) position.  The Administrative Assistant I reports to the Supervising Administrative Assistant III.

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:

Substitutions: 

• An Associate’s 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. 

• 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 

An Administrative Assistant I in this office will support a team of attorneys by:

• Opening and closing out cases;
• Maintaining open case files;
• Word processing, including preparation of CORI requests, subpoenas, motions, letters, running sheet entries, etc.;
• Filing, faxing, photocopying, and scanning large volumes of documents;
• Providing telephone and reception services;
• Communicating effectively with internal and external contacts at all levels, and across all diverse and underrepresented groups;
• Filing, scanning and shredding of closed cases; 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 sdebow@publiccounsel.net