Internship Opportunities - Summer 2025 - Mental Health Litigation Division - Statewide - Committee for Public Counsel

Overview

The Mental Health Litigation Division of CPCS is seeking applicants for Summer 2025 internship positions in our Civil Commitment trial offices located in Brockton, Northampton, Roxbury, and Worcester offices and in our Trial Support and Oversight unit located in Boston. We are interested in law students both with and without SJC Rule 3:03 Certification for opportunities with the Mental Health Litigation Division.     

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

We stand with our Clients and the Community in the fight for Justice. We are dedicated to providing zealous advocacy, community-oriented defense and protection of fundamental constitutional and human rights. Our staff across the Commonwealth embodies a diverse group of people from different backgrounds, experiences, abilities, and perspectives.  It is through these differences in age, ethnicity, geographic origin, race, faith, religion, and progressive values, that we are able to best serve our clients.  Through our internship program we seek to hire, develop, and hopefully retain talented people from all backgrounds. We strongly encourage individuals from non-traditional backgrounds, historically marginalized, or underrepresented groups to apply.

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 attorneys 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.

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

The Committee for Public Counsel Services (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.

Qualifications

MINIMUM ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS

Interested candidates should have a demonstrated commitment to the principle of zealous advocacy, community-oriented defense, and the protection of fundamental constitutional and human rights.

Candidates must also have access to:

• Reliable transportation or public transportation to travel to courts and hospitals, and,
• A personal computer with home internet access sufficient to work remotely.

APPLICATION INFORMATION

Interested applicants should submit (1) Resume, (2) Personal Mission Statement (no more than two pages detailing your interest in the internship, your personal qualities and background, and what draws you to this work, and (3) Writing Sample. 

Applicants should specify preferred office locations for the Summer 2025 Internship Program.  

Applications received prior to January 10, 2025 will be given preference. 

INTERNSHIP FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

CPCS has a limited number of paid internship opportunities for Summer 2025.  In order to be considered, applicants may complete the following application: https://www.publiccounsel.net/hr/cpcs-intern-scholarship-program/

For students who are not selected for a paid internship, CPCS can work with students to support the receipt of externship credit or outside funding.

Responsibilities

MENTAL HEALTH LITIGATION DIVISION OVERVIEW

The Mental Health Litigation Division provides individuals with attorneys for Civil Commitment proceedings in the District and Superior Courts and provides attorneys for appointment by  the Probate and Family Courts to represent persons in  Guardianships and Substituted Judgment proceedings, including cases involving Conservatorship, Elder Abuse, the Validation of Health Care Proxies, Nursing Home Admission and Do Not Resuscitate orders. Civil Commitments are handled by both staff and private attorneys, while most cases in the Probate Court are handled by private panel attorneys.

In addition to our staff offices in Brockton, Roxbury, Northampton, and Worcester, the MHLD has attorneys in our trial support and oversight office and our training department. All our attorneys receive training in issues relating to mental health and the statutory and constitutional rights of our clients. The Mental Health Litigation Division offers interns a variety of experiences and assignments under the supervision of highly experienced attorneys.

Mental Health Commitment Defense Units

The MHLD offices located in Brockton, Northampton, Roxbury, and Worcester seeks interns and law coop students who have completed their 2L year and are or can be 3:03 certified to assist attorneys with representation of citizens facing involuntary civil commitment to mental health facilities, and involuntary medical treatment for mental illness, including the administration of anti-psychotic medications. 1Ls are welcome to intern with the commitment defense offices to assist with client calls, reviewing medical records and legal research. Interns in MHLD commitment offices will

• Shadow several attorneys during their internship,
• Develop a working understanding of G.L. c. 123 and the requirements for civil commitment, District and Municipal Court commitment proceedings, court-ordered medication proceedings, and the rules of evidence as applied in mental health cases,
• Visit clients and conduct interviews to obtain relevant information and ascertain the client’s position on their pending petition(s)
• Work with independent medical experts including psychiatrists, psychologists, social service experts, and other mental health professionals as requested by staff attorneys,
• Work with attorneys to prepare motions for funds, motions for in person hearings, review medical records, direct examinations, cross-examination of Designated Forensic Psychologists and Psychiatrists and closing arguments,
• Develop research on race and equity issues in civil commitments and assist in developing a litigation guide for such issues, Conduct research into support for novel issues or arguments.

Mental Health Litigation Division Trial Support and Oversight Unit

The Mental Health Trial Support and Oversight Unit based in Boston supports and oversees the private panel attorneys handling civil commitments and probate court matters. TSOU seeks law students who have completed their 1L year to

• Conduct legal research on systemic and specific issues affecting clients with mental disabilities,
• Draft practice materials for attorneys representing clients in mental health matters,
• Handle intake line calls from patients and clients in mental health facilities and provide information about their legal status, assignment of counsel or referral,
• Trial Support interns also assist MHLD Training Unit attorneys to create and edit training materials, and to develop and maintain Mental Health online training and resource initiatives.

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