Senior Administrative Assistant - FJA Worcester

Overview

The Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS), the public defender agency for Massachusetts, is seeking to fill a Senior Administrative Assistant position for its Family Justice Advocates (FJA) office, located in Worcester, Massachusetts. FJA is CPCS’ Children and Family Law Division (CAFL) “conflicts office” in Worcester.

FJA provides legal representation to children and indigent parents in family regulation cases, including care and protection proceedings, child requiring assistance 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 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

Family Justice Advocates is CAFL’s Worcester County conflicts trial office, located in Worcester. All CAFL trial offices, including FJA, 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 in care and protection, child requiring assistance, termination of parental rights, and guardianship-of-a-minor cases, as well as other types of custody and adoption proceedings. Team members work diligently to help and support FJA clients to achieve their legal and life goals.

The office is centrally located in the City of Worcester and is within walking distance of Union Station, which hosts WRTA bus service and MBTA commuter rail service. Worcester – New England’s second largest city (with just over 200,000 people) – is the home of the Worcester Red Sox (nicknamed the WooSox), the Triple-A East Division affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. The Woo Sox often host Red Sox players on rehab assignments. Worcester is also the home of the Worcester Railers, a minor league hockey team affiliated with the New York Islanders. Worcester also has an exciting restaurant, concert, and event scene, as well as eight colleges and universities. It also has a world-class art museum, many nearby farms and orchards, and affordable rents.

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Senior Administrative Assistant is a key member of the FJA trial office staff, supporting the Attorney in Charge in running the day-to-day duties of a fast-paced legal office. The Senior Administrative Assistant must be able to provide excellent support for the staff in the office as well as coordinate communications with other CAFL and FJA offices, as well as other CPCS units such as HR, Facilities, and IT.

This is a full-time (35 hours/week) position and reports to the Attorney in Charge.

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 a 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 a Senior Administrative Assistant 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 Chief Human Resources Officer, Sandra DeBow-Huang, at sdebow@publiccounsel.net.