CPCS Website

What is this Medication For?
2024-05-30 13:00 - 14:30 UTC | Zoom
Youth Defenders practicing in Juvenile Court will gain an introductory understanding of the effects and side effects of medications commonly prescribed to the children they represent. They will also examine how implicit bias affects prescribers’ decisions and learn strategies for critically evaluating provider diagnoses and prescriptions and how to incorporate this information into their advocacy.
NOTE: 1.5 CLE credit for each webinar for attorneys on each of the following panels: YAD, CAFL (Trial and Appeals), SDP/SORB, and Mental Health.
Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUpf-6trjooGNItawQQky0hvqqPNDCYd2RZ

MHLD RED (Race, Equity and Diversity) Talk
2024-05-31 12:00 - 13:00
THIS PROGRAM QUALIFIES FOR 1 CLE ON THE MHLD TRIAL PANEL and MHLD APPEALS PANEL
Drop-in Lunch & Learn to build on other recent race trainings and support you in your MHLD practice!
Bring your lunch and come join your colleagues on MHLD staff and panel to talk informally and brainstorm about raising race in our cases. Do you believe that your client’s mental health treatment, admission to a facility or petition for commitment/guardianship is being impacted by racial bias? During each session we will focus on a different topic arising in our litigation. Come talk about how to tell your client’s story, develop strategy, draft cross and direct examinations, move to admit relevant studies and articles and make effective arguments to the court. This is also a chance to case crunch your cases with your colleagues over lunch!
Register Here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0pc–gqDkpE9ch1NMVNT9vEkuDplRhRVYIhttps://us02web.zoom.us/j/89446862393?pwd=[REDACTED]

CAFL Training Notice: Making Objections
2024-06-03 13:00 - 14:30 | Lowell Juvenile Court, 370 Jackson St., Lowell, MA, 01852, United States
Come hear from our justices, The Honorable Joanna Rodriguez and The Honorable Brian Frane, as they provide us with invaluable guidance on the subject of making objections followed by some interactive exercises with Attorneys Elizabeth Broderick and John Haroian.
Location: Courtroom 8, Lowell Juvenile Court (370 Jackson St., Lowell, MA 01852)
When: June 3, 2024, 1:00-2:30 PM
Lunch will be provided!
COST: FREE
This training qualifies for 1.5 CLEs.
Please RSVP to John Haroian at jdharoian@msn.com by May 29th.

Workshop to Confront the Challenges & Create Concrete Strategies to Effectively Raise Race in Mental Health Litigation:
2024-06-03 13:00 - 16:00
Come join Dr. Jessica Isom, community psychiatrist, public speaker, medical educator and consultant for diversity, equity, inclusion and antiracism projects, and your staff, private counsel and clinical colleagues in an interactive workshop:

Describe how to talk to clients in distress about raising race
Identify and break down barriers that prevent you from raising race in your cases
Develop strategies with your experts to address critical points in the process
Educate the court about how racial bias impacts the decision making of experts and ultimate opinions reached

3 CLE credits for: MH Appeals & Trials
Register Here

20 minutes of LGBTQ - Client Relationships - w/Sara Atalay
2024-06-03 15:00 - 15:20 | Zoom
This year, your trainers are planning pride celebrations based on celebrating the work of public defenders doing a fabulous zealous job of representing LGBTQ clients. We are trying out doing a series of mini-trainings (on Zoom) of 20 minutes or less where we talk about just one way to support LGBTQ clients.
Attend one or all of them – whether you identify as LGBTQ or don’t know what LGBTQ stands for, we would love to have you!
REGISTER HERE
*See Flyer Here for more details and CLE info:
FLYER_Pride-in-Zealous-Client-Centered-Advocacy-with-Criminal-Defense-and-YAD-Trainers

Skill of the Quarter Series: Alternative Commitment & Registration Support Unit
2024-06-04 13:00 - 14:00 | Zoom
Join us on June 4, 2024, 1-2PM for a review of the Sex Offender Registry Board (SORB), the type of cases they send us, the process of cases, and more! All administrative staff members of CPCS are cordially invited and encouraged to attend.
Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0lce-hpz4sHddLkp5uaGyc7PxfUKu2I4sC#/registration

Social Law Library: Lawyer Well-Being Series - Prioritize Without Compromise
2024-06-05 12:00 - 13:00
This program is hosted by Social Law Library. Any questions or issues regarding this program should be directed there: msaporito@socialaw.com. This event is being listed for informational purposes only. CPCS staff cannot assist with, or solve, registration issues.
Social Law Library CLE program – Lawyer Well Being Series – Reprioritize Without Compromise – June 5, 2024
For more information including how to register, please visit:
The Lawyer Well-Being Series – Reprioritize Without Compromise (socialaw.com)
NOTE: 1 CLE credit for each webinar for attorneys on each of the following CPCS panels: CAFL (Trial and Appeals), YAD (Trial and Appeals), Adult Criminal Defense Trials, Adult Post-Conviction, Mental Health Litigation, MHLD Appeals, SORB and SDP Panels

CAFL's Preparing for Trial Training: Spring 2024
2024-06-05 14:00 - 16:00, 2024-06-10 13:00 - 16:30, 2024-06-13 13:00 - 16:30, 2024-06-17 13:00 - 16:30, 2024-06-20 13:00 - 16:30 | Zoom
We are running our remote Preparing for Trial Training, formerly known as Trial Practice Training, Spring of 2024. The training will be a mix of live on-line sessions and substantial self-directed learning. You will spend much of the live sessions in a small group with faculty. The dates of the training are June 5, 2024, from 2 to 4 p.m., and June 10, 13, 17, 20, 2024, 1:00 to 4:30 p.m. The training is mandatory for all new CAFL attorneys.

Images of Queer Movements: Respect our Existence or Expect our Resistance
2024-06-05 14:00 - 16:00 | CPCS Worcester, 120 Front Street, 3rd floor, Worcester, MA, 01608, United States
Join us for this in person event in the most central location we have, CPCS Worcester Office (120 Front St, 3rd fl, Worcester MA) about LGBTQ history in Massachusetts, – this interactive discussion will allow us to learn from each other about LGBTQ history, with a focus on Massachusetts and the criminal legal system. If you feel like it, feel free to wear your favorite work-appropriate pride shirt, pin, jewelry, etc.
**Note: CPCS affinity groups Queer Defenders and U.G.H. (“Unconventionally Gendered Humans”) invite LGBTQ and allied staff and private bar to Worcester’s new queer bar, Femme Bar after the work day is over on June 5 for some gathering and community.
2 CLE credit for attorneys on each of the following panels: Criminal Defense, Adult Post-Conviction, YAD, YAD Appeals, MH and MH Appeals, Parole, CAFL, SORB and SDP Panels
REGISTER HERE

See our flyer here for other events in this series:
FLYER_Pride-in-Zealous-Client-Centered-Advocacy-with-Criminal-Defense-and-YAD-Trainers

Perfecting the Art of Telling Your Client's Story - Richard Jones
2024-06-06 15:00 - 16:00 | Zoom
This program qualifies for 1 CLE on the following CPCS Panels:
SORB/SDP, Criminal Defense, Adult Post Conviction, YAD, YAD Appeals, Mental Health, Mental Health Appeals, Parole, and CAFL
Presenter: Attorney Richard L. Jones has decades of experience as a trial attorney in the Wisconsin State Public Defenders Office. He has handled every case from disorderly conduct to homicide. He is currently on the team that focuses on sexually violent persons and homicide cases.
REGISTER HERE!

Mental Illness & Violence: Debunking the Myth
2024-06-07 13:00 - 15:00
2 credit MHLD CLE program
Training Topic: Mental Illness and Violence
Date & Time: Friday, June 7, 2024, 1:00pm to 3:00pm
Platform: Zoom
Meeting ID: 843 9912 6275
Passcode: [REDACTED]
Presented by:
Anna Lembo, Esq., Worcester county Regional Coordinator
Susan O’Leary, Norfolk Regional Coordinator
Advanced registration NOT required
Upon completion of this seminar, you will be able to:

Understand that violent behavior among individuals with serious mental illness is relatively uncommon
Identify specific symptoms associated with violent behavior for some individuals with serious mental illness
Understand that diagnoses alone cannot predict who may commit violence
Develop an effective approach to cross examining witnesses as to biases against people with mental illness are largely responsible for violent acts

CPCS Persuasive Practice in Superior Court
2024-06-10 09:00 - 17:00, 2024-06-11 09:00 - 17:00, 2024-06-13 09:00 - 17:00
Acceptance to this program by application only. Please see Application Announcement here:
UPDATED Superior Court Announcement 2024 PC

20 minutes of LGBTQ (Zoom) - Mitigation - Raquel Calderon YAD Lowell
2024-06-10 13:00 - 13:20 | Zoom
20 minutes of LGBTQ (Zoom) – Mitigation – guest speaker to be announced
REGISTER HERE
See our flyer here for more information and CLE details:FLYER_Pride-in-Zealous-Client-Centered-Advocacy-with-Criminal-Defense-and-YAD-Trainers

Making DCF’s Witness Your Own: Cross Examining the Case Worker
2024-06-10 14:00 - 14:30 | Worcester Law Library, 184 Main St,, Worcester, MA, 01608
Eleanor Wilkinson, CPCS CAFL
Victoria Bleier, Bleier Law
June 10, 2024, 2-3:30 p.m., Worcester Law Library (In person)
Please RSVP to Bill Comeau at wcomeau165@gmail.com
There’s nothing more satisfying than a good cross-examination. Come learn how to use DCF’s witness to make your client’s case. This session will provide participants with practical skills to implement during the cross-examination of a DCF case worker. Through an interactive BINGO game and live demonstrations, learn techniques to turn the worker’s tes-timony to your advantage. The session will provide information on the need for formal discovery, the importance of preparation, techniques for controlling the witness, and cheat sheets to use in court.
Training flyer: here

CPCS SDP Trial Panel and SDP Appellate Panel Certification Training
2024-06-11 09:00 - 17:00 | CPCS Malden, 6 Pleasant Street, Malden, MA, 02148, United States
CPCS Accepting applications for SDP (Sexually Dangerous Persons) Trial Panel
Join a panel where you are guaranteed Superior Court jury trials with experts in virtually every case*
Massachusetts is one of 20 states that has a sexually dangerous persons statute, G.L. c. 123A, which allows the government to keep individuals indefinitely confined in prison for something they MAY do in the future after their criminal sentence is completed, even though sex offenders have one of the lowest recidivism rates of all offenders.
Once an individual has completed a criminal sentence for a sex offense, the Commonwealth can petition to have him detained as a sexually dangerous person. The statute is a civil, regulatory statute that has been found constitutional only where due process protections of a jury trial and proof beyond a reasonable doubt are guaranteed.
The jury trials in Superior court usually last at least one week and often involve four or more experts and other witnesses. Expert testimony by psychologists about diagnoses, sexual recidivism and likelihood of reoffense are key components of every case.
Join a cadre of talented and successful jury trial attorneys. Training and mentoring will be provided.

Application forms are linked below and must be returned to ac@publiccounsel.net no later than April 5, 2024 to allow time for processing.

If accepted, you will be invited to complete the certification training by viewing videos in the comfort of your office or home and subsequently completing a one-day in-person practice training that will take place on Tuesday June 11, 2024 from 9am to 5pm in the CPCS Malden Office

For more information, contact Liz Elliott at 781-652-4324 or Rob Ploski at (617) 910-5827 or ac@publiccounsel.net
CLEs: Criminal Trials, YAD, Post-Conviction: 3.5; MHLD Trials – 2.5; YAD Appeals – 4 hours

*(By statute both the client and the Commonwealth have a right to jury by statute, so virtually every case is a jury trial)
LINKS TO APPLICATION FORMS BELOW:
SDP Trial Panel Application
SORB SDP Appellate Application

How to Litigate JRC Cases
2024-06-11 13:00 - 15:00
MHLD Training Department, Staff, and Colleagues Present:

Representing Clients in Substituted Judgment Proceedings
Involving the Request for the Authorization of Aversives by the Judge Rotenberg Center (JRC)

June11th from 1pm-3pm
On Zoom

2 CLE Credits:
MHLD trial & appeals

JOIN US
To learn from Bob Fleischner, Senior Advisor to the Massachusetts Association for Mental Health (MAMH), and Kathryn Rucker, Legal Director of the Center for Public Representation (CPR),
who succeeded in getting a petition seeking painful skin shock denied in the Probate Court.

We will review the current law, how to identify and work with experts, and other strategies
to zealously represent clients facing substituted judgment proceedings seeking use of Level III aversives

After this training, you will be better prepared to:

Understand the current law and the proposed FDA regulations
Work with experts to educate the court about aversives and the alternatives
Collaborate with DDS
Advocate zealously for clients facing the potential use of aversive skin shock

Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYrcOuprjoqHdczcW4OQiLQrO48YYzBQnPA
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
**This training is mandatory for guardianship panelists.**
If you cannot attend on June 11th there will be a limited number of other opportunities to join with colleagues and watch the recording as part of a facilitated viewing and discussion.
This training is mandatory due to the SJC rulings in JRC v. DDS, 492 Mass. 772 (2023) and the resulting petitions for use of skin shock for behavioral control.

Adulting for Lawyers: Representing Transition Age Youth Episode III
2024-06-11 13:00 - 16:30 | Zoom
Remember the most excellent first and second episode of Adulting for Lawyers: Representing Transition Age Youth? Come join us on Zoom June 11 from 1 to 4:30 pm for the third part of the training. A keynote will provide inspiration and practical advice, the rest of the program will provide information and tools to do the work as well as perspectives from those with lived experience. We will talk about helping transition age youth navigate DCF, whether they plan to stay with DCF or leave. We will hear from experts on topics including housing, longtime family connections, and finding other resources for our emerging adult clients. There will be a keynote address from Julie Segovia, Vice President, Research, Policy, & Learning of Hopewell, Inc. and someone with lived experience in the system.
NOTE: 3.5 CLE credit for each webinar for attorneys on each of the following panels: CAFL, CAFL Appeals.
Register here!

Massachusetts Legislative History 2023
2024-06-11 16:00 - 18:00

Social Law Library: How to Handle an Administrative Agency Hearing Case
2024-06-12 16:00 - 18:00
This program is hosted by Social Law Library. Any questions or issues regarding this program should be directed there: msaporito@socialaw.com. This event is being listed for informational purposes only. CPCS staff cannot assist with, or solve, registration issues.
Social Law Library CLE program – How to Handle An Administrative Agency Hearing Case.
This program qualifies for 2 CLE on the following CPCS Panel(s): Criminal Defense, SORB, CAFL(Trial and Appeals), YAD, YAD APPEALS,

For more information including how to register, please visit:
https://www.socialaw.com/education/event-detail/2024/06/12/default-calendar/how-to-handle-an-administrative-agency-hearing-case

Education Law Project Webinar for the four Western Counties!
2024-06-13 13:00 - 14:00 | Zoom
Come to a one-credit, one-hour zoom to learn what CPCS’s Ed Law Project can do to assist CAFL attorneys & their clients. Let the Ed Law staff know what kind of support you need to zealously advocate for a stable and appropriate education . Hear an overview of the current hot topics in educational law, and join a discussion identifying the major educational issues facing your clients today.
This training will be led by the Ed Law Project’s new Western Massachusetts Staff Attorney – our very own Wheatly Gulmi. Wheatly will be joined by Education mentors Holly Armitage and Amy Perry Mercier. Come find out how they can help you!

NOTE: 1 CLE credit for each webinar for attorneys on each of the following panels: CAFL, CAFL Appeals.

MBA Conference 2024
2024-06-14 09:00 - 16:00

Save the Date: Medical Parole Now
2024-06-14 13:00 - 15:00
Working Title: Medical Parole Now
Friday, June 14
1-3pm
Virtual (but may include an in-person option in Boston if possible)
2 Medical Parole CLE Credits Available
* A note that this is only open to current medical parole counsel.

This training, presented by Jack Godleski, Ruth Greenberg and Mark Bluver, will cover practice fundamentals including guidance on all aspects of representation from the screening to release, as well as decision-making following a medical parole denial. It will include a rundown of where we are now and where we can go next, in consideration of medical parole litigation.
For Questions, please reach out to Sadia Ahmad at sahmad@publiccounsel.net

MHLD Trauma-Informed Advocacy & How to Direct your Client at Trial with Cindy Hadge (Wildflower Alliance)
2024-06-18 10:00 - 12:00
Register Here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIvdumvqTwsG9HYIGxO-r9qFXUOyOMuANks

Taking the Sting out of Testifying: Preparing Your Parent Client to Testify
2024-06-18 14:00 - 15:30 | Zoom
Your client is nervous. Their children are on the line. Their trial testimony will be required if they want to reunify with their children. Thorough preparation of your client could make or break their testimony and the case. This webinar will help participants build a solid foundation for their relationship with a parent client. Using the strength of that relationship, participants will then learn concrete steps for preparing a parent to testify at trial. We will address issues specific to parents of color, parents with disabilities, and parents facing potential 5th amendment complications.
Eleanor Wilkinson, CAFL Trial Panel Support Unit
Katy Krywonis, CAFL Training Unit
Hosted by Deb Cassell, CAFL Resource Attorney (deborahcassell_atty@hotmail.com)
Register here. Approved for 1.5 CAFL CLEs.
