Jobs & Fellowships
Opportunities for employment, post-graduate fellowships, and law student internships will be posted on this page as they become available.
2021 Fall & Winter Internships
Applications Preferred by July 31, 2021
The Committee for Public Counsel Services Innocence Program (IP), located in Roxbury Massachusetts, is currently accepting applications for full time unpaid fall and winter law internships for. The IP is a unit of the Massachusetts public defender’s office that is devoted to identifying and fighting wrongful convictions across the state. Our staff and private panel attorneys represent indigent state defendants who have been convicted and punished for crimes they did not commit. We accept both DNA and non-DNA based innocence claims, with special attention to cases involving eyewitness identification evidence, flawed or invalidated forensic science testimony, and false confessions. In the 11 years since our creation, our staff and panel attorneys have been instrumental in securing the release of 18 wrongfully convicted Massachusetts defendants, 14 of whom have been fully exonerated. We also helped establish an innovative partnership with prosecutors, criminal clerks, and scientists from the Massachusetts State Police Crime Laboratory to identify areas of common concern related to wrongful convictions.
Law interns work closely with the program director, staff attorneys and paralegal to screen cases, provide litigation support to post-conviction innocence claims, work on research projects and policy advocacy, and help draft trial court filings or appellate briefs for any active litigation. Interns will have the opportunity to attend court for any hearings or arguments.
Qualifications
Applicants should have a commitment to criminal justice issues and to the importance of whole-client representation, be self-motivated, and be able to work well with a wide range of people. Excellent research and writing skills are required.
Diversity and Inclusion Mission Statement
CPCS is committed to protecting the fundamental constitutional and human rights of its clients by providing zealous advocacy, community-oriented defense, and excellent representation. In fulfilling its mission, CPCS is committed to fostering diversity at all levels of the agency. We are dedicated to building a strong professional relationship with each of our clients, to understanding their diverse circumstances, and to meeting their needs. In striving always to achieve those goals, CPCS embraces diversity and inclusion as core values and is steadfast in our commitment to: (1) ensuring that CPCS management and staff members represent a broad range of human difference and experience; (2) providing a work climate that is respectful and that supports success; and (3) promoting the dignity and well-being of all staff members. CPCS’s leadership is responsible for ensuring excellence, diversity, and inclusion. Our ability to achieve these goals depends on the efforts of all of us.
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 Director of Human Resources Management, Lisa Bacon, at lbacon@publiccounsel.net.
How to Apply
Interested applicants should email a letter of interest, resume, current law school transcript, and a short writing sample (5 pages or less) to IP Support Specialist Kristen Gondim: kgondim@publiccounsel.net.
Applications will be considered on a rolling basis, with preference given to those application received by July 31, 2021.