Administrative Attorney - Office of the Commissioner of Probation

ALL APPLICANTS MUST APPLY DIRECTLY THROUGH THE TRIAL COURT EMPLOYMENT PAGE LINKED BELOW.

https://trialcourtjobs.mass.gov/jobs/administrative-attorney-office-of-the-commissioner-of-probation-boston-massachusetts-united-states-89a324dc-78fa-46ac-95b2-e3aa1783c7b7

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https://trialcourtjobs.mass.gov/jobs/administrative-attorney-office-of-the-commissioner-of-probation-boston-massachusetts-united-states-89a324dc-78fa-46ac-95b2-e3aa1783c7b7

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Departmental Mission Statement:

The Massachusetts Probation Service's mission is to increase community safety, reduce recidivism, contribute to the fair and equitable administration of justice, support victims and survivors, and assist individuals and families in achieving long term positive change.

ORGANIZATIONAL PROFILE:
https://www.mass.gov/orgs/massachusetts-probation-service

Notes:

• This position is designated as a management position and is covered by the Trial Court Personnel Policies and Procedures Manual.
• Starting salary commensurate with experience

Position Summary: Working within the Office of the Commissioner of Probation (OCP), an Administrative Attorney provides specialized administrative and legal assistance within the OCP Legal Unit under the direction of the Deputy Commissioner/Legal Counsel for the Massachusetts Probation Services. An Administrative Attorney's primary tasks:

• Researching legal issues;
• Making recommendations to the Deputy Commissioner/Legal Counsel, OCP Executive and Senior Staff, or Probation field staff;
• May also assist the Records Unit with legal issues;
• Assist with OCP human resources issues;
• Support the Office of the Attorney General and the Office of Court Management with legal assistance involving Probation matters;

•Perform routine and/or special projects as necessary.

•Administrative Attorneys may also be designated to prepare, file, and argue motions, representing Trial Court Probation Services in various legal proceedings.

Supervision received: Work is performed under the direction of the Probation Service Deputy Commissioner/Legal Counsel. All work is evaluated in regular informal and formal supervision meetings and written performance reviews. Attorneys must work in conformity with Probation and Trial Court rules of conduct, the Bar Association's Canons of Ethics, and the Conflict of Interest laws.

Duties:

• Performs legal research and writes legal memoranda on a variety of legal issues;
• Makes recommendations to the Deputy Commissioner/Legal Counsel and advises field staff on issues involving the interpretation of probation policies, administrative policies, and probation law;
• Drafts correspondence in response to complaints, questions, and requests for information from the public, attorneys, judges, probation staff, and other government agencies;
• Responds to calls and other inquiries from the public, attorneys, judges, probation staff, and other government agencies;
• Researches and assists in the drafting of standards, advisories, and policies that affect Probation, its employees and its work;
• Develops trainings and trains Probation staff and outside groups on relevant legal topics;
• Investigates allegations of employee misconduct and, if necessary, testify as the investigator at disciplinary hearings;
• Assists the Trial Court Human Resources Department on personnel and employee relations issues, as requested; Attend certain committee meetings and prepare materials for the group as requested;
• Provides any litigation support tasks requested by the Office of Court Management or the Office of the Attorney General regarding Probation;
• Researches, writes, and argues appeals on issues related to Probation;
• Works under the Deputy Commissioner/Legal Counsel's Special Assistant Attorney General Designation, to draft, file and argue on behalf of Probation in various legal proceedings on a variety of legal issues related to Probation;
• Provides written summaries of relevant case law for inclusion in the Probation Law Digest or other type of legal advisory;
• Identifies patterns and trends to inform the Deputy Commissioner/Legal Counsel about risk management for Probation;
• Works on special projects and initiatives as assigned;
• Tracks and summarizes prospective legislation related to Probation to advise on impact of the proposed legislation and make recommendations on the Probation position, as well as attend drafting meetings or legislative hearings if assigned;
• Works collaboratively with other units within Probation and outside, representing Probation's mission, vision and values;
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Job Competencies:

• Ethics and Values Communicates and demonstrates the ethics and values of the Trial Court;
• Mission Understands, upholds, and communicates the Trial Court and Probation Services missions;
• Applied Knowledge Understanding of legal research, preparing legal memoranda and other documents, contributing to the development and implementation of court rules and policies;
• Problem Solving Accurately identifies and addresses legal issues within the department and initiates corrective action;
• Continuous Learning Demonstrates a commitment to continuously improve himself or herself through professional development;
• Commitment to Diversity Promotes an environment of diversity through understanding, respect, and positive communication with persons of varied racial, ethnic, economic, and cultural backgrounds;
• Customer Service Fosters a departmental environment emphasizing conduct that is courteous and professional toward both Trial Court employees and the public;
• Collaboration Works with others cooperatively, and promotes teamwork, contributing
• Court employees and the public.

Qualifications:
Minimum Requirements: These are the minimum requirements necessary to apply for the position of Administrative Attorney for OCP:
• J.D. degree from an accredited law school and an active license in good standing to practice law in Massachusetts from the Board of Bar Overseers;
• Two (2) or more years as a practicing attorney or equivalent legal experience, preferably including work experience in criminal, civil, or juvenile court litigation;
• Strong proficiency in online legal research tools and methods, Word, and Excel;
• Considerable knowledge of the Massachusetts Trial Court, Probation Service, Massachusetts General Laws, and operations of state government;
• Considerable knowledge of the laws, policies and procedures which affect Probation, including CARI and CORI;
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work professionally with clerks, judges, attorneys, and the general public, and to maintain effective working relationships with them;
• Ability to analyze problems and to recommend intelligent, feasible solutions;
• Ability to communicate and advocate clearly and effectively in oral and written form;
• Strong ability to prepare and submit cogent, persuasive written legal analysis in a thorough and timely manner;
• Ability to handle sensitive matters on a confidential basis;
• Ability to work independently as well as part of a team, and to be able effectively to prioritize work and demands;
• Ability to take direction, supervision, and suggestions for improvement;
• Ability to collaborate on and work with others toward the larger goal of a project, and to seek out input from Field Services, Program Services or other OCP units when necessary before making a recommendation or decision;
• Ability to travel to any statewide field office and the Probation Training Academy in Clinton as needed.

Employment with the Trial Court is contingent upon passage of a criminal record check.