Practice Areas
Practice Areas
We counsel a wide range of clients and cases. We provide representation in criminal, delinquency, youthful offender, state intervention/family regulation, mental health, sexually dangerous person, and sex offender registry cases. We also provide representation in appeals and post-trial cases related to those matters.
Our organization is divided into six legal divisions and five operational divisions. Explore each Division and its scope of work.
Legal Divisions
Public Defender
Represents indigent individuals by assigning staff attorneys for criminal defense trials, including appealed cases. Attorneys also represent indigent individuals convicted of sex offenses in commitment and registration cases.
Youth Advocacy
Provides trial and appellate representation to indigent youths in delinquency, youthful offender, murder, appeal, and parole release and revocation hearings. Lawyers appear before the juvenile, district, superior, and appellate courts, as well as in administrative proceedings before the Department of Youth Services and the Parole Board.
Mental Health Litigation
Provides counsel for individuals facing civil commitments to behavioral health hospitals, Bridgewater State Hospital (a Department of Corrections facility), guardianships, nursing home admission, extraordinary treatment, including the administration of antipsychotic medications, electroconvulsive shock, end-of-life orders, etc.
Children and Family Law
Represent children and parents in cases in which the state (Department of Children and Families) removes children from their homes because of claims of neglect or abuse. These cases are called care and protection (C&P) cases or termination of parental rights cases.
Provide lawyers to children and parents in child requiring assistance and (CRA) cases; examples include cases involving parents asking the Juvenile Court for help with children who have challenges at home, children who are truant from school, or children who run away from home.
- Juvenile or Probate and Family Court Guardianship of Minor Petitions.
- Probate and Family Court Probate Custody Petitions with State Intervention.
- Private Adoptions involving the termination of parental rights.
- Superior Court Mary Moe Petitions – minor seeking abortion.
- Appeals of All of the above.
Private Counsel
Represents indigent individuals by assigning private attorneys for criminal defense trials, including appealed cases. Panel attorneys also represent indigent individuals convicted of sex offenses in commitment and registration cases.
Social Work and Social Services
Provide strategic, litigation-focused, non-direct services to public and private defense attorneys under the Indigent Court Cost Act (ICCA). Court-appointed defense attorneys representing indigent clients can hire these human services professionals.
Operational Divisions
Training Department
Provides education and training to all staff and private assigned counsel within four practice areas: criminal defense, children and family law (CAFL) youth advocacy (YAD), and mental health litigation. Includes the forensics services unit. Also trains attorneys on immigration, forensics, school, and criminal appellate matters.
Finance
Provides support for the agency in budgeting, accounting, facilities and equipment, records retention, and reporting. This encompasses financial planning and budgeting, purchasing and procurement, equipment, inventories, and accounts payables and receivables.
Equity & Inclusion Department
Leads agency efforts to advance racial awareness, equity, and inclusion within offices and across our external relationships. Advises senior leadership and partners with the Human Resources and Training Departments to support equal employment opportunities, improve hiring practices, address issues of bias and microaggressions, and develop comprehensive racial and cultural awareness instruction.
General Counsel’s Office
Develops and carries out the agency’s fiscal, operational, human resources, and legislative policies. Provides legal counsel to the agency’s Chief Counsel and governing Committee, and leads in planning and implementing the agency’s litigation strategies. Serves as the agency’s liaison to the Attorney General and manages the staff of the agency’s Audit and Oversight Unit and Community Liaison Unit.
Information Technology
Enables and enhances the agency’s abilities to deliver its mission and clients by delivering technology capabilities for staff and panel attorneys.
Human Resources
Provides exceptional service to clients and staff by upholding an environment which maximizes the employee experience, fosters personal and professional growth, and enhances staff’s mastery of the general practice of the law.
Find an Attorney, Expert, or Office
Find contact information for each Division, unit, and its staff in our easy-to-use directory.