Private Counsel
Our Mission
Our mission is to provide excellent legal services to each client by assuring all assigned attorneys possess the skills they need through experience or training and meet high-performance standards in their representation. We support private attorneys’ work by providing access to mentors, supervisors, resources, experts, and continued legal education.
Looking for private counsel and vendor billing information? Visit our Counsel & Vendor Billing page.
Our Services
Our Division delivers legal services to 80% of adult indigent clients in Massachusetts through assigned private attorneys. Our scope of work includes criminal defense cases in the district and superior courts; appeals and post-conviction matters, including litigation of wrongful conviction claims through the Innocence Program; parole; and civil commitments and administrative cases for people convicted of sexual offenses.
Our Division Units
Criminal Trial Support Unit (CTSU)
The CTSU certifies, mentors, and provides leadership to qualified private counsel to represent indigent criminal defendants in district and superior court proceedings. This unit also encompasses the 12 County Bar Advocate Programs.
Appeals & Post-Conviction Unit
This unit assigns attorneys to Adult, Criminal, Appeals, and Post-Conviction cases and oversees panel attorneys who litigate these cases. Attorneys may be assigned to “screen” a closed case or, under Mass. R. Crim P. 30, file a new trial motion in the trial court.
Alternative Commitment and Registration Support Unit (ACRSU)
ACRSU works to ensure that indigent clients are well-represented in sexually dangerous persons(SDP) proceedings in Superior Court, in Sex Offender Registry Board (SORB) proceedings, and appeals of these cases to the appellate courts. A group of attorneys within this unit also represents clients in SDP jury trials. ACRSU also certifies and trains private bar attorneys in these matters.
Forensic and Expert Resources
CPCS Forensic Services provides litigation support and training to staff and private attorneys and social workers as they confront forensics issues in their cases. We assist with forensic issues at all stages of litigation, across all CPCS practice areas – adult and juvenile criminal, care and protection, mental health commitment, parole, and SDP and SORB. We keep attorneys updated on developments in the various forensics disciplines and provide education and training on forensics issues.
Parole Advocacy Unit
The Parole Advocacy Unit assigns and supports lawyers for incarcerated people who require assistance in seeking parole or medical parole release. Clients include individuals serving life sentences for crimes committed as juveniles, late adolescent first-degree lifers, some individuals facing parole revocation, and people with disabilities or other access challenges who need support to participate fully in their hearing. The unit manages several parole-related panels while serving as a resource for incarcerated people and their loved ones, as well as attorneys and other professionals across legal practice areas.
Immigration Impact Unit (IIU)
IIU serves as an expert resource for Massachusetts attorneys appointed to represent indigent clients. In criminal matters, the IIU assists appointed counsel to advise noncitizens and mitigate immigration consequences where possible. In all other matters, the IIU is available for general consultation. The unit also publishes practice advisories and case notes, along with offering trainings on a range of immigration-related topics.
Innocence Program
We identify and fight to overturn wrongful convictions across the state. Our attorneys represent indigent state defendants who have been convicted and punished for crimes they did not commit.
Social Service Advocacy
We are human services professionals bringing holistic education and experience from a range of social service fields who can be hired by court-appointed defense attorneys representing indigent clients across CPCS. We are expected to have a commitment to due process and client-centered representation.Â
In our roles, we provide strategic, litigation-focused, non-direct services to public and private defense attorneys under the Indigent Court Cost Act (ICCA). Whether an individual is a child, youth, or an adult, our work can improve a client’s chances of successful litigation.
Find a Private Attorney
Use our directory to find contact information for the Private Counsel administration, units, and Bar Advocate Programs, and their staff.
To find a private attorney, visit the MA Board of Bar Overseers’ attorney lookup tool.
Resources for Clients
Explore dedicated resources for individuals receiving private counsel for criminal cases.
Professional Resources
CPCS provides resources for criminal defense professionals in our Resource Center.