The meeting will be REMOTE starting at 4:30 p.m.
Registration is required – details below.

AGENDA

1. Approval of minutes of the April 15, 2026 meeting
2. Legal – request for Committee action
   a. Commonwealth v. A Juvenile, Appeals Court No. 2025-P-1590, DAR ______
3. Monthly Financial Overview
4. Commitments $10,000 and Over Report
5. FY27 Contract Approvals (Please see Summary Memo on page 19)
   a. Supporting Attorney Contracts
   – PCD – Criminal Supervising Attorney
   – PCD – Criminal Supervising Attorney (Murder Panel)
   – YAD – Juvenile Supervising Attorney
   – Post Conviction Appeals – Resource Attorney
   – MHLD – Mental Health Regional Coordinator
   – CAFL – Resource Attorney
   – YAD / CAFL – Special Ed. Advocacy Mentor Attorney (SEAM)
   b. Bar Advocate Program (BAP) Contracts
   – County Bar Programs
   – Islands – Dukes & Nantucket
   c. Private Investigator Contracts for Post Conviction Appeals
6. FY27 Budget Update
7. Information Technology Updates
8. Chief Counsel’s Report
9. Executive Session
   a. IG Litigation Update

Register in advance for this webinar:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_fZ90h1nKQmO1Jkwq8VKPBg

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

The post Committee Meeting Agenda – May 20, 2026 appeared first on CPCS Website.

The meeting will be REMOTE starting at 4:30 p.m.
Registration is required – details below.

AGENDA

1. Approval of minutes of the March 11 & 18, 2026 meetings
2. Monthly Financial Overview
3. Counsel Capacity & Hiring Update
4. Fiscal Year 2027 Update
5. Chief Counsel’s Report

Register in advance for this webinar:

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_72GGvmveRZKpGD3G35FZUA

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

The post Committee Meeting Agenda – April 15, 2026 appeared first on CPCS Website.

Mental health appellate practice is an exciting and developing area of the law, with the potential to be involved in cases of first impression while being a voice for clients whose voices are often ignored. Our clients have been deprived of their liberty by virtue of having been civilly committed, deprived of the ability to make their own treatment decisions, placed under guardianship or all of the above. You will gain client contact, appellate experience, and the satisfaction of providing zealous, client-centered advocacy for some of the most marginalized people in the Commonwealth.

Application Submission: Admission to the MHLD appellate panel is by application only. Space is limited. Applicants are invited to begin applying through the CPCS Application portal on April 4, 2026. All attorneys who accept CPCS assignments are required to maintain professional liability insurance. The deadline to submit completed applications is Friday, April 24, 2026.

If you would like to learn more about our panel and our work, an information session is being held via Zoom on March 31, 2026. Link: https://wkf.ms/4bCr9nF

For the full announcement and link to application, please click HERE.

For questions and further information, please contact Director of Mental Health Appeals, Karen Owen Talley at ktalley@publiccounsel.net

The post MHLD Appellate Certification Training Spring 2026 appeared first on CPCS Website.

The meeting will be REMOTE starting at 4:30 p.m.
Registration is required – details below.

AGENDA

1. Approval of minutes of the February 18, 2026 meeting
2. Legal – Request for Committee Action
   a. Amicus request – Commonwealth v. Esteras, SJC-13899
   b. Amicus request – Commonwealth v. Levi L.,
   Appeals Court No. 24-P-0493 (Mass. App. Ct. R. 23.0)
   Application for further appellate review – not yet filed
3. Monthly Financial Overview
4. Commitments $10,000 and Over Report
5. Chief Counsel’s Report

Register in advance for this webinar:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Ma4A0mUISQGM8jFS822TLQ
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar

The post Committee Meeting Agenda – March 18, 2026 appeared first on CPCS Website.

COMMITTEE FOR PUBLIC COUNSEL SERVICES

MARCH 11, 2026 at 5:45 p.m.

REMOTE MEETING 

AGENDA

1. Executive Session
   a. To discuss a matter authorized by the CPCS Rules and Regulations and consistent with categories similar to those enumerated in M.G.L. c. 30A for executive session discussion.

Register in advance for this webinar:

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_8dXsoumGSZOqcA0ubn0RcQ
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

The post SPECIAL MEETING – MARCH 11, 2026 appeared first on CPCS Website.

The meeting will be REMOTE starting at 4:30 p.m.
Registration is required – details below.

AGENDA

1. Approval of minutes of the January 21, 2026 meeting
2. Legal – Request for Committee Action
   a. Amicus request – Commonwealth v. Hsu (SJC-13855)
3. Monthly Financial Overview
4. Commitments $10,000 and Over Report
5. Tufts Tier Evaluation Contract Approval
6. Chief Counsel’s Report
7. Executive Session

Register in advance for this webinar:

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_reU_VsIXSC-SlBmTesJCCg

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

The post Committee Meeting Agenda – February 18, 2026 appeared first on CPCS Website.

The meeting will be REMOTE starting at 4:30 p.m.
Registration is required – details below.

AGENDA

1. Approval of minutes of the December 16, 2025 meeting
2. Legal – Request for Committee Action
   a. Amicus request – Commonwealth v. Thompson, SJC-13856
3. Monthly Financial Overview
4. Commitments $10,000 and Over Report
5. Update on Unrepresented Clients, Attorney Work Stoppage and Legislative Response
6. Chief Counsel’s Report

Register in advance for this webinar:

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_mFmTQl-tS52yVWmA8cMxCw

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

The post Committee Meeting Agenda – January 21, 2026 appeared first on CPCS Website.

Dear Committee, Colleagues and Friends:

We are excited to announce the opening of nominations for the Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS) 2026 Awards. These awards aim to recognize outstanding individuals who have made significant contributions to the field of public defense and legal advocacy.

CPCS is seeking nominations from professionals like yourself who are familiar with the exemplary work being done within the legal community. If you know someone deserving of recognition for their dedication, innovation, and impact in the field of public defense, we encourage you to submit a nomination by 5 p.m. on March 16, 2026 by completing our online nomination form that you may access by clicking this link. The nomination form includes a detailed list of the award categories as well as links to past years’ award recipients.

All nominations must include a written explanation of why the nominee should be honored and only nominations submitted through our online form will be considered.

The awards ceremony will take place at Suffolk University Law School on May 26, 2026, from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., at David J. Sargent’s Hall. We will open registration for this event when we announce this year’s award recipients.

Thank you for your commitment to recognizing excellence in public defense and legal advocacy. We look forward to receiving your nominations and making the 2026 CPCS Awards a memorable celebration of the outstanding individuals within our community.

Sincerely,

Anthony J. Benedetti

Chief Counsel

The post CPCS Annual Awards Nomination 2026 appeared first on CPCS Website.

All meetings will begin at 4:30 p.m. and will be held on the third Wednesday of the month.

January 21st

February 18th

March 18th – in person remote

April 15th – in person remote

May 20th

June 17th – in person 24th remote

July 15th

NO AUGUST MEETING

September TBD

October TBD

November TBD

December TBD

The post CALENDAR YEAR 2026 COMMITTEE MEETING DATES appeared first on CPCS Website.

The meeting will be REMOTE starting at 4:30 p.m.
Registration is required – details below.

AGENDA

1. Approval of minutes of the November 17, 2025 meeting
2. Legal – Request for Committee Action
   a. Amicus request – Walshe v. Miller, SJC-13846
3. Monthly Financial Overview
4. Commitments $10,000 and Over Report
5. Update on Unrepresented Clients, Attorney Work Stoppage and Legislative Response
6. Chief Counsel’s Report
7. Committee Meeting Dates 2026
8. Executive Session
   a. Litigation

Register in advance for this webinar:

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_43Yt-xvwSv6xgciTFy0G_g

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

The post Committee Meeting Agenda – December 16, 2025 appeared first on CPCS Website.