Erica Cushna

As the Trial Panel Director for the Youth Advocacy Department (YAD) at the Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS) in Massachusetts, I’ve had the privilege of supporting and guiding more than 300 private attorneys across the state’s juvenile courts for over 15 years. My role is rooted in providing strong, supportive leadership while ensuring excellence and accountability through adherence to performance standards.Prior to joining CPCS, I practiced law for 18 years in Springfield, Massachusetts, passionately defending clients across superior, district, and juvenile courts. I’ve argued cases before the Massachusetts Appeals Court and the Supreme Judicial Court, where I successfully advanced the rights of juveniles—most notably in expanding the right to a hearing prior to detention.My career has been honored with several distinctions, including the Massachusetts Bar Association’s Access to Justice Defender Award (2008) and the JDAI Jane Tewksbury Leadership Award (2013). I’ve contributed to both state and national reform efforts, helping draft Massachusetts’ indigency standards and national juvenile defense performance standards. I was also a proud member of the Juvenile Indigent Defense Action Network. I routinely present at state and national conferences. Outside the courtroom, I taught real estate law at Bay Path University for over a decade, served as Chairperson of Springfield’s Zoning Board of Appeals, and worked as a city solicitor prosecuting code enforcement cases to support urban reform in Housing Court.I remain committed to advancing justice, uplifting youth advocacy, and mentoring the next generation of defenders.