Bilingual Staff Attorney (WA MASS)

City of Lincoln; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 85,000 - 155,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

Paid leave

Transit subsidy

Professional development

Relocation bonus

Job summary

Northwest Immigrant Rights Project seeks a full-time bilingual Staff Attorney for the WA MASS program. The role may be based out of Granger, Seattle, Tacoma or Wenatchee, WA and requires fluency in English plus another language (Spanish, French or Portuguese preferred).

Start as soon as possible and commit to at least two years. As a staff attorney, you will provide direct representation and community education on immigration protections, with opportunities to handle detention cases.

Qualifications

• Law degree required; bar admission in any U.S. state.
• Fluency in English with additional languages encouraged (Spanish, French or Portuguese).
• Excellent writing, communication, and organizational skills.
• Ability to provide trauma-informed, culturally inclusive legal representation.
• Willingness to work independently and in a team; drive to serve low-income immigrant communities.

Responsibilities

• Provide direct representation in removal proceedings, USCIS applications, and appeals.
• Conduct legal intakes and referrals to other services.
• Deliver trainings to providers and develop filing checklists.
• Travel to NWIRP offices and partner locations for consultations.
• Maintain up-to-date case files and meet grant reporting requirements.
• Support NWIRP outreach, education and development efforts.
• Perform other duties as assigned by supervisors.

Skills

Bilingual fluency

Excellent writing

Communication

Organizational skills

Trauma-informed approach

Independent/team work

MS Office

G Suite

Immigration law experience

Caseload management

Education

Law degree

Bar admission (any state)

Tools

Microsoft Office

G Suite

Google Docs/Sheets

Case management software

Job description

• Base Pay $84,508.11 - $155,214.80 / Year
• Employee Type Exempt

SUMMARY:

Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP) seeks a full-time bilingual Staff Attorney to work in our Washington Migrant and Asylum Seeker Support program (WA MASS). This role may be based out of any of our four offices located in Granger, Seattle, Tacoma or Wenatchee, WA. Applicants must be fluent in English and at least one other language, with Spanish, French, and Portuguese preferred. The applicant must be able to start the position as soon as possible and is expected to commit to at least two years.

As a staff attorney, you will offer direct representation, individual consultations, and community outreach and education to immigrant community members seeking immigration protections before the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and immigration courts. You may also handle additional immigration matters, including cases involving individuals in immigration detention.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

All NWIRP staff attorneys are expected to :

Provide direct representation to individuals in removal proceedings before the Immigration Court, on appeal to the Board of Immigration Appeals or before the federal courts, and before the Department of Homeland Security;

Provide direct representation to persons submitting affirmative applications with USCIS and the Department of State;

Conduct presentations, workshops, legal clinics, and intakes, by phone and in person;

Conduct case analysis to determine eligibility for immigration protections/status under the immigration laws;

Maintain a working knowledge of significant policies, laws, practices, and trends in immigration law, particularly as it impacts low-income immigrants and those impacted by the criminal justice system;

Establish, organize, and maintain files up to date;

Perform administrative tasks related to grant reporting such as timekeeping, submitting timesheets, tracking training, and other duties in a timely manner;

Participate in NWIRP’s outreach, community education, and development efforts; and,

Perform other tasks and responsibilities assigned by supervisory staff depending upon NWIRP’s needs.

Specific to this position :

Provide legal intakes to community members referred to NWIRP through the Washington Migrant and Asylum-Seeker Services (WA MASS) Project Hub or who connect directly through NWIRP;

Provide referrals to other legal services organizations; and,

Provide quarterly training on relevant immigration law topics to legal services providers that receive direct referrals from NWIRP to provide brief legal services;

Create filing preparation checklists and template filings to be referenced by other unit staff;

Travel to other NWIRP offices, partner locations, and other offsite locations to provide consultations to community members.

SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS:

Law degree;

Admission to the bar of any state in the U.S.;

Excellent writing, communication, interpersonal, and organizational skills;

Ability to provide trauma-informed and culturally-inclusive legal representation;

Commitment to creating a welcoming, professional, and inclusive environment for staff and clients, and to working with a diverse community in a challenging environment;

Fluency in in English, and additional languages, especially Spanish, French or Portuguese, are encouraged;

Strong ability to work independently, as well as in a team environment;

Proficiency in use of web-based software, Microsoft Office applications (including Word and Excel), and web peer-to-peer communication platforms; familiarity with G-suite tools (Google Docs, Google Sheets and Gmail);

Prior immigration law and removal experience preferred;

Prior experience working with survivors of domestic violence or sexual assault is preferred;

Experience handling a high-volume caseload preferred;

Sound judgment and decision-making skills;

Strong organizational skills;

Ability to take on a substantive caseload, and;

The applicant must have a valid driver’s license as the position involves some travel.

Physical demands :

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, stand and walk; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; talk and hear; utilize a phone, computer, keyboard, pen, and paper. Occasional work on night and weekend hours. Travel may be required. Travel reimbursements apply.

Emotional demands :

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to discuss topics including, but not limited, to discrimination; child abuse, neglect, abandonment; domestic abuse; violence, and psychological trauma. Occasional work in a detention center environment.

BENEFITS AND COMPENSATION:

This is an exempt, salaried position, and the minimum annual salary for candidates awaiting admission to the Bar is currently $84,508.11. Candidates with no relevant experience, but admitted to the Bar, qualify for an annual salary of $87,362.92. Salaries increase for staff attorneys with specific experience. For example, candidates with 10 years of relevant experience will earn $110,044.82 annually, and the current maximum salary, based on 40 years of experience, is $155,214.80 annually.

NWIRP is proud to be a unionized employer, and this full‑time position is covered by NWIRP’s Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). NWIRP offers a generous benefits package, which currently includes:

• Fully paid health, vision and dental plans for employee-level coverage with employer‑funded HRA and HSA options;
• FSA and Dependent Care accounts;
• Automatic, employer contribution of 3% to 403(b) retirement plan;
• Generous paid health‑related leave (12 days per year);
• 12 weeks of paid parental leave after 6 months of employment, plus the ability to extend with State‑paid leave;
• 14 paid Holidays with the ability to float 5 holidays;
• Employer‑paid disability and life and AD&D insurance;
• 4 weeks of paid sabbatical after every five years of employment at NWIRP;
• Eligibility to earn compensatory time;
• Opportunities for paid professional development;
• New employees may be eligible for a relocation bonus, per the CBA; and,
• Subsidized transit passes are available for the Seattle and Tacoma offices.

Free onsite parking for the Granger, Tacoma, and Wenatchee offices.

NWIRP is an eligible employer under the Federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program.

NWIRP is committed to providing a work environment free from discrimination and harassment. NWIRP does not discriminate on the basis of class, race, color, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, political ideology, age, creed, religion, ancestry, national origin, or the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability. Excepting any undue hardship, NWIRP will provide reasonable accommodations upon request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process.

Please contact [e-mail] .

REPORTS TO:

Supervising Attorney