Hybrid Staff Attorney — Immigration & Social Justice

Metropolitan Family Services; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 65,000 - 70,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical Coverage

Dental Coverage

Vision Coverage

401K with employer match

Job summary

Metropolitan Family Services in Chicago, IL is hiring two Staff Attorneys for the Individual Rights & Social Justice Practice Group to support victims of crime, including immigrants and trafficking survivors. The hybrid role requires a JD and Illinois Bar eligibility, with duties across intake, defense and affirmative relief, and collaboration with a trauma-informed team.

You'll travel to Chicago area offices and Palatine workshops, perform client interviews, prepare applications, and provide

Qualifications

• Must be a Juris Doctor and an active Illinois Bar member or eligible within 3 months.
• Upon starting, enroll in 40-hour Domestic Violence Certification within 12 weeks.

Responsibilities

• Provide trauma-informed, high-quality immigration legal services in removal and relief matters.
• Interview clients, identify legal issues, advise options, and communicate with many clients.
• Manage a full caseload, pursuing defensive and affirmative immigration relief.
• Prepare affirmative and defensive immigration applications for removal proceedings.
• Conduct MIDA intakes for detained clients and provide representation as needed.
• Represent clients in immigration proceedings, including pro se appearances.
• Maintain case files and data per funder requirements and ensure timely updates.
• Identify systemic issues and help develop strategies to address them.
• Provide training, consultation, and support to agency staff.
• Travel within Chicago and surrounding suburbs as required.

Skills

Interpersonal skills

Verbal communication

Written communication

Organizational skills

Judgment

Diverse populations experience

Legal experience

Education

Juris Doctor / Illinois Bar

Job description

We are now hiring Two (2) full-time Staff Attorneys to join the Individual Rights & Social Justice Practice Group within our Legal Aid Society team— serving our New Arrivals Team.

If asked to describe the culture at Metropolitan Family Services, we could do that inoneword. COMMUNITY ! Reflected in both our internal cultureas well asthrough the services we provide, community is at the heart of all we do.

Metropolitan Family Services(MFS) empowers families to learn, to earn, to heal, to thrive.Part mentor, part motivator, part advocate, since1857, Metropolitan Family Serviceshasbeen the engine of change that empowers families to reach their greatest potential and positivelyimpacttheir communities. Are you looking to have an impact on more than just a company’s bottom line? Thenwe’dlove to hear from you!

The Individual Rights & Social Justice Practice Group provides legal representation to victims of crime and currently has projects that focus specifically on services to victims of human trafficking, immigrant victims of crime, and immigrants in detention and removal proceedings. In addition,IndividualRights & Social Justice Practice Group engages innumerousdirect outreaches, training, and technicalassistancethroughout Illinois. As part of a trauma informed practice, we believe in reducing barriers toassistclients, which includes being willing to meet with clients in safe locations outside the attorney's main location.

Are you a mission-driven attorney passionate about fighting for the rights of vulnerable populations? Then we encourage you to apply! The attorney will work with individuals who are in immigration removal proceedings both detained and non-detained. Using a team approach, the attorneys will help clients with defensive and affirmative immigration relief as needed. The attorney will conduct intakes and provide advisal's and/or full representation.

This is ahybridposition , with the office location being our headquarters in the loop, Chicago, IL . The Staff Attorney will need totravel to our office and workshops In Palatine Illinois.

SALARY: The average salary range for this position is $65,000-$70,000 annually.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

• Using client centered trauma informed techniques,providehigh qualitylegal services to clients in all aspects of representation.
• Interview clients,identifylegal problems,adviseclients of options, andprovidelegal advice, often under emotional and stressful conditions. In constant communication withlargenumber of clients. Assess clients for other legal and supportive needs.
• Using independent judgment, handle a full caseload of varying complexity. Use advocacy, to favorably resolve immigration issues for clients.
• Prepare affirmative Immigration applications for clients in removal proceedings.
• Prepare defensive Immigration application for clients in removal proceedings before EOIR.
• Conduct MIDA intakes of detained clients to asses immigration relief and possibly provide full representation.
• Represent client in immigration proceedings in a Pro-se level.
• Maintain documents, data, and other information required by various funders.Ensureall case files and case data aretimelyand accurately updated.
• Identifysystemic issues affecting communities served by LAS andparticipatein developing creative strategies to address them.
• Provide training, consultation, and support to agency staff inareaof specialization.
• Other duties as assigned.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, and ABILITIES:

• Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and writtencommunicationsskills.
• Excellent writing, recordkeeping, and organizational skills.
• Ability to exerciseappropriate independentjudgment.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with diverse individuals and groups.
• Relevant experience in the general practice of law preferred.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Juris Doctor AND active member of the Illinois Bar or admission within 3 monthsfromhire.
• If not already certified, upon starting, must enrollfortraining and receive a 40-Hour Domestic Violence Certification within12 weeksof employment.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Satisfactorily pass all relevant screening and criminal background checks.

TRAVEL TRANSPORTATION/MOBILITY REQUIREMENTS:

• Travel isrequiredwithin Chicago and surrounding suburbs.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

• While performing the essential duties of this job, the employee is required to sit and stand for sustained periods of time, frequently talk, hear, use hands and fingers to feel,handle, and operate objects or controls, and occasionally stand, bend, stretch, stoop, kneel and crouch. The employeeis required tohaveclosevisual acuity to perform an activity such as preparing and analyzing data and figures, transcribing, and viewing a computer terminal.

Metropolitan Family Services puts our people first with a top-of-the-line benefits package. Find out more by clicking here !

Some highlights include:

• Medical Coverage, Guardian Dental Coverage, and VSP Vision Coverage.
• Metropolitan Family Services contributions of $2,000 toindividual, and $4,000 to family, HSA accounts, pro-rated to your benefits start date.
• FREE General Medicine and Behavioral Health Teladoc services provided to all team members.
• Ascensus 401K plan services with a 4% employer match, vested at 100% on dayone of eligibility.

And so much more! Make sure you click here to see the full suite of benefits offered!

MORE ABOUT US:

Metropolitan Family Services empowers families to learn, to earn, to heal, to thrive.Part mentor, part motivator, part advocate, since1857, Metropolitan Family Serviceshasbeen the engine of change that empowers families to reach their greatest potential and positivelyimpacttheir communities. Metropolitan is Illinois' first comprehensive human services agency and reaches more than 122,970 individuals and families in Chicago, Evanston/Skokie, the southwest suburbs, and DuPage County with services promoting education, economic stability, emotional wellness, and empowerment.

Qualifications

Skills

Preferred

Verbal and Written Communication

Advanced

Organizational Skills

Advanced

Interpersonal Skills

Advanced

Advanced

Analytical Skills

Advanced

Word

Advanced

Excel

Intermediate

PowerPoint

Intermediate

Education

Required

Juris Doctor or better.

Licenses & Certifications

Required

Attorney Registration

Equal Opportunity Employer
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws.For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.