Immigration Supervising Attorney

Bread for the City; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 100,000 - 106,000; Full time

Job summary

Bread for the City Legal Clinic seeks a full-time Immigration Legal Services Supervising Attorney in Washington, DC. The role centers on direct client representation, supervision of staff, and community outreach within a civil-legal aid setting.

Requirements include 5–7 years post-JD, 4–5 years immigration experience, 2 years supervisory experience, and a commitment to social justice. Hybrid work and competitive nonprofit compensation reflect the organization’s values.

Qualifications

• At least 5–7 years of post-JD legal experience, with some litigation.
• At least 4–5 years in immigration law.
• At least 2 years of supervisory experience.
• Bilingual Spanish/English preferred.

Responsibilities

• Provide direct representation to clients in immigration matters.
• Train and supervise project staff attorneys.
• Train and mentor pro bono attorneys.
• Organize community outreach and legal intake.
• Manage grant applications and reports.
• Expand into asylum and deportation defense as needed.

Skills

Supervisory experience

Litigation experience

Legal analysis

Interpersonal skills

Spanish/English bilingual

Communication skills

Education

DC Bar admission or eligibility

Bar exam in DC or UBE jurisdiction

Tools

Google Workspace

Job description

IMMIGRATION LEGAL SERVICES SUPERVISING ATTORNEY

The mission of Bread for the City is to help Washington, DC residents living with low income to develop the power to determine the future of their own communities. We provide food, clothing, medical care, and legal and social services to reduce the burden of poverty. We seek justice through community organizing and public advocacy. We work to uproot racism, a major cause of poverty. We are committed to treating our clients with the dignity and respect that all people deserve.

Bread for the City Legal Clinic seeks to ensure better access to justice in our nation’s capital. The Legal Clinic offers front-line civil legal services in primarily four areas of law: housing, family, immigration, and public benefits. Our Immigration practice provides direct legal representation, brief legal services, and advice to DC residents with immigration-related issues.

Position Description:

Bread for the City is seeking a full-time supervising attorney with 5-7 years of post-JD experience for our Immigration practice. Specifically, we seek an attorney to work in our Immigrant Justice Project, where job responsibilities will center on: providing direct representation to clients in immigration matters; training and supervising project staff attorneys; training and mentoring pro bono attorneys; organizing community outreach and conducting legal intake; and managing grant applications and reports. Our Project focus is two-fold: one, we provide full representation to survivors of intimate partner and family violence in humanitarian-based immigration petitions, including VAWA self-petitions, T/U visa petitions, and SIJS petitions. Second, and in conjunction with our medical clinic and community partners, we provide brief services to immigrant residents who need assistance in obtaining or replacing identification documents, including Division of Motor Vehicle, country of origin and US-government identification, and employment authorization. Additionally, our practice has recently begun expanding into other areas of immigration law practice, including asylum and deportation defense, in response to the growing needs of our community.

Qualifications:

• Applicants must meet one of the following criteria for eligibility to practice law in DC:

1. Be admitted to the DC Bar; or

2. (a) Be eligible for admission to the DC Bar pursuant to DC Court of Appeals

Rule 46(d) or Rule 46(e) and

(b) meet the criteria for practice pursuant to DC Court of Appeals Rule 49(c)(8);

or

3. (a) be eligible for admission to the DC Bar pursuant to DC Court of Appeals

Rule 46(d), and(b) meet the criteria for practice pursuant to DC Court of

Appeals Rule 49(c)(9)(B), and (c) have passed the bar examination in DC or a

UBE jurisdiction;

• At least 5-7 years of post-JD legal experience, with some litigation experience preferred;
• At least 4-5 years of immigration law expertise/practice;
• At least 2 years of supervisory experience;
• Ability to independently perform legal analysis and train staff attorneys in doing the same;
• Excellent interpersonal and management skills;
• Excellent organizational, analytical, and research skills;
• Ability to communicate effectively in oral and written communications;
• Demonstrated commitment to social justice and racial equity and/or willingness to learn and carry out Bread for the City’s commitments in these areas;
• High degree of flexibility and adaptability;
• Creative problem-solver in individual work and team projects, bringing humor and compassion;
• Ability to work with other staff and interact with a wide variety of people, including volunteers, in a professional and collaborative manner;
• Flexibility to join our hybrid-work environment, a blend of in-person and remote work;
• Comfortable working in an open work environment, with no private offices for staff;
• Familiarity with Google Organization & Productivity Tools (Gmail, Google Docs, Calendar) and/or ability to learn new technology systems;
• Prior experience in a legal services or other public interest setting highly desirable;
• Litigation experience and ability to perform effectively in court a plus;
• Bilingual (Spanish/English) skills strongly preferred; and
• Must be fully vaccinated and boosted against COVID-19.

Compensation:

Bread for the City offers competitive non-profit salaries based on experience and a generous benefits package, which can be reviewed at https://breadforthecity.org/work-with-us/. For those who meet the minimum qualifications, the base salary starts at $100,000, with an additional $1,000 per year of experience, capped at 3 years. Attorneys who are fluent in certain languages, like Spanish, and offer bilingual services in their direct roles and translation/interpretation services within their departments will be eligible for an additional $2,500 added to their starting salary. Bread for the City is a Department of Education-approved employer for Public Service Loan Forgiveness.

Bread for the City is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, sexual orientation, family responsibility, physical or mental disability, medical condition, status as a veteran, or any other category protected by applicable federal, state, or local law, except where a bona fide occupational qualification applies.