Lead VAWA & USCIS Attorney

CR Wannamaker Law PLLC; El Paso (TX); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

CR Wannamaker Law PLLC is seeking a Lead VAWA & USCIS Attorney to provide legal leadership, case-strategy direction, and quality control for humanitarian and USCIS-focused immigration matters. With a reduced individual caseload, you will support attorneys and staff handling VAWA relief and related USCIS applications, resolving complex questions and promoting client-centered representation.

You will mentor junior attorneys, oversee filings for USCIS petitions, advise on sensitive interviews, and

Qualifications

• JD from an accredited law school and active bar license in good standing in a relevant jurisdiction.
• 3–5 years immigration law experience including VAWA-based relief.
• 1–2 years people-management or team-leadership experience.
• Substantive USCIS practice and VAWA filing experience.
• Ability to manage legal work while directing and developing others.
• Strong legal writing, research, and organizational skills.
• Collaborative work with distributed teams and risk escalation awareness.

Responsibilities

• Direct case strategy and review eligibility and filing approaches for VAWA self-petitions and related benefits.
• Oversee preparation and quality review of USCIS petitions and responses.
• Advise on sensitive client interviews and trauma-informed representation.
• Identify issues and coordinate cross-practice referrals when needed.
• Guide staff on USCIS filing requirements, deadlines, and case progression.
• Carry a reduced personal caseload to focus on strategy, mentoring, and escalation.
• Provide day-to-day legal guidance to attorneys and oversight to paralegals.
• Review work product for accuracy, timeliness, and regulatory compliance.
• Serve as escalation point for complex matters and policy changes.
• Monitor caseloads, deadlines, and quality trends; address resource concerns.
• Coordinate with leadership on training and staffing needs.
• Mentor and onboard attorneys and participate in training initiatives.
• Participate in leadership meetings and drive process improvements.

Skills

Legal leadership

Case strategy

Staff mentorship

Legal writing

Communication

Project management

Education

J.D. from accredited law school

Active bar license

Job description

Job Summary

The Lead VAWA & USCIS Attorney provides legal leadership, case-strategy direction, and quality control for assigned humanitarian and USCIS-focused immigration matters. With a reduced individual caseload, the position supports attorneys and legal staff handling VAWA-based relief and related USCIS applications, resolves complex case questions, and promotes accurate, timely, client-centered representation.

Key Responsibilities

• Direct case strategy and review eligibility, evidence, declarations, and filing approaches for VAWA self-petitions and related immigration benefits.
• Oversee preparation and quality review of USCIS petitions, applications, responses to Requests for Evidence, Notices of Intent to Deny, and other agency correspondence within the assigned practice.
• Advise on sensitive client interviews, confidentiality protections, trauma-informed representation, and appropriate handling of supporting documentation.
• Identify potential admissibility, waiver, adjustment-of-status, and procedural issues and coordinate cross-practice referrals or escalation when needed.
• Guide staff on USCIS filing requirements, receipt tracking, biometrics, interviews, follow-up requests, and timely case progression.
• Carry a reduced personal caseload to preserve capacity for legal strategy, quality control, mentoring, and escalation support.
• Provide day-to-day legal guidance to assigned attorneys and functional oversight to paralegals and legal assistants.
• Review attorney work product and filings for accuracy, completeness, legal sufficiency, deadlines, and compliance with professional-responsibility standards.
• Serve as an escalation point for complex matters, changes in case strategy, and elevated legal or ethical risk.
• Monitor case aging, filing deadlines, workload distribution, and quality trends; identify and escalated resource or process concerns.
• Coordinate with lead paralegals and operations leadership on caseload distribution, workflow, training, and staffing needs.
• Mentor and onboard attorneys, deliver constructive feedback, and support department training and consistent legal practices.
• Participate in leadership meetings and collaborate with legal strategy and operational leadership on escalations and process improvements.

Required Qualifications and Skills

• J.D. from an accredited law school and active bar license in good standing in a jurisdiction relevant to assigned duties.
• 3–5 years of immigration law experience, including meaningful experience in the assigned practice area.
• 1–2 years of people-management, supervisory, or team‑leadership experience.
• Substantive experience with USCIS immigration practice and VAWA-based immigration relief, including eligibility analysis, evidence development, and agency filings.
• Demonstrated ability to manage legal work while directing, reviewing, and developing other attorneys.
• Strong legal writing, research, communication, organizational, and professional judgment skills.
• Ability to collaborate across distributed attorney, paralegals, and operations teams and appropriately elevate legal risk.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with related humanitarian relief, adjustment of status, waivers, and cross-practice coordination.
• Experience supervising geographically distributed teams and improving legal quality-control processes.

Supervisory Responsibilities

Provides functional, operational, and managerial legal oversight for assigned Associate Attorneys and functional legal direction to supporting paralegals and legal assistants, consistent with organizational reporting arrangements.