Lead VAWA & USCIS Attorney

C.R. Wannamaker Law; El Paso (TX); In loco; USD 120.000 - 180.000; Tempo pieno

Descrizione del lavoro

C.R. Wannamaker Law seeks a Lead VAWA & USCIS Attorney to provide legal leadership, case-strategy direction, and quality control for humanitarian and USCIS matters.

With a reduced individual caseload, you will support attorneys and staff handling VAWA-based relief and related USCIS applications, resolving complex questions and ensuring client-centered representation. You will mentor associates, oversee filings, and collaborate with operations to improve processes while supervising paralegals and

Competenze

• J.D. from an accredited law school and active bar in good standing.
• 3–5 years of immigration law experience in assigned practice.
• 1–2 years of people-management or team-leadership experience.
• Substantive USCIS immigration practice and VAWA relief experience.
• Ability to manage legal work while directing and reviewing others.

Mansioni

• Direct case strategy and review eligibility, evidence, and filing approaches for VAWA self-petitions and related benefits.
• Oversee preparation and quality review of USCIS petitions and agency responses.
• Advise on confidential client interviews and trauma-informed representation.
• Identify issues in admissibility, waivers, status adjustments, and escalation when needed.
• Guide staff on USCIS filing requirements, tracking, biometrics, and timelines.
• Maintain reduced personal caseload to focus on strategy, mentoring, and escalation support.
• Provide day-to-day legal guidance and supervision to paralegals and staff.
• Review work product for accuracy, completeness, and professional standards.
• Serve as escalation point for complex matters and changes in strategy.
• Monitor caseload aging, deadlines, and resource needs; coordinate workflow.

Conoscenze

Leadership

Immigration law

Mentoring

Legal writing

Cross-team collab

Case strategy

Formazione

J.D. degree

Descrizione del lavoro

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 elevate 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, paralegal, 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.