Staff Attorney (Complex Removal Defense)

Immigrant Defenders Law Center; Los Angeles (CA); Hybrid; USD 82,000 - 97,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, Dental and Vision Insurance

401(k) Retirement Savings Plan & 401(k

Employer matching

Job summary

Immigrant Defenders Law Center (ImmDef) seeks a full-time Staff Attorney with experience or interest in complex removal defense. You will represent individuals facing complex immigration issues, including criminal convictions, detention, and barriers to relief from removal.

The role focuses on criminal-immigration intersections and developing strategies involving detention, habeas petitions, and post-conviction relief.

Qualifications

• Active California State Bar License or eligibility to waive into the CA Bar via the Multi-Jurisdictional Practice Program.
• Strong case management, legal research, and legal writing skills.
• Willingness to pursue new and untested legal theories and work under pressure.
• Commitment to working in a diverse professional environment.
• Passion for social justice for immigrants required.

Responsibilities

• Provide direct representation in complex removal defense matters.
• Analyze immigration consequences of criminal convictions and charges for relief options.
• Identify and pursue forms of immigration relief (asylum, withholding, CAT, cancellation, etc.).
• Develop creative legal strategies for procedural and substantive immigration issues.
• Prepare and file briefs, motions, and supporting evidence.
• Represent detained clients in custody redetermination and bond hearings.
• Challenge detention through habeas petitions and other remedies.
• Collaborate with post-conviction and appellate teams for referrals and strategy.
• Represent clients before EOIR, USCIS, and other agencies.
• Provide trauma-informed, client-centered advocacy and coordinate with experts as needed.

Skills

Legal research

Legal writing

Case management

Strategic thinking

Trauma-informed practice

Education

Juris Doctor (JD)

Job description

• Base Pay $82,000.00 - $97,000.00 / Year
• Job Category Legal, Immigration, Attorney
• Employee Type FT Exempt
• Manage Others No

Description

Immigrant Defenders Law Center (“ImmDef”) is a next-generation, social justice law firm that provides high-quality representation and legal services to immigrants in Southern California and beyond. ImmDef was founded with the belief that no immigrant should be forced to face an unjust immigration system alone and our universal representation programs are a first step towards that goal. Learn more about us at www.immdef.org .

ImmDef represents thousands of adults, children, and families annually who have multi-faceted, complex, and urgent legal needs as they face our unjust immigration system.

Position Summary

ImmDef is seeking a full-time Staff Attorney with experience or a strong interest in complex removal defense to join our team of fearless advocates. This position will focus on representing individuals facing complex immigration legal issues, particularly those involving criminal convictions, prior involvement in the criminal legal system, immigration detention, and barriers to relief from removal.

This role is ideal for an attorney who is passionate about the intersection of criminal and immigration law and interested in developing creative legal strategies involving detention and bond advocacy, habeas corpus litigation, post-conviction relief, and post-order representation. The attorney will represent detained and non-detained individuals at various stages of immigration proceedings, including those seeking to reopen their cases or challenge their detention or removal orders.

Staff attorneys will join the largest nonprofit universal representation deportation defense team in California and play a critical role in advancing ImmDef's work on behalf of immigrants facing some of the most challenging legal circumstances.

Job Responsibilities

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Direct Representation & Legal Strategy

Provide direct representation in complex removal defense matters, including cases involving criminal convictions, pending criminal charges, prior removal orders, and other challenging legal circumstances.

Analyze the immigration consequences of criminal convictions and pending charges, including eligibility for relief, grounds of removability, and potential avenues for challenging removal.

Identify and pursue forms of immigration relief, including asylum, withholding of removal, CAT protection, cancellation of removal, and other applicable defenses.

Develop creative legal strategies to address complex procedural and substantive immigration issues.

Prepare and submit applications, declarations, legal briefs, motions, and supporting evidence.

Detention, Bond & Federal Court Advocacy

Represent detained individuals in immigration proceedings, including custody redetermination and bond hearings.

Evaluate and pursue legal strategies challenging immigration detention, including habeas corpus petitions in federal district court, as appropriate.

Analyze detention authority, bond eligibility, and constitutional and statutory challenges to prolonged or unlawful detention.

Advocate for clients' release from immigration custody through available administrative and judicial remedies.

Post-Conviction & Post-Order Legal Strategies

Analyze the immigration consequences of criminal convictions and identify potential opportunities for post-conviction relief (PCR).

Collaborate with ImmDef's Post-Conviction Relief team, criminal defense attorneys, and external legal partners to evaluate cases and facilitate referrals for appropriate post-conviction remedies.

Evaluate the impact of successful post-conviction relief on clients' immigration cases, including potential eligibility for relief from removal or reopening of prior proceedings.

Prepare and file motions to reopen or reconsider removal proceedings, including cases involving vacated convictions or other changes in legal circumstances.

Provide post-order legal services, including evaluating and pursuing available administrative and judicial remedies for individuals with final orders of removal.

Research and apply evolving immigration and criminal law jurisprudence to develop effective legal strategies.

Court & Agency Representation

Represent clients before EOIR immigration courts, including at Master Calendar hearings, Individual Merits hearings, and custody redetermination hearings.

Represent clients before USCIS, ICE, and other relevant agencies, as appropriate.

Prepare and file administrative appeals, motions to reopen or reconsider, requests for stays of removal, and other legal filings.

Coordinate with appellate and federal litigation teams on complex legal issues and cases requiring additional litigation support.

Client-Centered Advocacy

Provide trauma-informed, client-centered legal services to individuals facing complex legal and personal circumstances.

Conduct client interviews and provide legal counseling in detention facilities, jails, and community settings.

Work with experts, including psychologists and mitigation specialists, as appropriate, to develop evidence and legal arguments in cases involving criminal histories or other complex circumstances.

Clearly communicate legal options, risks, and case strategies to clients, including those facing detention or imminent removal.

Work collaboratively with managing and directing attorneys, paralegals, case managers, and other members of ImmDef's legal teams.

Coordinate with internal and external legal partners on cases involving overlapping criminal, immigration, and post-conviction issues.

Participate in case rounds, legal trainings, and mentorship opportunities.

Support ImmDef's broader advocacy efforts, including community education, legal training, and strategic partnerships.

Requirements

• Active California State Bar License or licensure from another state or U.S. jurisdiction and, if required, willingness and eligibility to "waive into" the CA Bar via the Multi-Jurisdictional Practice Program;
• Strong case management, legal research, and legal writing skills;
• Willingness to zealously pursue new and untested legal theories;
• Demonstrated ability to take initiative and work under pressure;
• Commitment to working in a diverse professional environment.
• Passion for social justice for immigrants required.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience analyzing immigration consequences of criminal convictions (e.g., aggravated felonies, CIMTs, controlled substance offenses), including working with or alongside Public Defender offices .

• Experience with any of the following forms of immigration cases is helpful: asylum/WOR/CAT, special immigrant juvenile status (child custody/family court/guardianship), cancellation, waivers, adjustment of status, immigration consequences of criminal convictions, bond, humanitarian parole, post-conviction relief, habeas petitions, BIA appeals, motions to reopen, naturalization.
• At least two years experience in immigration law (non-profit or private practice) preferred, but we are ready and able to provide training;
• Experience working with survivors is helpful, including populations that have experienced trauma, abuse and persecution;
• Knowledge of best practices in working with clients with mental competency issues, including those suffering from mental health challenges and children, is a plus;
• Commitment to working in a diverse professional environment.
• DACA Recipients encouraged to apply!
• Spanish language proficiency is preferred but not required; fluency in other languages is also helpful.

You can learn more about ImmDef's programs, services and client populations at www.immdef.org . ImmDef is considering applicants for any of our Greater Los Angeles Area offices, but particularly needs attorneys in Los Angeles and Riverside.

Summary

• Starting salary range for this position is $82,000 to $97,000 DOE.
• This position is part of the ImmDef employee union bargaining unit. Salary calculations are based on experience pursuant to the terms of our union collective bargaining agreement.

Schedule

• ImmDef’s business hours are Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., but our office reception hours are 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. As an exempt employee you will be expected to work a minimum of 35 hours per week, or 70 hours per pay period. You will be required to work from an ImmDef worksite during business hours at least 3-days per week, and 2-days per week you will have the flexibility work from home or take a day off in accordance with ImmDef’s Flexible Work Schedule policies, subject to supervisor approval.
• Attorneys should expect to occasionally work on nights or weekends as needed.

Professional Memberships

• ImmDef provides attorneys with membership in American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and the National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild (NIPNLG), and opportunities to attend conferences, trainings and seminars/webinars hosted internally and by partner organizations.
• ImmDef covers California Bar Dues (or equivalent in one other jurisdiction) for all attorneys.

Health, Dental and Vision Insurance

• ImmDef provides health coverage on the first of the month following 30 days on the job.
• We cover 100% of premiums for our base dental and vision plans for our staff members and 75% of base plan dental and vision premiums for their dependents. ImmDef also covers 89% of the base plan medical premiums for our staff and 69% of the base plan medical premiums for their dependents.

FSA and Dependent Care FSA

• ImmDef offers FSA plans to help offset the costs of eligible health care expenses for you, your spouse, and your eligible dependents using pre-tax dollars
• We also offer Dependent Care FSA to pay for eligible dependent care services, such as preschool, summer day camp, before or after school programs, and child or adult daycare.
• Eligible for Parental Leave which includes six (6) weeks ofImmDef paid leave.

401(k) Retirement Savings Plan & Employer Matching

• ImmDef staff are eligible to enroll in our 401(k) plans upon completion of three (3) months of employment, contributing pre-tax dollars towards their retirement goals
• After three months on staff, ImmDef will match 100% of contributions up to 4% of the employee’s salary

Public Service Loan Forgiveness

• As a 501(c)3, full-time ImmDef staff with qualifying student loans are eligible for the federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness

Parking and Public Transportation Stipends

• Staff members assigned to an office without free on-site parking are eligible to receive a parking stipend of up to $130 per month in actual accrued parking or transportation costs.
• Staff in all offices are eligible to receive a public transportation stipend of up to $100 per month in actual accrued public transportation costs.

Cell Phone Stipends

• ImmDef provides a $15 monthly cell phone stipend to staff members whose job duties require them to consistently work at sites outside of ImmDef offices, or travel between ImmDef worksites, and whose jobs require use of their personal cell phones or communications that cannot be accomplished with ImmDef-issued equipment.