Staff Attorney (Immigration Removal Defense)

Immigrant Defenders Law Center; Santa Ana (CA); On-site; USD 82,000 - 97,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

13 paid holidays

401(k) with employer matching

Public Service Loan Forgiveness

Job summary

Immigrant Defenders Law Center (ImmDef) is seeking full-time staff attorneys to join a leading universal representation team in Southern California. You will provide direct, client-centered representation in removal proceedings for diverse immigrants, including unaccompanied children, adults with complex histories, and families.

You will develop case plans, file appeals, and coordinate with multidisciplinary teams to obtain relief and ensure just outcomes.

Qualifications

• Juris Doctorate or L.L.M. required.
• Active California State Bar License or eligibility to waive into CA Bar.
• Strong case management, legal research, and writing skills.
• Willingness to pursue new and untested legal theories.
• Ability to work under pressure in a diverse environment.
• Commitment to social justice for immigrants.

Responsibilities

• Provide direct representation in removal proceedings for unaccompanied children, adults with mental competency issues, and detained or non-detained clients and families.
• Offer high-quality, client-centered representation in deportation proceedings.
• Determine eligibility for legal relief and develop case plans.
• Represent SIJS-eligible youth in related state court proceedings or coordinate with juvenile counsel.
• Identify post-conviction relief opportunities and collaborate with the Post-Conviction Relief team.
• File appeals, motions to reopen or reconsider, and habeas petitions as needed.
• Coordinate with public defenders and appointed counsel for clients with ongoing cases.
• Travel to shelters, detention centers, and custodial settings to interview clients and prepare applications.
• Represent clients in court hearings and before USCIS at asylum and related interviews.
• Prepare country conditions, declarations, and supporting evidence for relief applications.
• Work with experts to develop evidence for immigration relief applications.
• Collaborate with colleagues, participate in weekly reviews, trainings, and provide supervision.
• Support ImmDef’s mission through community engagement and mentorship.
• Perform other duties to support organizational needs.

Education

Juris Doctorate degree or LL.M. degree

Job description

Brief 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. ImmDef is currently seeking full-time staff attorneys to join our team of fearless advocates providing creative and zealous representation to our clients. Staff attorneys will be joining the largest non-profit, universal representation model deportation defense team in the state of California. Our attorneys work collaboratively within our team of staff including managing and directing attorneys, paralegals, administrative support staff and case managers to provide client-centered, holistic representation. This is a rewarding and exciting position where the successful applicant will be engaged in cutting edge immigration litigation for individual clients with an overarching organizational goal of fighting for a more just immigration system.

Job responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Provide direct representation in removal proceedings to unaccompanied children, adults with mental competency issues, and detained or non-detained adults and families. Many clients face complex immigration issues, including those with juvenile or criminal histories.
• Provide high-quality, client-centered representation for clients facing deportation proceedings;
• Determine eligibility for legal relief and develop legal strategy case plans;
• Represent SIJS-eligible youth (under age 21) in related state court proceedings, including guardianship and custody matters, or coordinate closely with juvenile dependency and delinquency counsel to obtain SIJS predicate orders;
• Identify the need for post-conviction relief and collaborate with ImmDef’s Post-Conviction Relief team to pursue available remedies;
• File appeals, motions to reopen or reconsider, and habeas corpus petitions, as needed and as funding and program capacity permits;
• Coordinate with public defenders and appointed counsel for clients with ongoing criminal or juvenile delinquency proceedings;
• Travel to shelters for unaccompanied children, ICE detention centers, and other custodial settings to interview and prepare clients, take declarations, complete immigration benefit applications, and provide legal advice;
• Represent individuals in court at initial or prolonged custody redetermination hearings, master calendar hearings, individual merits hearings, and in ancillary state court proceedings;
• Represent clients before USCIS at asylum interviews, credible fear interviews, ICE check-ins, and other immigration-related appointments;
• Prepare and submit country conditions, declarations, and other supporting evidence for applications to defend clients against removal;
• Work with country conditions experts, expert witnesses, psychologists, and medical professionals to develop supporting evidence for immigration relief applications;
• Work collaboratively with colleagues and participate in weekly group case review, on-site trainings, and provide supervision for support staff’s legal work;
• Support ImmDef’s overall mission by working closely with colleagues and ImmDef leadership on various initiatives through community engagement, peer mentoring, and event participation;
• Perform other duties as assigned to support programmatic and organizational needs.

Requirements

• Juris Doctorate degree or L.L.M. degree;
• 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 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.
• Experience in immigration law (non-profit or private practice) is a plus, but not required as 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!

Language Proficiency

• 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 (Los Angeles, Santa Ana, Riverside). Attorneys should expect frequent travel to courts and between the Greater LA area offices.

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.

Holidays and Paid Time Off

• 13 paid holidays
• 1-Week paid winter break between Christmas and New Years
• 15 vacation days per year
• 15 Sick Days per year

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 of ImmDef paid leave.

401(k) Retirement Savings Plan & Employer Matching

• ImmDef staff are eligible to enroll in our 401(k) plans upon completion of three 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.

We encourage all qualified applicants to apply for a position fighting for our immigrant communities!