Supervising Attorney - 2003101

Catholic Charities of New York; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 115,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Catholic Charities of New York in Manhattan seeks a Supervising Attorney for its Immigrant and Refugee Services Division to oversee staff and represent ORR-involved minors in removal proceedings. The role involves trauma-informed, child-centered legal practice across EOIR, USCIS, and asylum offices.

This full-time, exempt position is grant-funded with hybrid work options, travel to ORR facilities as needed, and a focus on safeguarding youth rights and well-being in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• Juris Doctorate (J.D.) or LL.M. from an accredited law school.
• Minimum one year supervisory experience preferred.
• Experience with youth or incarcerated/detained populations preferred.
• Experience in family/immigration law, including clinical or pro bono experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Supervise staff in providing child-centered, trauma-informed legal services to ORR-involved unaccompanied minors.
• Train and mentor attorneys, paralegals, and graduates in immigration and family law.
• Manage caseload while prioritizing supervisory duties and timely client representation.
• Ensure clients receive information to make informed immigration decisions and supervise applications for relief.

Skills

Staff supervision

Legal advocacy

Immigration law

Youth services

Trauma-informed care

Education

Juris Doctorate (J.D.) or LL.M.

Job description

Position Title: Supervising Attorney

FLSA Status: Full-Time, Exempt

Classification: Professional

Program: Immigrant and Refugee Services Division: Immigration Legal Services Program

Location: Manhattan, 80 Maiden Lane

Reports to: Managing Attorney

Supervisory Responsibilities: Yes

The salary for this position is: $115,000 - $120.000 annually.

Summary

This position provides legal representation to hundreds of minors in removal proceedings each year and delivers legal information to thousands of youth in federal immigration custody.

Supports young people outside the courtroom by offering educational and integration opportunities and connecting them with community-based social services.

The Supervising Attorney represents youth in removal proceedings who are or were in ORR custody. The role involves extensive work with young people who have experienced abuse, abandonment, neglect, or other trauma, significant court appearances in state and immigration courts and local asylum offices in the New York City area, and travel to ORR facilities as needed.

This is a grant funded position, and employment will depend on continued availability of funding.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

include the following.

1. Supervise staff in the provision of child-centered, trauma-informed, and culturally competent legal services to ORR-involved unaccompanied non-citizen minors.
2. Train and mentor attorneys, paralegals, and law graduates in immigration and family law, support more experienced attorneys on complex representation, assign new cases in a manner that promotes staff wellbeing and longevity, and identify and implement best practices across the legal practice.
3. Maintain a sensible caseload, in light of and secondary to supervisory duties, that will include screening, advising, and representing children before EOIR, USCIS, and state and federal courts.
4. Ensure that staff provide ORR-involved young people with the information and advice they need to make informed decisions regarding their immigration matters, and oversee staff’s work product on clients’ applications for legal relief.
5. Use the client management database and SharePoint to timely and accurately maintain and update records. This may include notes from any meetings with youth, information of all correspondence received for or from stakeholders, communications regarding a client’s matter, tracking deadlines and event reminders, and uploading other documents or information as need.
6. Lead regular team meetings, provide in-house and outreach trainings, presentation and workshops.
7. Draft protocols and issue guidance to triage issues timely, to honor clients’ expressed wishes, and to support advocacy efforts to ensure that ORR-involved children’s rights are upheld and safeguarded.
8. Send referrals to Case Management colleagues to provide timely supportive services to clients.
9. Maintain strong working relationships with stakeholders.
10. Maintain client information confidential.
11. Comply with record-keeping, case file management, and reporting requirements.
12. Adhere to Agency and Immigration Legal Services Program protocols.

Other duties may be assigned.

Position Type and Expected Hours of Work

This is a full-time position. Days and hours of work are 9:00am to 5:00pm daily Monday through Friday. Additional hours may be required to meet court and program deadlines or client needs. All client services must be delivered in person, but hybrid work is permissible.

Working Conditions and Physical Demands

The demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

1. Remain stationary at a workstation and/or use a computer at least 70% of the time.

2. Ability to operate standard office equipment such as but not limited to a computer, copy machine, fax, scanner, telephone, postage machine, and printer.

3. Ability to transport, lift, and file documents/supplies in cabinets.

4. Ability to transport, lift, and carry a laptop to work and to offsite work locations.

5. Travel using public transportation and traversing city streets. Occasionally ascend/descend stairs and be exposed to outside weather conditions.

Qualifications

Education and/or Experiences

1. A Juris Doctorate or LLM from an accredited law school required.

2. At least one year of supervisory experience is preferred.

3. Experience working with youth or with incarcerated/detained people is preferred.

4. Experience in family/immigration law, including clinical or pro bono experience is preferred.

Skills, Licenses, and/or Competencies

1. Fluency in English required. Fluency in Spanish is strongly preferred. A willingness and ability to swiftly achieve full fluency in Spanish required.

2. Excellent communication, organizational, analytical, interpersonal, and time management skills. Strong attention to detail and ability to remain poised under pressure.

3. Ability to work independently and exercise good judgment, and ability to work in a highly collaborative team environment in a fast-paced, high-intensity environment.

4. Demonstrated commitment to public interest law, particularly to children’s issues and/or immigration advocacy. Ability to work with young people and at-risk populations.

5. Willingness and flexibility to shuffle work assignments to meet program requirements.

Catholic Charities and Catholic Charities Community Services is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status or any other characteristics protected by law.