Supervising Attorney - Agricultural Worker and Immigrant Rights

National Legal Aid & Defender Association; Dayton (OH); On-site; USD 73,000 - 89,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Annual leave

Sick leave

Supplemental language compensation

Loan repayment assistance (Ohio Access

Paid parental leave

Job summary

Advocates for Basic Legal Equality, Inc. (ABLE) seeks a Supervising Attorney for the Agricultural Worker and Immigrant Rights (AIR) Practice Group in Dayton, Ohio.

You will oversee attorneys, paralegals, and community organizers, manage caseloads, and guide community lawyering strategies to support low-income immigrants and agricultural workers. You will build partnerships, advance racial equity, and lead efforts in humanitarian immigration applications, removal defense, and policy advocacy.

Qualifications

• Licensed attorney admitted to the Ohio Bar.
• Experience in litigation and humanitarian immigration matters.
• Demonstrated leadership and supervisory abilities.
• Strong written and oral communication, and computer proficiency.
• Ability to travel and work with diverse communities.

Responsibilities

• Supervise attorneys, paralegals, and community organizers delivering legal services.
• Oversee AIR program components: operations, grants, compliance, reporting.
• Mentor staff and support professional development.
• Build community partnerships and engage client communities.
• Advance equity and systemic change through outreach, litigation, policy advocacy.
• Participate in leadership and organizational decision-making.

Skills

Ohio Bar admission

Litigation & immigration

Leadership & supervision

Communication skills

Computer proficiency

Spanish language

Education

Juris Doctor (JD) or equivalent

Job description

Position Description

Advocates for Basic Legal Equality, Inc. (ABLE) is a regional non-profit law firm. Our mission is to pursue justice and equity, facilitate access to opportunities for people with low incomes through passionate legal representation, and provide steadfast advocacy for systemic reform. ABLE is affiliated with Legal Aid of Western Ohio (LAWO), also a regional non-profit law firm that provides legal assistance. This position is based out of ABLE's Dayton office.

Job Summary

Advocates for Basic Legal Equality, Inc. (ABLE) seeks a passionate and creative Supervising Attorney in the Agricultural Worker and Immigrant Rights (AIR) Practice Group. This leadership role involves supervising legal staff, managing a caseload, and advancing community lawyering strategies to support low-income immigrants and agricultural workers across Ohio. AIR staff represent individuals in humanitarian immigration applications, such as U non-immigrant status, T non-immigrant status, affirmative and defensive asylum claims, Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, naturalization, and removal defense. The Supervising Attorney will be expected to build and maintain community partnerships and guide their direct reports in building relationships with stakeholders and centering client communities in their advocacy. ABLE is the primary legal services provider for agricultural workers in the state, conducting outreach to over 4,000 workers annually. The team also litigates individual and systemic impact cases in federal and state courts and advocates for local, state, and federal policy reform to advance the rights of immigrants and agricultural workers. The Supervising Attorney will help drive ABLE’s mission to keep families together, empower vulnerable communities, and build a more just and inclusive society.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES (other Duties As Assigned)

• Supervise a team of attorneys, paralegals, and community organizers, in delivering high-quality legal services and outreach to agricultural workers in employment, civil rights, and immigration matters.
• Provide day-to-day administrative and programmatic oversight of assigned components of the Agricultural Worker and Immigrant Rights (AIR) work, including office operations, grant and contract implementation, compliance, and reporting.
• Assist the Managing Attorney in training, mentoring, and supporting staff attorneys and non-attorney advocates throughout the practice group, helping to ensure high-quality legal services and the professional development of team members.
• Build and maintain relationships with community partners and engage directly with client groups through a community lawyering approach.
• Advance racial equity and systemic change in immigrants' rights through a combination of community outreach, impact litigation, policy advocacy, and individual representation. Promote a diverse and inclusive office culture that supports equity in all areas of work.
• Participate in the firm’s leadership by contributing to organizational decision-making, identifying and addressing structural and cultural issues, and supporting initiatives that enhance the effectiveness and impact of the program.

Scope & Impact

The Supervising Attorney will help the leadership of the program identify and address organizational issues, promote a diverse and inclusive culture, and ensure effective advocacy that advances ABLE's mission.

Minimum Requirements

• Licensed attorney admitted to the Ohio Bar or eligible for admission by motion or passage of the next bar examination.
• Litigation and immigration legal experience required, particularly in removal proceedings and humanitarian forms of relief.
• Demonstrated leadership, supervisory, and administrative abilities.
• Strong legal skills, written and oral communication abilities, and computer proficiency.

Prior Experience Supervising Attorneys, Paralegals, Or Other Professional Staff

• Working knowledge of community lawyering principles, including a demonstrated commitment to spending time in client communities and building relationships with client community leaders.

Preferred Requirements

• Minimum of three (3) years of legal experience
• Experience planning and staffing legal clinics
• Experience working with interpreters and in diverse, inclusive environments
• Experience working with community organizers and/or on organizing campaigns
• Ability to communicate fluently in Spanish

Supervisory Responsibilities

• Direct supervision of attorneys, paralegals, and/or community organizers.

Physical Demands/Work Environment

• Work is performed in a normal office environment.
• Requires frequent sitting, keyboarding, and face-to-face or phone communication.
• Must possess a valid driver's license and be insurable.
• May require walking several blocks or overnight travel.

COMPENSATION, BENEFITS AND WORK LOCATION

This position is based in Dayton.

The role requires monthly travel to Toledo and occasional weekend and evening outreach work.

As a leader in the AIR practice group, the Supervising Attorney will also be expected to occasionally travel to represent AIR at conferences, on panels, or at other community events.

The starting salary for this position is $81,000.00 and increases depending on experience.

• health insurance
• annual leave
• sick leave
• supplemental language compensation
• loan repayment assistance for attorneys through the Ohio Access to Justice Foundation
• paid parental leave

OTHER DUTIES

Please note this job posting is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive list of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the incumbent for this job. ABLE can revise or eliminate the requirements and responsibilities of this position at any time to reflect its needs and objectives. ABLE will notify affected employees of any changes and the effective date of such changes.

ABLE is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We strive to create an environment welcoming to all individuals. Applicants requiring accommodation for the interview/application process should contact the recruitment coordinator at [e-mail].