Immigration Attorney/Senior Immigration Attorney (LGBTQ Law Unit)

NYLAG•New York, NY

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

The New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG) seeks a highly motivated, experienced Immigration Attorney for a full-time position with the LGBTQ Law Unit. The LGBTQ Law Unit seeks an experienced fulltime attorney to join our team and advocate for our immigrant clients facing removal. NYLAG’s LGBTQ Law Unit, founded in 2008, exists to protect and expand the rights of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) community and to provide services that meet the unique legal needs of low-income LGBTQ New Yorkers. LGBTQ communities, especially those of color, transgender and gender non-conforming individuals and youth, are at greater risk of living in poverty and of being targeted for violence. The LGBTQ Law Unit provides free representation and advice on a wide array of civil legal matters, including legal name and gender marker changes, immigration (including removal defense), family law matters (orders of protection, custody and visitation, divorce, and adoption), housing, employment and public accommodation discrimination, wills and advance directives and access to gender affirming healthcare. We engage with community partners to provide legal services and education outreach in community settings throughout the five boroughs and push forward systemic advocacy efforts to advance LGBTQ rights and protections. The Immigration Attorney will represent LGBTQ+ immigrants on detained and non-detained removal defense and post-order work providing full representation and limited scope assistance. The job requires substantive knowledge and experience with removal defense for asylum-seeking LGBTQ+ immigrants including bond hearings, motions to reopen and motions to stay removal before EOIR and BIA, federal petitions for review, individual merits hearings, BIA appeals, habeas petitions and motions for emergent relief from detention or removal. Candidates will have a proactive ability to solve problems under time pressure, a strong commitment to providing client-centered services for clients experiencing trauma, and an ability to work collaboratively with a team of attorneys, paralegals, and volunteers working on a broad range of legal matters impacting the LGBTQ+ community.

Requirements

J.D. degree and admission to a State bar required; New York State Bar preferred.
Two to six years of experience practicing immigration law, including affirmative and removal defense work, required;
Fluency in a second language required, Spanish is preferred;
Demonstrated commitment to the LGBTQ+ community and knowledge of the complex and systemic issues faced by our clients;
Demonstrated commitment to immigrant rights, criminal justice, and/or social justice issues;
Ability to communicate effectively with clients, community organizations, attorneys, judiciary and the public;
Ability to work in and value a collaborative team model;
Ability to work independently and under pressure while managing multiple competing deadlines;
Ability to make creative arguments for complicated cases and cases that do not have a clear path to relief;
Ability to set expectations for clients who are not eligible for any relief while nonetheless providing competent representation before the Immigration Court;
Excellent written, oral and analytical skills;
Experience working with diverse communities and clients who are survivors of trauma.

Nice To Haves

Senior title dependent on having four or more years of relevant experience

Responsibilities

Represent LGBTQ+ immigrants in defensive asylum claims before the immigration court, BIA, and federal courts including bond hearings, post order relief and appeals;
Prepare and file forms, affidavits, other supporting documents, motions, and legal memoranda for submission to USCIS, EOIR, BIA, and federal courts;
Represent immigrant clients in other ancillary matters before civil courts; (state and federal) and administrative hearings, in matters such as legal name changes and public benefits advocacy;
Conduct legal screenings, track client cases, progress of applications, and follow up for funding purposes;
Contribute to the LGBTQ Law Unit’s community outreach and education efforts through presentations and work with the Unit Director to establish and maintain relationships with community partners;
Participate in systemic advocacy work on issues that directly impact LGBTQ+ immigrants;
Attend regular internal and external stakeholder meetings regarding recently arrived migrants;
Create and maintain physical and electronic files, including managing correspondence with clients and documenting correspondence with immigration and other agencies;
Manage data entry in internal and external data management systems and assist with generating reports;
Additional duties may be assigned to meet the changing needs of the LGBTQ+ community.