Immigration Staff Attorney

Her Justice•New York, NY

8d•Hybrid

About The Position

Her Justice is a nonprofit organization that advocates for and with women and gender diverse people living in poverty in New York City. We recruit and mentor volunteer lawyers to provide free legal help in the areas of immigration, family, and matrimonial law to address individual and systemic legal barriers. The Immigration Staff Attorney provides comprehensive immigration legal services to Her Justice clients, with a particular focus on serving low-income women and gender-diverse people, including survivors of intimate partner violence and other forms of gender-based violence. The Staff Attorney conducts legal consultations and case assessments, provides advice and brief services, prepares appropriate matters for pro bono placement, and maintains a small direct representation caseload involving immigration matters within the scope of the Immigration Practice. A significant component of the role is supporting Her Justice’s pro bono model. The Staff Attorney prepares cases for placement with volunteer attorneys, develops case strategy, and provides ongoing substantive legal mentorship and guidance to volunteer attorneys throughout the life of their cases. This includes case conferencing, reviewing and providing feedback on legal work, supporting preparation for interviews and other proceedings, monitoring case progress, and helping ensure the delivery of high-quality legal services. The Staff Attorney also develops and delivers trainings and substantive legal resources for volunteer attorneys and supports legal clinics and other pro bono initiatives. The Staff Attorney works closely with the Director of the Immigration Practice and other members of the Immigration Practice to assess and strengthen the practice, remain current on developments in immigration law and policy, identify emerging legal issues affecting clients, and support consistent and effective case practices. The Staff Attorney maintains accurate and timely case information and contributes to practice reporting, data collection, and other programmatic needs. The position also represents Her Justice in relationships with law firms, corporations, community-based organizations, legal services providers, and other external partners. The Staff Attorney participates in legal clinics, community outreach and public education, volunteer recruitment and training, and other initiatives that expand access to immigration legal services. The Staff Attorney may also provide guidance to interns, law students, and other volunteers and participate in organizational, policy, and systemic reform initiatives related to immigration law and the communities Her Justice serves. This is a client-facing position that requires strong legal judgment, effective case management, and the ability to work both independently and collaboratively while managing multiple matters and deadlines. The Staff Attorney is expected to approach client representation and pro bono mentorship with professionalism, cultural responsiveness, and sensitivity to the experiences of survivors of trauma and violence.

Requirements

Minimum of 4 years of experience practicing immigration law, including substantial experience providing direct legal services to immigrant clients including representing or accompanying clients before USCIS, Immigration Court, ICE, or other government agencies, as applicable to the work of the Immigration Practice.
Strong substantive knowledge of immigration law, policy, and procedure, with demonstrated ability to assess eligibility for immigration relief, identify legal issues, and independently develop and manage appropriate case strategies.
Experience representing clients in immigration matters relevant to Her Justice’s practice, including humanitarian and other forms of immigration relief.
Experience providing legal services to low-income, underserved, or otherwise marginalized communities.
Demonstrated ability to work effectively and sensitively with clients who have experienced trauma, including survivors of intimate partner violence or other forms of gender-based violence.
Demonstrated ability to mentor, advise, or provide substantive legal guidance to attorneys, law students, or other legal professionals.
Professional proficiency or fluency in Spanish or another language commonly spoken by Her Justice clients.
Strong legal research, writing, analytical, and oral advocacy skills.
Strong case management and organizational skills, including the ability to independently manage a caseload, competing priorities, and time-sensitive deadlines.
Excellent interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to communicate complex legal concepts effectively to clients, volunteer attorneys, colleagues, and other stakeholders.
Ability to exercise sound judgment, work independently, and collaborate effectively as part of a multidisciplinary team.
Ability to develop and maintain effective working relationships with law firm partners, volunteer attorneys, community-based organizations, and other external partners.
Demonstrated commitment to Her Justice’s mission and to providing high-quality legal services to immigrant communities.
Ability and willingness to work in person as required for client meetings, court and agency appearances, clinics, trainings, and other practice needs.
Proficiency with standard workplace technology and the ability to learn and effectively use case management and other organizational systems.
Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from an accredited law school and admission to practice law in New York State, in good standing.

Nice To Haves

Significant experience representing clients in humanitarian immigration matters, including VAWA self-petitions, U and T visas, I-751 waivers, adjustment of status, and other forms of relief relevant to Her Justice’s Immigration Practice.
Experience working specifically with survivors of intimate partner violence, sexual assault, trafficking, or other forms of gender-based violence.
Experience working with law firms or corporate legal departments in a pro bono legal services model.
Experience developing and delivering legal trainings, CLEs, practice materials, or other substantive legal resources.
Experience supervising or providing ongoing guidance to law students, interns, fellows, paralegals, or volunteers.
Experience conducting community outreach, Know Your Rights presentations, legal clinics, or other community legal education.

Responsibilities

Conduct intake consultations and assess the legal issues of prospective clients for brief services and the suitability for placement with volunteer attorneys.
Provide advice and counsel and/or brief legal services to women and gender diverse people seeking assistance with immigration issues.
Provide client-centered, trauma-informed legal services with sensitivity to the experiences of survivors of intimate partner violence, sexual violence, trafficking, and other forms of trauma.
Where suitable for pro bono placement, prepare cases, have in-person meeting(s) with client, gather documents, provide initial advice to client and prepare case summaries, matching each case with appropriate law firm.
Maintain a small direct representation caseload of immigration clients, independently assessing legal issues, identifying available forms of relief, developing case strategies, preparing and filing applications and other legal submissions, and representing clients in matters within the scope of Her Justice’s Immigration Practice.
Assist with the cultivation of volunteer attorneys to handle pro bono cases by making presentations at firms, corporations and bar associations, as and when appropriate.
Serve as a liaison with law firms and build relationships with contacts to enhance pro bono program, and to ensure appropriate placement of clients with each firm.
Mentor and provide substantive legal support to volunteer attorneys throughout the life of their cases, including case strategy, legal research and analysis, document and filing review, case conferencing, preparation for client interviews and proceedings, and troubleshooting complex legal issues.
Monitor the progress and quality of pro bono matters and maintain timely and accurate case information in Her Justice’s case management system.
Assist in organizing and implementing lawyer trainings, including serving as faculty; creating and updating manuals on Her Justice’s substantive areas of law, PowerPoint presentations and additional hand-outs, as appropriate.
Manage and coordinate legal clinics with partnering law firms.
Work with the immigration team to assess, develop and strengthen the Her Justice immigration practice.
Remain current on developments in immigration law, policy, procedure, and practice and incorporate relevant developments into client representation, pro bono mentoring, trainings, and practice resources.
Conduct legal research and analysis on emerging and complex immigration issues and contribute to the development of case strategies, practice guidance, and other substantive resources for the Immigration Practice.
Participate in community outreach workshops, walk-in clinics, community information initiatives media relations and other forms of marketing and public education.
Participate in special events, including both fundraising and volunteer recognition events
Serve as a substantive immigration law resource to Her Justice staff, providing legal information, guidance, and consultation on immigration issues affecting clients and organizational work, as appropriate.
Maintain complete, accurate, and timely case records and data, including case notes, deadlines, services provided, case outcomes, and pro bono activity, and provide case, practice, and program updates and reports as required.
Contribute to data collection, case review, program reporting, and other Immigration Practice reporting requirements, as needed.
Recruit, train, mentor, and provide day-to-day guidance to interns, law students, and other volunteers supporting the Immigration Practice, as assigned.
Participate in internal and external committees, working groups, panels, presentations, and policy or systemic reform initiatives related to immigration law and the communities Her Justice serves, as appropriate.
Develop and maintain collaborative relationships with community-based organizations, legal services providers, government agencies, and other stakeholders serving immigrant communities, and identify and facilitate appropriate referrals for clients whose legal or non-legal needs fall outside Her Justice’s scope of services.