Legal Supervisor Immigrant Legal Defense Project, NIJC

National Immigrant Justice Center•Chicago, IL

About The Position

About NIJC The National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC) advances human rights and due process for immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers through direct legal services, impact litigation, advocacy, and public education . Headquartered in Chicago with offices in Washington, DC, Indiana, and San Diego, NIJC's team of over 100 attorneys, paralegals, and professionals, along with 2,000 pro bono attorneys, is at the forefront of immigration reform. Job Summary: The Legal Supervisor supervises a legal team, within NIJC's Immigrant Legal Defense Project, and provides legal representation and counseling to non-detained immigrants appearing before the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Department of State (DOS), and if appropriate , before the Executive Oﬃce for Immigration Review (EOIR) and the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA). This person will also supervise an in-house legal team, ensure quality legal counsel and representation, provide case support, and oversee the day-to-day operations, as well as the ongoing training and professional development of team members. As a member of NIJC's supervisory team, the supervisor will on occasion collaborate with NIJC's other legal services projects, pro bono partners, litigation, policy and communications teams. Individual accountabilities and work volume will be established through the development of annual Success Objectives.

Requirements

A law degree (JD), license to practice law and at least 3 years' experience in the legal ﬁeld, preferably in the ﬁeld of immigration law; or a bachelor's degree with at least 3 years' experience as a Department of Justice accredited representative.
Fluency in English and Spanish is .
Excellent oral and written communication skills.
Demonstrated competency in public speaking and strong interpersonal skills .
Proﬁciency in Microsoft Oﬃce
Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists.
Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.

Nice To Haves

Previous supervisory experience preferred but not .
Additional non-English language skills are preferred.

Responsibilities

Supervises legal services and oversees paralegals, attorneys, interns and support staﬀ providing legal services; including the development of case strategy, preparation, and representation before governmental agencies.
Ensures accurate data entry by paralegals, attorneys, and interns.
Oversees and reviews legal intakes; makes legal assessments and determinations regarding representation.
Ensures timely case preparation, including case opening process, preparing ﬁlings, trial preparation, appeals, case closures, and other case management practices.
Works with supervisory team to build a strong team and oversee the team's projects.
Provides recommendations based on case trends to inform project-based strategic decisions.
Maintains and develops strategic partnerships with key stakeholders.
Conducts factual and legal research.
Provides legal representation to immigrants in immigration proceedings, including before an immigration oﬃcer, an immigration judge, and before the Board of Immigration Appeals as appropriate .
Drafts correspondence and documents, including applications, briefs and reports.
Improves delivery of legal services, including use of technology to improve eﬃciency.
Trains lawyers and non-lawyers in immigration law.
Conducts legal presentations regarding law and case(s) to NIJC staﬀ and members of the immigrant community.
Maintains accurate , thorough and timely records.
Identiﬁes trends and emerging issues and responses to issues.
Maintains current knowledge regarding immigration law and policies and procedures.
Advances an anti-racist organization that promotes diversity, equity and inclusion
Reacts to change productively and handles other essentials duties as assigned.