Managing Attorney, Protection-Based Pro Bono, NIJC

National Immigrant Justice Center • Chicago, IL

1d • Onsite

About The Position

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.

The Managing Attorney reports to the Associate Director and serves as a member of the Supervisory Team. This role provides leadership and oversight for legal staff working on protection-based pro bono matters, ensuring the delivery of high-quality legal services, and provides technical support to pro bono counsel assigned to NIJC cases. Cases include affirmative, defensive, detained, and non-detained protection-based cases. The Protection-Based Pro Bono team focuses on placing and supporting cases accepted by NIJC's Asylum and LGBTQ projects and supports pro bono cases accepted through other NIJC projects including Litigation, Detention, and Kids Projects. The person in this position may handle direct representation matters, while retaining a primary focus on pro bono recruitment, training, and support. The Managing Attorney leads NIJC's identification, development, and dissemination of practice advisories and training materials for pro bono attorneys. In consultation with directors and associate directors, the Managing Attorney establishes pro bono priorities and develops and adjusts NIJC programs to support those priorities. The Managing Attorney manages and maintains key relationships with project stakeholders, addressing substantive legal matters, and collaborating with project funders, government agencies, and other organizations.

Requirements

• Juris Doctorate
• law license
• minimum of five years of experience in immigration law and/or refugee law
• a minimum of one year of supervisory experience
• Excellent writing and analytical skills
• Ability to communicate effectively in legal and non-legal settings with a wide range of individuals and organizations
• Ability to read, analyze, and interpret professional journals, technical procedures, or governmental regulations
• Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, employees, and clients

Nice To Haves

• Fluency or proficiency in a language in addition to English is a plu

Responsibilities

• Provide overall legal leadership and supervision to attorneys, legal staff, interns, and volunteers, ensuring high-quality, ethical, and client centered representation.
• Establish annual Success Objectives for supervised staff; monitor workload, performance, and outcomes through ongoing feedback and quarterly evaluations.
• Partner with the Associate Director and Supervisory Team to set legal strategy, guide project direction, and adapt program priorities in response to internal capacity and external developments.
• Oversee at least one NIJC program or project, ensuring compliance with legal standards, grant deliverables, and funder requirements.
• Ensure consistent application of immigration law best practices through mentoring, case consultation, staff training, and regular case audits.
• Review cases for legal accuracy, strategic alignment, and compliance with current law; ensure timely and accurate data entry to meet program and funding requirements.
• Analyze program data and outcomes to inform legal strategies, improve service delivery, and support strategic decision-making.
• Provide direct legal representation in removal proceedings and affirmative immigration matters, as needed.
• Support the recruitment, training, and supervision of pro bono attorneys to expand service capacity.
• Contribute to grant proposals, funder reports, and program reports, ensuring accuracy and compliance in coordination with the Associate Director.
• Demonstrate adaptability, sound judgment, and collaborative leadership; perform additional duties as assigned.
• Other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
• It is the policy of NIJC not to discriminate against any applicant for employment, or any employee because of age, color, sex, disability, national origin, race, religion, or veteran status.
• In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager
• Number of Employees: 11-50 employees