Senior EOIR Removal Defense Paralegal / Team Lead

Dalal & Mehta Law Firm

5d•Remote

About The Position

We are seeking an experienced EOIR Removal Defense Paralegal for a role that combines substantive casework with team leadership and department administration. The Team Lead will oversee a team of approximately three Removal Defense Paralegals while maintaining a limited personal caseload of approximately 5–15 EOIR matters. The limited personal caseload is intentional. Most of the Team Lead's time will be dedicated to managing and supporting the paralegal team, monitoring the department's overall caseload, managing deadlines and workflows, reviewing work, conducting case audits, maintaining department organization, and ensuring cases continue progressing appropriately. This position requires someone with strong hands-on EOIR removal defense experience who understands the work well enough to manage others, identify problems, maintain quality standards, and step in when additional case support is needed.

Requirements

Prior U.S. immigration paralegal experience
Substantial EOIR/removal defense experience
Strong knowledge of EOIR procedures and terminology
Experience preparing immigration court filings
Experience managing court deadlines and hearing calendars
Experience supporting attorneys in removal proceedings
Strong written and spoken English
Excellent attention to detail
Strong administrative and organizational abilities
Ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously
Ability to prioritize detained and urgent matters
Ability to work independently in a remote environment
Ability to supervise, train, and support other team members
Ability to hold team members accountable in a professional manner
Strong client-service skills
Strong problem-solving skills
Ability to recognize problems and escalate them appropriately
Candidates must be comfortable working in a fully remote, technology-driven environment.
Strong general technology skills and the ability to quickly learn new systems are required.

Nice To Haves

Experience involving Detained removal defense
Bond proceedings
Defensive asylum
Cancellation of Removal
Adjustment before EOIR
VAWA-related removal matters
BIA appeals
Motions to Reopen
Individual Hearing preparation
Exhibit and evidence preparation
High-volume EOIR caseloads
Team supervision or coordination
Department administration
Experience with Docketwise
Experience with Microsoft 365
Experience with Adobe/PDF document preparation
Experience with ECAS
Experience with EOIR Automated Case Information
Experience with USCIS online systems
Spanish proficiency is a plus but is not required.

Responsibilities

Assigning and monitoring work
Managing team workloads and case distribution
Reviewing upcoming hearings and deadlines with the team
Conducting regular case and task audits
Identifying overdue or incomplete work
Following up with team members to ensure assignments are completed
Reviewing work for completeness and quality before attorney review when appropriate
Training and supporting paralegals
Answering procedural and workflow questions
Helping team members prioritize competing deadlines
Ensuring firm procedures, SOPs, and checklists are followed
Holding team members accountable for deadlines and assigned responsibilities
Identifying recurring performance or workflow problems
Escalating significant issues to attorneys or management
Redistributing work when a team member is overloaded or unavailable
Stepping into urgent matters when additional senior-level assistance is required
Maintaining a culture of ownership, accountability, and proactive case management
Maintaining oversight of the department's overall EOIR caseload
Maintaining and auditing the master EOIR hearing and deadline calendar
Tracking Master Calendar Hearings, Individual Hearings, bond hearings, filing deadlines, attorney appearances, and other critical dates
Establishing internal preparation deadlines well in advance of court deadlines
Monitoring ECAS and EOIR case information for hearing changes, court orders, scheduling updates, and other developments
Ensuring court notices, IJ orders, DHS filings, and other correspondence are properly saved and routed
Monitoring attorney calendars for hearing conflicts and potential coverage needs
Maintaining appropriate oversight of detained and other urgent cases
Tracking motions, applications, exhibits, briefs, biometrics, filing fees, supporting evidence, and other outstanding requirements
Ensuring Proofs of Service and filing confirmations are properly maintained
Overseeing the opening, assignment, transfer, reassignment, and closing of EOIR matters
Ensuring newly retained EOIR cases are properly onboarded and assigned
Coordinating case handoffs between attorneys, paralegals, intake, case management, and other departments
Maintaining department templates, checklists, SOPs, filing procedures, and workflows
Identifying administrative bottlenecks and recommending solutions
Ensuring cases do not remain inactive because a task has not been assigned, completed, or followed up on
Monitoring upcoming attorney hearing schedules
Ensuring cases are prepared sufficiently in advance
Coordinating exhibit preparation and filing
Ensuring declarations and supporting evidence are obtained timely
Identifying missing evidence before attorney preparation begins
Preparing case summaries and procedural histories when appropriate
Coordinating client preparation appointments
Identifying cases requiring attorney strategy meetings
Escalating complicated legal or procedural issues
Ensuring attorneys are informed of significant case developments
Communicating with clients regarding procedural requirements and case preparation for personally assigned matters
Monitoring outstanding client document requests across the team
Ensuring paralegals are appropriately following up with clients
Reviewing cases involving repeatedly unresponsive clients
Ensuring significant client communications are documented
Helping address escalated client concerns
Ensuring hearing and appointment reminders are provided
Identifying communication breakdowns before they affect case preparation
Escalating client complaints or urgent issues appropriately
Ensuring case statuses are current
Ensuring hearing dates and deadlines are entered correctly
Ensuring tasks have appropriate owners and due dates
Monitoring overdue tasks
Ensuring case notes are complete
Ensuring important documents and notices are properly saved
Identifying files with incomplete or inaccurate information
Ensuring completed matters are properly closed
Maintaining consistent documentation and case-management practices across the team
Assisting management in monitoring the performance and overall health of the Removal Defense Department