Immigration Justice Project - Senior Staff Attorney TX-CA
About The Position
The American Bar Association (ABA) is seeking a Senior Staff Attorney for its Immigration Justice Project. This role is accountable for providing legal representation to detained immigrants in removal proceedings in San Diego and the Southern California border region. The Senior Staff Attorney will also serve as a mentor and leader to staff attorneys, legal support staff, and volunteers, including by maintaining current legal materials and training on legal matters. This position may also supervise law school legal interns. The role requires regular involvement with individuals living in difficult circumstances and who may have experienced trauma.
Requirements
- Possession of a Juris Doctorate or Master of Law (LLM) from an ABA-accredited law school.
- Licensed to practice law in a U.S. state or territory and be in good standing.
- Two (2) or more years of experience representing immigrants and/or asylum-seekers in removal proceedings.
- Written and spoken fluency in a secondary language may be required based on the location and client base served.
- Must have reliable internet and phone connection.
- Intermediate proficiency with Adobe and Microsoft Office products (Word, Excel, OneDrive, teams).
- Must be familiar with conducting virtual meetings, training, and observations on software such as Zoom, Teams, etc.
- Must have reliable transportation to travel between the office and off-site work locations.
- This position requires the ability to travel to and enter federal detention centers.
Nice To Haves
- Licensed to practice law and member in good standing in the State of California, and three years’ experience in representing clients in removal defense matters.
- Prior work experience with foreign-born, non-English speaking clients.
- Prior non-profit experience, particularly involving field work or in off-site work locations.
- Prior volunteer, community, or work experience regarding immigration or detention.
Responsibilities
- Regularly appears in immigration court.
- Represents clients seeking immigration relief such as asylum, T visas, U visas, cancellation of removal, and other relief as appropriate.
- Mentors staff attorneys by providing advice and direction on their cases.
- Assists in the training and mentoring of pro bono attorneys, legal support staff and other legal volunteers.
- May support in the supervision of law school legal interns.
- Develops and maintains legal competency relating to immigration removal proceedings, specifically as applied to detained immigrants.
- Builds and maintains relations with local stakeholders.
- Observe ethical practices relating to client confidentiality and all other applicable legal ethics standards.
- Maintains case files, documentation, and data integrity using the division’s case management system.
- Provides group and individual legal orientations to detained and non-detained immigrants in immigration removal proceedings.
- Provides legal services, including direct representation to detained or locally released immigrants.
- Performs other related duties as required.
Benefits
- 401(k)
- medical
- dental
- vision
- flexible spending accounts
- health spending accounts
- supplemental life and disability insurance
- prepaid legal programs
- complimentary membership to the American Bar Association, which offers additional benefits
- Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF) eligibility
Stand Out From the Crowd
Upload your resume and get instant feedback on how well it matches this job.
What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
