Supervising Attorney, Detention Team, NIJC

National Immigrant Justice Center•Chicago, IL

17d

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 100 attorneys, paralegals, and professionals, along with 2,000 pro bono attorneys, is at the forefront of immigration reform. NIJC seeks an energetic, visionary, and committed legal supervisor to join our detention team. We are the largest provider of legal services to detained immigrants in the Midwest. Our team provides direct representation in removal defense, appellate work before the Board of Immigration Appeals, and litigation in federal courts. We also empower immigrants to advocate for themselves through legal orientation presentations, pro se workshops, and Know Your Rights (KYR) sessions. In this role, the supervisor will manage a team of lawyers and/or paralegals, ensure high-quality legal services, support casework, and oversee intake with detained individuals and their families. The supervisor will collaborate with other teams, including management, litigation, policy, and communications. The ideal candidate will have strong knowledge of immigration law, especially the intersection of criminal and immigration law, and relief options for detained immigrants such as cancellation of removal, asylum, and criminal grounds of removability. The role will involve 30% staff management, 60% casework (independently and with supervisees as co-counsel), and 10% project management. Success Objectives will guide individual responsibilities and work volume.

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, with a focus on removal defense.
Fluency in English and Spanish is required.
Excellent oral and written communication skills.
Demonstrated competency in public speaking and strong interpersonal skills required.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office, Windows operating systems.
Solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists.
The ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.
Must be able to remain in a stationary position 50% of the time.
The person in this position occasionally needs to move about the inside of the office to access filing cabinets, office machinery, etc.
Constantly operates a computer and other office productivity machinery, such as a copy machine.

Nice To Haves

Additional non-English language skills are preferred.
Applicants with significantly more experience are encouraged to apply, and total years of relevant experience will be considered as part of the final salary determination.

Responsibilities

Oversee and coordinate legal services schedule to ensure intake coverage
Ensure timely case preparation, including case opening process, preparing filings, trial preparation, appeals, case closures, and other case management practices
Work with the detention supervisory team to build a strong team and oversee the team's projects
Provide recommendations based on case trends to inform project-based strategic decisions
Maintain and develop strategic partnerships with key stakeholders
Conduct factual and legal research.
Provide legal representation to immigrants in immigration proceedings, including before an immigration officer, an immigration judge, and in federal court, as appropriate.
Draft correspondence and documents, including applications, briefs and reports.
Improve delivery of legal services, including use of technology to improve efficiency
Train lawyers and non-lawyers in the field of immigration law.
Conduct legal presentations regarding law and case(s) to NIJC staff, managing attorney(s) and members of the immigrant community.
Maintain accurate, thorough and timely records.
Maintain current knowledge regarding immigration law and policies and procedures.
React to change productively and handles other essentials duties as assigned.