Children's Attorney

JOB OVERVIEW:

IRC seeks a Children’s Attorney to join its Children’s Legal Services program to provide legal services to unaccompanied children who have been released from the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). The attorney will meet with unaccompanied child clients to conduct legal relief eligibility determinations, advise them on their options, and provide direct legal representation. Relief will include filing for special immigrant juvenile status, asylum, T Visas and U Visas, requiring the attorney to appear in Washington State courts, Immigration Court, and before U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the Asylum Office. The Children’s Attorney will bring a passion for this area of work and experience with immigration legal services. Working closely with the Managing Attorney, as well as IRC’s HQ Immigration Technical Unit and a host of external partners, the Children’s Attorney will play a key role in developing this program area for IRC Washington. This position will report to the Managing Attorney and may supervise a Legal Assistant and/or interns.

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES:

- Conduct intakes with child clients, identify relief, and provide direct representation for unaccompanied children released to sponsors in King, Pierce, Snohomish, and Spokane counties. - Handle moderate to heavy caseload of children’s cases before the Immigration Court and USCIS. - Initiate and represent children in state court proceedings for children who are eligible for Special Immigrant Juvenile status, including dependencies, Vulnerable Youth Guardianships, parenting plans, and minor guardianships. - Prepare, file, monitor, and represent child clients with applications for immigration relief including, but not limited to, applications for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, asylum, U “Crime Victim” visas, and T “Trafficking Victim” visas. - Represent child clients before the Immigration Court including attending Master Calendar and Merits Hearings; filing motions, notices of appearance, change of address forms, and briefings; and communicating with the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Chief Counsel regarding clients’ matters before the Court. - Coordinate closely within IRC’s multidisciplinary teams to identify needs and facilitate referrals to social services offered in-house and through partnerships with external providers. - Ensure client and program data is collected and recorded consistently, managed appropriately, and reported accurately in accordance with program reporting requirements set by IRC. - Position may supervise legal assistants and/or interns. - Maintain up-to-date knowledge and expertise of changing asylum and immigration policies as they relate to unaccompanied children through regular trainings and peer-to-peer consultation. - Serve as a strong advocate for humanitarian immigrants.

JOB REQUIREMENTS:

- Law degree (JD or LLM) from an ABA-accredited U.S. institution and admission to the Washington bar, required; - At least one year experience providing direct representation in Immigration Court and/or before USCIS to asylum applicants and other immigrants seeking humanitarian relief; law school graduates with clinical legal experience may be considered; - Experience providing legal services to children and/or working with children preferred; - Excellent legal research, writing, analytical, and organizational skills; - Ability to communicate clearly and effectively, both orally in a courtroom setting and in writing; - Fluency in Spanish/English, preferred. Attorneys not fluent in Spanish will attend weekly Spanish language courses. - Deep commitment to immigrant rights and working with humanitarian immigrants; - Trauma-informed and sensitive listening and communication skills; - Evidence of capacity to be a strong team member in a highly collaborative and fast-paced multidisciplinary environment; - Commitment to anti-racism and ongoing learning; and - Must have a valid driver’s license, reliable vehicle, active insurance policy and ability to travel frequently in and around the service area to attend hearings and interviews and engage with clients and community partners.

Working Environment:

- Standard office environment with occasional participation in community outreach and legal assistance events. Hybrid, flexible work options available. - May require occasional weekend and/or evening work.

Posted pay ranges apply to US-based candidates. Ranges are based on various factors including the labor market, job type, internal equity, and budget. Exact offers are calibrated by work location, individual candidate experience and skills relative to the defined job requirements.

Commitment to Diversity and Inclusivity: IRC is committed to building a diverse organization and a climate of inclusivity. We strongly encourage applications from candidates who can demonstrate that they can contribute to this goal.

Gender Equality: IRC is committed to narrowing the gender gap in leadership positions. We offer benefits that provide an enabling environment for women to participate in our workforce including parental leave, gender-sensitive security protocols and other supportive benefits and allowances.

Professional Standards: The IRC and IRC staff must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way – Global Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Equality and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti-Workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity, and Anti-Retaliation.

Equal Opportunity Employer: We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.

US Benefits: We offer a comprehensive and highly competitive set of benefits. In the US, these include: 10 sick days, 10 US holidays, 20-25 paid time off days (depending on role and tenure), medical insurance starting at $145 per month, dental starting at $7 per month, and vision starting at $5 per month, FSA for healthcare, childcare, and commuter costs, a 403b retirement savings plans with up to 4.5% immediately vested matching contribution, plus a 3-7% base IRC contribution (3 year vesting), disability & life insurance, and an Employee Assistance Program which is available to our staff and their families to support counseling and care in times of crisis and mental health struggles.

Qualifications Update