Staff Attorney, Children's Legal Services

Legal

Overview

Provide legal representation and support to children seeking immigration relief

You have:

• Law degree (JD or LLM) from an ABA-accredited U.S. institution and admission to Kentucky bar.
• Ideally at least one year experience providing direct representation in immigration court and/or before USCIS to asylum applicants and other immigrants seeking humanitarian relief.
• Bilingual English/Spanish fluency required.
• 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.
• 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.
• Ability and willingness to travel frequently in and around the service area and out-of-state, if necessary, to attend hearings and interviews and engage with clients and community partners.

The Staff Attorney will conduct legal relief eligibility determinations, meet with and advise child clients, and provide direct legal representation to children. Relief will include filing for special immigrant juvenile status, asylum, T Visas and U Visas, requiring the attorney to appear in Kentucky family court, immigration court, and before the Asylum office. The Staff Attorney will bring a passion for this area of work and some experience with immigration legal services. Working closely with IRC Louisville leadership and immigration staff, as well as IRC’s HQ Legal Services Technical Unit and a host of external partners, the Staff Attorney will assist with developing this new program area for IRC in Louisville. This position will report to the Managing Attorney and may supervise a Legal Assistant and/or interns.

*Please note that this position is contingent on funding, anticipated for later this year."

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES:

- Conduct intakes with child clients, identify relief, and provide direct representation for unaccompanied children released to sponsors in the Louisville area. - Handle moderate to heavy caseload of children’s cases before the immigration court and USCIS. - Initiate state court proceedings for children who are eligible for special immigrant juvenile status. - Coordinate closely within IRC’s multidisciplinary teams to identify needs and facilitate referrals to services offered in-house and through partnerships with external providers. - Ensure client and program data is collected 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 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 Kentucky bar; - Ideally 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; - Bilingual English/Spanish fluency required; - 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; - 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; - Ability and willingness to travel frequently in and around the service area and out-of-state, if necessary, 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. - May require occasional weekend and/or evening work.

Compensation: 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. 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. 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.

#LI-JT1

#LI-Onsite

Qualifications Update

Apply now

Potential interview questions

Added 2 years ago - Updated 1 year ago - Source: rescue.org