Staff Attorney, Immigration Law Unit – Federal Litigation Team

The Legal Aid Society’s Civil Practice is seeking a Staff Attorney to join the Federal Litigation team within its Immigration Law Unit. The Staff Attorney will represent low-income clients before the U.S. District Courts and the U.S. Courts of Appeals to safeguard immigrants’ constitutional rights and ensure that immigration laws are accurately interpreted and fairly applied.  The Staff Attorney will work closely with colleagues, as well as the clients they represent, to identify federal court interventions to address our clients’ needs. The Staff Attorney’s essential duties will include undertaking affirmative and other litigation challenging unlawful policies and practices, including habeas petitions, petitions for review, and Administrative Procedure Act complaints.  

The Immigration Law Unit (ILU) is a recognized leader in providing high-quality representation to non-citizens in all five boroughs of New York City and surrounding counties. Our staff of almost 100 attorneys, social workers, and paralegals across seven different projects and initiatives provides low-income New Yorkers with free comprehensive immigration services, including both affirmative and defensive case matters. The Unit specializes in the intersection between immigration and criminal law and works collaboratively with all practice areas to serve the society’s diverse immigrant clients through a comprehensive service model. Unit staff represent immigrants before USCIS, immigration judges in removal proceedings, and the Board of Immigration Appeals, as well as in federal court on habeas corpus petitions, petitions for review, administrative and judicial appeals, and other matters.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES

• Develop and conduct litigation before federal district courts and U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Second and Third Circuits, including habeas petitions, petitions for review, and Administrative Procedure Act actions 
• Assist with class action lawsuits and other affirmative litigation on behalf of non-citizen New Yorkers 
• Provide individualized consultation to staff attorneys 
• Develop skills and knowledge of ILU staff on federal litigation matters through trainings 
• Work with pro bono counsel  
• Develop pro se and pro bono lawyer resource materials and trainings on federal court issues 
• Maintain, organize, and update case files and case management database
• Other duties as assigned 

QUALIFICATIONS

Required qualifications:

• Admission to the New York State Bar. Must be eligible to immediately seek admission to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second and Third Circuits and U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Admission to other federal district courts desirable
• Minimum of two years of federal litigation or comparable litigation experience, preferably in immigration law
• Demonstrated commitment to representing or working with individuals from marginalized communities.
• Excellent writing, analytical, oral advocacy, and organizational skills
• Ability to work independently as well as collaboratively on an interdisciplinary team and manage a high volume of cases
• Ability to work with pro bono attorneys, law student interns, and volunteers

Preferred qualifications:  

• Proficiency in languages other than English is desirable, but not required
• At least two years of Immigration law is strongly preferred

OUR COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION

The Legal Aid Society is committed to a work culture of zealous advocacy, respect, diversity and inclusion, client-oriented defense, access to justice and excellent representation. We are dedicated to building a strong professional relationship with each of our clients (people), to understanding their diverse circumstances, and to meeting their needs. Our ability to achieve these goals depends on the efforts of all of us and our ability to build strong relationships with our colleagues.  Every member of our community is expected to continuously learn about the dynamic, evolving, and emerging field of knowledge of identity, bias, and systemic forms of oppression and participate in productive efforts to dismantling bias in all forms. 

SALARY AND BENEFITS

The salary range represents a good faith estimate of the range we expect to pay for this role. The actual salary offered may vary depending on many factors, including but not limited to job-related knowledge, skills, and experience, as well as collectively bargained salary steps for unionized roles.

Salary Range: $86,520 - $157,075

The Legal Aid Society offers a generous benefits package including health insurance, paid vacation, disability, and life insurance, and more. Click here to read more about benefits.

Higher Education and Loan Forgiveness

The Legal Aid Society is a qualified employer for the purposes of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness. This position allows an employee to take advantage of PSLF and other State and Federal loan forgiveness programs. Additionally, employees who are New York residents may be eligible for assistance from New York state to assist with loan repayments, depending on years of practice. To learn more, click the links below. 

studentaid.gov

hesc.ny.gov/loan-forgiveness-programs

WORK AUTHORIZATION

All applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States for any employer without sponsorship for a work visa or permit. We are currently unable to sponsor employment visas or permits. (However, for citizens of Canada and Mexico, LAS will provide a letter documenting employment status that is needed to obtain a TN visa.)

HOW TO APPLY

All applications must be completed online via the career portal. We do not accept emailed applications. Submit the following documents as a combined PDF:

• Cover Letter
• Resume 
• Writing Sample

For technical difficulties or questions regarding this posting, please email [email protected].

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

As an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer, The Legal Aid Society prohibits discriminatory employment actions against and treatment of its employees and applicants for employment based on actual or perceived race or color, size (including bone structure, body size, height, shape, and weight), religion or creed, alienage or citizenship status, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity (one’s internal deeply-held sense of one’s gender which may be the same or different from one’s sex assigned at birth); gender expression (the representation of gender as expressed through, for example, one’s name, choice of pronouns, clothing, haircut, behavior, voice, or body characteristics; gender expression may not conform to traditional gender-based stereotypes assigned to specific gender identities), disability, marital status, relationship and family structure (including domestic partnerships, polyamorous families and individuals, chosen family, platonic co-parents, and multigenerational families), genetic information or predisposing genetic characteristics, military status, domestic violence victim status, arrest or pre-employment conviction record, credit history, unemployment status, caregiver status, salary history, or any other characteristic protected by law. 

OUR COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION

The Legal Aid Society is committed to a work culture of zealous advocacy, respect, diversity and inclusion, client-oriented defense, access to justice and excellent representation. We are dedicated to building a strong professional relationship with each of our clients (people), to understanding their diverse circumstances, and to meeting their needs. Our ability to achieve these goals depends on the efforts of all of us and our ability to build strong relationships with our colleagues. Every member of our community is expected to continuously learn about the dynamic, evolving, and emerging field of knowledge of identity, bias, and systemic forms of oppression and participate in productive efforts to dismantling bias in all forms.