Staff Attorney, Juvenile Immigration Unit

The Juvenile Rights Practice (JRP) seeks experienced Staff Attorneys to work on immigration needs for Juvenile Rights clients in several trial offices. The Staff Attorney must have a minimum of 3 years of relevant experience in a trial office setting. The Staff Attorney should have a demonstrated commitment to addressing fundamental issues of immigration matters within an interdisciplinary model of representation and an interest in maintaining a high standard of representation and client service in the borough trial offices. The Staff Attorney is part of an interdisciplinary team of social workers, paralegals, and other supporting roles that will work on the legal representation of children, ages 0 to 21 years, who are before NYC family courts on child protective, PINS (Persons-In-Need-of-Supervision), juvenile delinquency, and termination of parental rights petitions. The Staff Attorney will specialize on immigration matters for JRP clients with immigration needs within an interdisciplinary team.

 

ESSENTIAL DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES

• Assist in maintaining a high standard of representation in child welfare and immigration client services 
• Directly represent clients before United States Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS), the asylum office, and the immigration courts  
• Respond and address emergent immigration policies that effect clients  
• Provide regular trainings and consultations to JRP staff regarding immigration issues facing the JRP client population including, but not limited to, special immigrant juvenile status (“SIJS”), asylum, T visas for victims of trafficking, U visas for victims of crime, other forms of immigration relief as well as developments in immigration law and practice 
• Assist JRP staff in the early identification of clients with immigration needs 
• Accept referrals from JRP trial attorneys for immigration assistance on identified case matters and screen clients for immigration relief 
• Where applicable, mentor JRP trial attorneys to obtain SIJS predicate orders from family court. This may include assisting in the drafting and review of motions, affirmations, supporting evidence and proposed orders to satisfy immigration requirements 
• Conduct out-of-court case preparation including interviewing, investigating, document review, and witness preparation in support of client immigration matters  
• Draft motions, briefs, and other documents in support of client immigration matters 
• Compile supporting declarations and evidence for client immigration matters 
• Collaborate with colleagues across Juvenile Rights, Civil, and Criminal practice areas 
• Engage in ongoing professional development and training 
• Maintain and prioritize workload including case management reports  
• Carry out other duties as assigned 

 

QUALIFICATIONS

 

Required qualifications:

• New York State Bar admission 
• Minimum of three years' experience as a practicing attorney 
• Commitment to children’s issues and juvenile justice 
• Ability to deal effectively with children, adolescents and family members 
• Demonstrated commitment to anti-racism and serving racially and socioeconomically oppressed communities   
• Excellent writing, communication, organizational and oral advocacy skills 
• Interest in developing new approaches to representing children with immigration issues 
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in an interdisciplinary team and handle a full caseload 

 

Preferred qualifications:  

• Proficiency in other languages, particularly Spanish, is highly desirable  
• Experience working with children or within the child welfare and/or juvenile justice system preferred  
• Experience working in immigration law preferred  

 

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 

 

For technical difficulties or questions regarding this posting, please email TalentAcquisition@legal-aid.org.

 

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.