Staff Attorney - Anti-Detention Team

ABOUT PUBLIC COUNSEL

Public Counsel is a nonprofit public interest law firm dedicated to advancing civil rights and racial and economic justice, as well as to amplifying the power of our clients through comprehensive legal advocacy. Founded on and strengthened by a pro bono legal service model, our staff and volunteers seek justice through direct legal services, promote healthy and resilient communities through education and outreach, and support community-led efforts to transform unjust systems through litigation and policy advocacy in and beyond Los Angeles.

Public Counsel operates seven legal projects: Child, Youth & Family Advocacy, Community Development, Consumer Rights & Economic Justice, Homelessness Prevention, Immigrants’ Rights, Gender Justice, and our impact litigation project, Opportunity Under Law.

Public Counsel has a full-time staff of approximately 160. We are committed to building a diverse staff and encourage applications from people of color, people with disabilities, and people of all gender identities, gender expressions, and sexualities. We recognize the essential role of staff in achieving our goals, and we have set a long-term intention to provide competitive compensation, benefits, training, mentorship, and overall workplace wellness, making Public Counsel a leader among nonprofit law firms.

ABOUT IMMIGRANTS’ RIGHTS PROJECT

Public Counsel’s Immigrants’ Rights Project (IRP), envisions a world where all (im)migrants live with dignity, power, and opportunity. Staffed by approximately 30 attorneys, support staff, and social workers, IRP provides direct legal representation to non-citizens seeking asylum, special immigrant juvenile status, VAWA, T and U visas, and other relief in immigration court. In addition to direct representation, IRP engages in advocacy at the local and national levels, represents detained immigrants, recruits, trains, and mentors hundreds of pro bono attorneys each year, handles appeals before the Board of Immigration Appeals, Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and California Court of Appeal, and conducts impact litigation. For 30 years, IRP has been at the forefront of protecting the rights of immigrants in

Los Angeles.

JOB SUMMARY

The Staff Attorney position is a full-time, fixed duration position, funded by the California Department of Social Services, Removal Defense (CDSS RD) grant. The Staff Attorney will provide direct legal representation to clients in a range of matters, including removal proceedings, detention, bond proceedings, habeas petitions, appeals, and affirmative applications for immigration relief. The Staff Attorney will work closely with the Senior Supervising Attorney, Staff Attorneys, and Paralegal of the Immigrants’ Rights Project (IRP), Anti-Detention Team.

The Staff Attorney must support Public Counsel’s values of equity, inclusion, and client- and community-centered advocacy. A hard-working, collaborative, and effective leader, the Attorney will expand the capacity of IRP to respond to increased community need for legal representation in removal proceedings, immigrant detention, and applications for immigration relief.

Reporting to the Senior Supervising Attorney, the Staff Attorney will:

• Provide zealous, client-centered, and trauma-informed direct representation to immigrants in removal proceedings
• Represent clients who have been placed in expedited removal proceedings, were paroled into the U.S., or are party to an appeal before the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) and 9th Circuit Court of Appeals
• Represent immigrants in detention, including bond proceedings, habeas petitions, and parole requests
• Provide representation in asylum or withholding only proceedings
• File Motions to Reopen/Reconsider with the immigration court
• File affirmative applications for immigration relief
• Work collaboratively with team members to provide client-centered, holistic, trauma-informed, and interdisciplinary services for clients
• Collect case data and contribute to grant reports
• Perform administrative tasks in support of this work, including opening and closing matters, printing and scanning documents, etc
• Maintain a caseload of 25-35 active matters (one client can have multiple matters)
• Perform other duties as assigned

Requirements

ESSENTIAL JOB SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• Juris Doctor degree with Bar membership in any state in the U.S.
• CA Bar membership preferred, but not required
• Fluency in Spanish strongly preferred
• Experience in removal defense and representation of clients in bond and habeas petitions preferred;
• Strong legal research and writing skills
• Ability to prioritize and manage a large caseload independently
• Provides attention to detail
• Comfort and experience working with clients from diverse racial and socioeconomic backgrounds, including those with complex trauma and those who have been criminalized
• Understanding of systemic injustices, their impacts on the immigrant community and interest in advocating for justice using an abolitionist and liberation-oriented framework
• Willingness and ability to travel to/from the asylum office, detention centers, superior and federal courts, and immigration courts in the Southern California region
• Ability to think strategically and creatively, and problem-solve effectively
• Ability to effectively and respectfully communicate with other team members
• Desire to learn and grow as an advocate, and openness to feedback
• Commitment to immigrants’ rights and the mission of Public Counsel
• A commitment to economic and racial justice, including participating in and advancing the equity and inclusion work at Public Counsel

JOB TYPE AND BENEFITS

• Full-time/exempt
• Salary range for an attorney with 2–8 years of experience is $77,300–$93,000, depending upon years of experience. The salary will increase by a set step effective October 1, 2025, and it will be renegotiated in our collective bargaining process in 2026
• Bargaining
• Probationary period: 9 months
• Fixed-duration position funded until ­­­­­­­­­June 30, 2026 (pending execution of the grant agreement). This position is created with designated funds through June 30, 2026. Continued employment past this date is contingent on additional funding for the position. We anticipate that the funder may extend the funding for this position through June 30, 2028. However, continued funding cannot be guaranteed

Public Counsel offers a competitive benefits package including:

• Medical coverage with an option for 100% employer-paid employee and dependent child(ren)’s premiums; buy-up options are available for other HMO and PPO coverage
• Dental and vision coverage
• Option to enroll in a Flexible Spending Account
• Employer-paid life insurance and disability plans

Generous paid time off (per year):

• 15 accrued vacation days that increase to 20 days after 3 years of employment
• 12 accrued sick days that may be used for physical and mental health needs
• 2 personal observance days
• 11 paid holidays plus 2 one-week office closures (during the summer and winter)
• Up to 60 hours of compensatory time per calendar year (for exempt staff only)

Additional benefits:

• 403(b) retirement plan with an elective employee contribution, and after a year of employment a discretionary employer contribution
• Free on-site parking or public transportation reimbursement
• $45 per pay period for employees who use non-English language skills to perform work duties
• Up to 6 months of parental leave
• Organizational and team wellness activities to build team cohesion and camaraderie
• Professional development support and opportunities
• Annual payment of dues for required licenses or certifications (state bar dues for attorneys) and for a mutually agreed-upon professional organization
• Centrally located headquarters in the heart of Koreatown, a vibrant neighborhood with easy access to public transportation, diverse dining options, and cultural attractions