Legal Director

Organizational Background

VECINA was founded in 2019 to respond to immigrants’ humanitarian legal needs by equipping immigration justice advocates and immigrants with the tools they need to navigate the U.S. immigration system. We envision a society that offers safety, dignity, and justice to all, regardless of immigration status. We are a national organization known for training, mentorship, and technical assistance that multiplies impact through pro bono counsel and nonprofit partners.

Our current program scope includes mentorship and training for defensive and affirmative asylum and related filings, a national training platform, and field partnerships that support unaccompanied children’s Sponsors and expand access to counsel through structured, limited scope placements. We also collaborate widely with partners to lift practice standards at scale.

Position Description

VECINA seeks a Legal Director who will not only lead a training and mentorship-centered practice but also help shape the next phase of VECINA’s growth. This leader builds the legal vision that empowers pro bono attorneys to serve with confidence and care, while strengthening the systems that make our work sustainable and scalable. The Legal Director oversees mentors and legal staff, sets practice standards, ensures high-quality legal review, and serves as supervising attorney for matters within scope. They partner closely with the Executive Director and Project Manager to strengthen curriculum, deepen pro bono engagement, evolve program models, and advance responsible advocacy and grant strategy. This role is for a seasoned immigration practitioner and teacher who develops people, aligns systems with mission, and helps move the organization forward through thoughtful, values-rooted leadership.

Key Responsibilities

• Training and tools. Develop and update training materials including sample forms, checklists, practice advisories, and short videos. Build and maintain online courses in Teachable. Engage mentors and partner organizations to contribute expertise and keep materials current with law and policy.
• Mentorship and quality assurance. Provide day to day mentorship and technical assistance, including office hours and responsive Q and A. Review or manage review of volunteer and staff work product to ensure quality and timeliness.
• Pro bono recruitment and engagement. With the Executive Director and Project Manager, recruit pro bono counsel by hosting trainings and CLEs and meeting with law firms and in-house legal teams about program offerings.
• Systems and workflows. Build and refine user friendly systems for referral, intake, case support, and quality assurance. Use relevant client management systems for communication and document review and for updates to volunteer teams. Create process maps and case flow procedures for each case type.
• Program leadership and supervision. Manage mentors and other members of the legal team, including staff attorneys, fellows, and accredited representatives. Set supervision structures and ratios, support managing and mentoring attorneys, and model a feedback culture that supports growth and strong performance.
• Grants and fundraising. Assist the Executive Director with drafting and reviewing grant applications and support fundraising activities as appropriate. Contribute to reporting and metrics.
• Advocacy and media. Engage in advocacy and media, where appropriate, with the support of the Executive Director.
• Mentorship and Technical Assistance. Support group mentorship structures, office hours, communities of practice, technical assistance, and peer learning roundtables that foster shared problem solving and resilience among participants - practitioners and volunteers alike.
• Data ownership and reporting. Lead program data tracking across all programs under the Legal Director’s purview. Define required fields and dashboards, monitor data hygiene, with the support of staff, and generate regular summaries for leadership, grants, and audits.

What you will build and lead

• A dynamic training and mentorship engine that adapts quickly to shifting policy, court procedures, and community needs, including our limited scope removal defense model, Sponsor support, and technical assistance for the field.
• Clear protocols for screening, referral, and placement that complement on the ground partners and leverage volunteers effectively.

Qualifications

Required

• JD and active bar admission in good standing in any U.S. state or territory.
• Ten or more years of experience in immigration, or relevant, practice with substantial work in removal defense and asylum. Court experience and confident written advocacy.
• Demonstrated experience supervising attorneys or accredited representatives and managing complex work through others with strong delegation and prioritization.
• Training or teaching experience or a track record of learning complex areas quickly and translating them clearly for others.
• Experience building coalitions and maintaining a strong professional network across nonprofits, law firms, and community partners.
• Comfort leading without micromanagement and a consistent feedback practice that grows people.
• Commitment to trauma informed, culturally responsive practice and to VECINA’s mission.
• Preference for multilingual candidates who can work across language and culture.

Core competencies

Open minded and adaptive leadership. Strong people management. Effective teacher and mentor. Skilled collaborator with partners and pro bono counsel. Data and quality oriented. Comfortable giving and receiving feedback. Committed to broad based humanitarian relief with an equity lens.

This position is grant funded and continued employment depends on funding. Benefits include health insurance, matching 401K, paid time off, and professional development support per VECINA policy.

Full time 37.5 hours, exempt. Some evening availability for office hours or partner events may be needed. Collaborates across U.S. time zones.

Preference for multilingual candidates who can work across language and culture. Spanish-level fluency strongly preferred.