Immigration Law Project - Staff Attorney

Staff Attorney – Immigration Law Project

Mobilization for Justice (MFJ), a non-profit legal services organization that provides a wide range of free civil legal services to low-income New Yorkers, is seeking to hire a staff attorney in its Immigration Law Project. The attorney will work in a dynamic environment, and engage in all aspects of lawyering from client intake, to case preparation, and appearing in courts and administrative agencies, providing a wide-range of legal services for low-income New Yorkers in humanitarian and family-based immigration matters, including, but not limited to, assisting immigrants who are seeking citizenship, adjustment of status, replacement of lost or expired green cards, asylum, special immigrant juvenile status, and other immigration benefits.

MFJ’s mission is to achieve justice for all. MFJ prioritizes the needs of people who are low-income, disenfranchised, or have disabilities as they struggle to overcome the effects of social injustice and systemic racism. We provide the highest-quality free, direct civil legal assistance, conduct community education and build partnerships, engage in policy advocacy, and bring impact litigation. MFJ also promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion in our workplace, and understands the need to eliminate all racial disparities to achieve justice for all. We assist more than 14,000 New Yorkers each year, benefiting over 24,000. MFJ has a staff of more than 165 attorneys, paralegals, social workers, and support staff. It is a diverse, unionized, and collegial workplace where staff share the organization’s mission to achieve social justice.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Conduct client intake and interviews in person, on the telephone, and at community based organizations, sometimes in the evenings;
• Research legal issues and draft memoranda, including white paper and amicus curiae briefs;
• Assisting individuals in completing relevant family- and humanitarian-based immigration applications and forms;
• Represent clients at United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) interviews, the Executive Office of Immigration Review (EOIR) hearings, the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) hearings, and other government offices;
• Recruit, train, and mentor interns, externs, and volunteer emeritus attorneys in immigration law matters;
• Conduct community outreach, trainings, and advocacy campaigns, sometimes in the evenings;
• Prepare comprehensive training manuals and work in coalition with advocacy groups on policy issues;
• Inputting and maintaining records in case management system.

Requirements:

• Demonstrated interest in immigration law.
• Minimum three years’ experience in immigration court and/or immigration law representation.
• Admission to the NYS bar.
• Excellent research and writing skills.
• Ability to balance individual caseload, mentoring intern/extern/emeritus attorneys, and advocating for legislative or policy changes, as well as traveling to the five boroughs of New York City.
• Willingness to conduct clinics and trainings throughout the five boroughs of New York City, sometimes in the evening.
• Ability to work collaboratively yet independently.
• Excellent organizational skills and demonstrated ability to manage competing deadlines and priorities.

Preferred:

• Experience working with diverse and multi-cultural populations.
• Fluency in Spanish, a Chinese dialect or another language spoken by immigrant populations in New York City.
• Experience with Criminal and Immigration Law matters
• Experience with Detained Docket Matters in Immigration Court
• Experience working with victims of Intimate Partner Violence, related forms of gender-identity violence, or violence due to sexual orientation

Salary is pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement with excellent fringe benefits. The salary range for this position is $76,000.00 - $96,762.56.

Applicants should submit cover letter, resume and writing sample and three references to recruitment@mfjlegal.org copying Ernie Collette, Supervising Attorney, and transmit by e-mail to ecollette@mfjlegal.org. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis. We encourage all applicants to include in their cover letter a statement about how your background or experience might contribute to the diversity and perspective of our office. Early applications are appreciated. Interviews will be conducted on a rolling basis. No telephone inquiries please. Please indicate where you found this ad and include “ILP STAFF ATTORNEY” in the subject line.

For further information about MFJ, please go to www.mobilizationforjustice.org.

MOBILIZATION FOR JUSTICE IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER.

All qualified applicants will be afforded equal employment opportunities without discrimination because of race, religion/creed, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, sexual orientation, military status, predisposing genetic characteristics, victim of domestic violence status, marital status, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law. BIPOC, women, people with disabilities, and LBGTQIA+ candidates are encouraged to apply