Immigration Staff Attorney

Job Title: Immigration Staff Attorney

Supervisor: Executive Director

Status: Part-time, three days a week

Location: North Bergen, NJ

Background:

CEUS is looking for a passionate, capable, and energetic immigration attorney who supports immigrants’ rights to join its dynamic legal team of staff members and volunteers. Our 501(c)(3) non-profit grass roots organization was founded by Salvadorans who had fled their country’s civil unrest, and the organization is still led and run by immigrants. For over 15 years, Centro Comunitario CEUS has provided legal counseling and representation to hundreds of immigrants each year, including families, youth, and survivors of domestic violence and other crimes.

Summary of Principal Responsibilities:

The Staff Immigration Attorney will work out of CEUS’s office in North Bergen (Hudson County), New Jersey, providing legal representation to low-income immigrants in their immigration cases. The attorney will meet with clients and counsel them on eligibility for relief under immigration laws. The attorney will also prepare applications for submission to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the Newark Immigration Court and represent clients before the various agencies and the Immigration Court. The attorney will work closely with two legal assistants and a volunteer attorney.

Essential Functions/Responsibilities:

The key responsibilities of the Immigration Staff Attorney include the following:

• Provide individual consultations to low-income immigrants to determine eligibility for immigration status.
• Provide representation before USCIS, the Newark Immigration Court, the Board of Immigration Appeals, and where appropriate, before the Federal Courts.
• Review the work of CEUS legal assistants.
• Manage caseload and maintain client files in good order.
• Translate documents or secure translations as necessary.
• Participate in CEUS staff meetings and case reviews.
• Prepare and submit regular reports in a timely manner to the CEUS Executive Directors. Help compile quarterly narrative and statistical reports regarding case consultation and case representation.
• Attend immigration law training sessions and conferences.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Admission to a state bar required; preference to NJ bar admission.
• One-two years’ minimum experience with immigration law and procedures, with preference to individuals with experience in representing individuals in removal proceedings.
• Comfort working with vulnerable populations.
• Fluency in written and oral English and intermediate-to-strong Spanish.
• Self-motivation; ability to be detail oriented, well-organized, and to prioritize assignments and work load.
• Ability to communicate effectively and build mutually respectful relationships with co-workers, clients, and the public.
• Familiarity with software applications in a Windows environment, including Microsoft Word.

MISSION

Centro Comunitario CEUS (CEUS) has been a strong voice for immigrant communities in northern New Jersey for 30 years. The community-based organization serves more than 500 individuals each year through free and low-cost immigration legal services; a membership program; community education forums; and advocacy work in support of immigrant rights. The organization ran a project from January 2021 to June 2023 to communicate COVID-19 and other health information to immigrants, and recently started a separate project to inform immigrants of their rights under New Jersey labor laws.

Compensation: $44,000 to $48,000, commensurate with experience.

Benefits: Stipend contribution to health care; paid vacation and PTO.

Interested candidates should submit a cover letter, resume and two references via email to Administrator Hugh Morley at hmorley@ceusnj.org.

CEUS is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified persons are encouraged to apply regardless of their religious affiliation, race, sex, sexual orientation or nature of disability.