Immigration Staff Attorney (Lateral)

The Bronx Defenders (BxD) – an innovative, progressive, holistic indigent defense office in the South Bronx – seeks an experienced attorney with a commitment to social justice to fill a position as Immigration Practice Staff Attorney.

Founded in 1997, The Bronx Defenders is a public defender nonprofit that has developed a nationally recognized model of representation called holistic defense, which provides people with teams of lawyers, social workers, and advocates to defend them zealously in court as well as to address the underlying drivers and enmeshed penalties of legal system involvement.

Since opening our doors, we have grown into an organization of more than 400 staff members defending nearly 20,000 New Yorkers each year in criminal, family, civil, and immigration proceedings who face incarceration, family separation, eviction, and deportation, among other devastating consequences.

Today we are reimagining the role of public defense even further, using community organizing and engagement, legislative advocacy, and impact litigation to partner with the communities we represent to bring about long-lasting systemic change.

We also share our model and lessons learned with current and future public defenders. We run two legal clinics at NYC law schools and train public defenders from one end of the country to the next on how to move to a holistic model of representation.

Immigration Practice

Nearly a third of the residents of the Bronx were born outside the United States, and many face the unprecedented threat of detention and deportation by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Our attorneys help people facing criminal, family, and civil proceedings make informed and strategic decisions to protect their rights. We are also one of the three public defender organizations leading the nation’s first-ever universal representation program for detained immigrants facing deportation.

Responsibilities

• Advise non-citizens with pending criminal or family court cases on the immigration consequences of contemplated dispositions and mitigate the impact of their involvement with the legal system
• Represent non-citizens in applications for immigration benefits, including:

citizenship, adjustment of status, Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, and

remedies for “victims of crimes”

• Represent detained and non-detained clients before the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR)

Immigration Court on the full scope of matters relating to removal cases, such

as: bond hearings, challenges to removability, and applications for reliefHandle appeals to the Board of Immigration Appeals

• Meet with noncitizen clients in jails and ICE detention centers
• Train and mentor interns

Qualifications

To be eligible, candidate must have:

• J.D. from an American Bar Association-accredited law school, and
• Admission to practice in New York State OR immediately eligible to waive into NY
• Minimum of two years of immigration law experience 
• A valid driver’s license (or the ability to obtain one), is required placement into our detained removal team as the role sometimes requires travel to detention facilities outside of NYC where clients are held (vehicles are provided)

Not required but preferred:

• Spanish language fluency or proficiency (validated objectively) and the ability to conduct client interviews in Spanish

Candidates must demonstrate:  

• Commitment to directly defending people with limited financial resources placed in removal proceedings or facing immigration consequences based on contact with the family regulation and/or criminal legal system
• Experience working in and with immigrant and/or low-income communities targeted by carceral systems
• Ability to effectively and respectfully communicate, collaborate and connect with people with various backgrounds, identities and experiences
• Ability to work well independently as well as collaboratively with an interdisciplinary team of lawyers and non-lawyers
• Commitment to fierce advocacy, and willingness to strategically challenge authority in defense of clients
• Effective research, writing and courtroom advocacy skills
• Strong legal analytical skills and capacity to employ non-legal resources in cases
• Ability to multitask, maintain order and meet deadlines in a fast-paced, high-stakes environment
• Meticulous attention to detail
• Ability to think critically and creatively in fast-paced settings, finding innovative solutions to unique obstacles
• Ability to receive constructive feedback, demonstrate introspection and shift behavior accordingly
• Ability to exercise excellent judgment, discretion, and confidentiality with sensitive matters
• A valid driver’s license (or the ability to obtain one), as the role sometimes requires travel to detention facilities outside of NYC, where clients are held (vehicles provided)

This is a hybrid position that will require in-person work and contact with staff and community members.

Salary is commensurate with experience. For candidates with 2-10 years of directly relevant experience, the salary range for this position would be approximately $89,004 – $119,577. Full-time employees are also eligible for a comprehensive benefits package including but not limited to medical, dental and vision coverage; a 403(b) plan with employer contribution; a generous vacation, sick leave, and parental leave policy. More specific information about salary and benefits will be provided when and if an offer is extended. 

Approximately 70% of The Bronx Defenders' staff, including attorneys and non-attorneys, are represented by UAW Local 2325 - Association of Legal Aid Attorneys (AFL-CIO). This position is within the bargaining unit. 

This position is exempt. By law, non-exempt employees are compensated hourly based on their annual rate and therefore are entitled to overtime, whereas exempt employees are not.

To apply, please click APPLY TO THIS JOB ONLINE and upload your resume and cover letter in one document. Your resume will be used to determine your salary based on the number of years of directly relevant professional experience and should include all relevant professional experience. Applications without a written cover letter will not be considered.

The Bronx Defenders is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to maintaining a workplace that embraces staff with a diversity of backgrounds, identities, and experiences. We acknowledge the ways in which systemic oppression and injustice can undermine access to professional opportunities and are committed to conducting hiring and promotion processes that are equitable and accessible to those commonly excluded from the workforce. We do not discriminate against and in fact specifically encourage applicants from marginalized communities to apply, including those who identify as Black, Indigenous, people of color, queer, transgender, gender non-conforming, disabled, neurodivergent, and those directly impacted by criminal, civil, family, and immigration legal systems. We value lived as well as professional experience and particularly welcome applications from the Bronx community that we serve.