Managing Attorney (Immigration Removal Defense - Children)

About the organization

Immigrant Defenders Law Center (“ImmDef”) is a next-generation, social justice law firm that provides high-quality representation and legal services to immigrants in Southern California and beyond. ImmDef was founded with the belief that no immigrant should be forced to face an unjust immigration system alone and our universal representation programs are a first step towards that goal. Learn more about us at www.immdef.org.

About This Role

ImmDef represents thousands of adults, children and families annually who have multi-faceted, complex and urgent legal needs as they face our unjust immigration system. ImmDef seeks a committed, experienced, and mission-driven attorney-leader to join our legal services team as a Managing Attorney and oversee our teams of fearless advocates providing creative and zealous representation to our clients. Join the largest non-profit, universal representation model deportation defense team in the state of California, and help develop and advance our mission-driven organization!

ImmDef's Managing Attorneys play essential leadership roles in ensuring high-quality, client-centered representation for unaccompanied children and other immigrant youth navigating an increasingly complex and rapidly changing immigration system. This is a rewarding and mission-driven position where the successful applicant will supervise and support teams providing holistic, trauma-informed legal representation to some of the most vulnerable members of our community.

At a time of unprecedented policy shifts, expedited enforcement initiatives, and heightened risks facing unaccompanied children, the Managing Attorney will lead legal strategy, support frontline advocates, and help ensure that children have meaningful access to due process, protection, and stability.

This position will be based in Los Angeles and will focus primarily on ImmDef's representation of unaccompanied children and immigrant youth in removal proceedings and related affirmative immigration matters, including asylum, Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS), adjustment of status, trafficking-based relief, and other humanitarian protections. The Managing Attorney will also collaborate closely with other ImmDef programs serving detained and released adults and families as organizational needs require.

Core Responsibilities

• Work collaboratively with ImmDef Directors, Directing Attorneys, Managing Attorneys, and program managers to advance ImmDef's mission and strengthen legal services for unaccompanied children and immigrant youth.
• Provide day-to-day supervision, mentorship, and support to attorneys and legal staff representing unaccompanied children and other vulnerable youth in removal proceedings and related immigration matters.
• Lead efforts to ensure high-quality, trauma-informed, child-centered representation that reflects best practices for working with children, adolescents, and survivors of trauma.
• Monitor legal developments, policy changes, enforcement trends, and agency practices affecting unaccompanied children and immigrant youth, and ensure timely implementation of necessary programmatic and litigation responses.
• Develop and support legal strategies addressing emerging threats to due process and protection for children, including expedited enforcement initiatives, detention practices, custodial transfers, and barriers to accessing humanitarian relief.
• Oversee attorney caseloads, staffing needs, and capacity planning to ensure timely intervention in urgent and high-risk cases.
• Conduct regular case reviews and strategy sessions, with particular attention to complex matters involving asylum, SIJS, adjustment of status, trafficking-based relief, family reunification issues, and removal defense.
• Provide guidance and consultation on litigation strategy, evidentiary development, federal court matters, appeals, and complex legal issues affecting children and immigrant youth.
• Coordinate attorney training and professional development, ensuring staff remain current on evolving law, policy, and advocacy strategies impacting children in immigration proceedings.
• Collaborate with program leadership to develop policies, templates, protocols, and practice resources that promote excellence, consistency, and efficiency in children's representation.
• Foster a supportive, mission-driven team culture that prioritizes collaboration, accountability, professional growth, and sustainable advocacy.
• Ensure compliance with ethical obligations, grant requirements, case management standards, and organizational policies.
• Build and maintain relationships with community partners, social service providers, child welfare stakeholders, funders, pro bono partners, and advocacy coalitions to strengthen services for children and youth.
• Maintain a reduced caseload of complex or strategically significant matters to model effective advocacy, support attorney development, and advance organizational litigation goals.
• Support recruitment, hiring, onboarding, and retention of legal and program staff within the Children's Representation Program and related practice areas.
• Perform other duties as assigned by ImmDef leadership.

Required Qualifications

• Juris Doctorate degree, or foreign law degree and L.L.M;
• Active California State Bar License or licensure from another U.S. jurisdiction and, if required, willingness to "waive into" the CA Bar via the Multi-Jurisdictional Practice Program;
• Minimum 4 years of legal practice, including 3 years of immigration removal defense experience;
• Passion for social justice for immigrants required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience representing children and families in guardianship, parentage, child custody, or dependency proceedings in California for SIJS purposes;
• Experience representing children, families, and adults in applications for asylum/WOR/CAT, special immigrant juvenile status, cancellation, waivers, adjustment of status, immigration consequences of criminal convictions, bond, humanitarian parole, post-conviction relief, habeas petitions, BIA appeals, motions to reopen, and/or naturalization before USCIS or EOIR.
• Experience representing immigrants detained in ICE, CBP and/or ORR custody, including federal habeas experience;
• Experience representing immigrants with juvenile delinquency or criminal history;
• Familiarity with evolving immigration and border policies;
• Knowledge of best practices in working with clients with mental competency issues, including those suffering from mental health challenges and children;
• Strong case management, legal research, and legal writing skills;
• Willingness to zealously pursue new and untested legal theories;
• Strong strategic thinking, organizational leadership, and problem-solving skills;
• Demonstrated ability to take initiative and work under pressure;
• Experience managing, teaching and mentoring staff;
• Ability to work collaboratively and to handle multiple demands in a sometimes hectic and busy environment;
• DACA Recipients encouraged to apply!

Professional Memberships:

• ImmDef provides attorneys with membership in the National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild (NIPNLG), as well as $150 towards the professional association of their choice, and opportunities to attend conferences, trainings and seminars/webinars hosted internally and by partner organizations.
• ImmDef covers California Bar Dues (or equivalent in another jurisdiction) for all attorneys.

Holidays and Paid Time Off :

• 13 paid holidays
• 1-Week paid winter break between Christmas Eve and New Years
• 15 vacation days per year
• 15 Sick Days per year

Health, Dental and Vision Insurance:

• ImmDef provides health coverage on the first of the month following 30 days on the job.
• We cover 100% of premiums for our base dental and vision plans for our staff members and 75% of base plan dental and vision premiums for their dependents. ImmDef also covers 89% of the base plan medical premiums for our staff and 69% of the base plan medical premiums for their dependents.

FSA and Dependent Care FSA:

• ImmDef offers FSA plans to help offset the costs of eligible health care expenses for you, your spouse, and your eligible dependents using pre-tax dollars.
• We also offer Dependent Care FSA to pay for eligible dependent care services, such as preschool, summer day camp, before or after school programs, and child or adult daycare.
• Eligible for Parental Leave which includes six (6) weeks of ImmDef paid leave after one year of employment.

401(k) Retirement Savings Plan & Employer Matching:

• ImmDef staff are eligible to enroll in our 401(k) plans upon three months of service, contributing pre-tax dollars towards their retirement goals
• After three months on staff, ImmDef will match 100% of contributions up to 4% of the employee’s salary.

Public Service Loan Forgiveness:

• As a 501(c)3, full-time ImmDef staff with qualifying student loans are eligible for the federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness

Parking and Public Transportation Stipends:

• Staff members assigned to an office without free on-site parking are eligible to receive a parking stipend of up to $130 per month in actual accrued parking or transportation costs, paid through a pre-tax commuter benefit account.
• Staff in all offices are eligible to receive a public transportation stipend of up to $100 per month in actual accrued public transportation costs.

Cell Phone Stipends:

• ImmDef provides a $15 monthly cell phone stipend to staff members whose job duties require them to consistently work at sites outside of ImmDef offices, or travel between ImmDef worksites, and whose jobs require use of their personal cell phones or communications that cannot be accomplished with ImmDef-issued equipment.

Spanish language proficiency is strongly preferred, however those with fluency in other languages may be considered.