Senior Staff Attorney

Position Description: The Human Trafficking Legal Center is seeking a Senior Staff Attorney to manage the organization’s direct legal services program. The Senior Staff Attorney will provide direct legal representation to trafficking survivors seeking T visas and other forms of affirmative immigration relief. The Senior Staff Attorney will partner with social services organizations to conduct intakes of new clients and handle case management for clients on the organization’s immigration docket. The Senior Staff Attorney will also provide expert technical assistance on immigration law to partner organizations and pro bono counsel.

The Mission: We are a bridge to justice for trafficking survivors. The Human Trafficking Legal Center connects trafficking survivors with pro bono representation so they can seek justice and thrive. We demand accountability from traffickers, from governments, and from corporations.

Responsibilities:

• Provide direct representation in affirmative immigration petitions before U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), including T and U visas, asylum, continued presence, deferred action, adjustment of status, and naturalization.
• Manage the Human Trafficking Legal Center’s direct legal services program, including supervision of the organization’s paralegal, supervision of summer legal fellows on T visa applications, and maintenance of client files.
• Supervise the organization’s client intake procedures, reviewing all requests, onboarding new clients for immigration representation, and assisting in referrals to pro bono counsel, where appropriate.
• Cultivate and maintain partnerships with community partners to develop a robust referral network for case management and legal services in the Washington, DC metro area.
• Collaborate and meet regularly with case managers at local partner social service agencies to provide wrap-around services to the Human Trafficking Legal Center’s clients.
• Supervise all of the organization’s direct representation immigration cases, including any legal fellows or staff attorneys working on affirmative immigration cases.
• Provide technical assistance to pro bono counsel providing external immigration representation, including counsel providing representing the Human Trafficking Legal Center’s clients in defensive proceedings.
• Train and provide technical assistance to attorneys representing trafficking survivors pro bono for immigration petitions and proceedings.
• Provide referrals for related legal matters (i.e., housing, employment, and family law) to trafficking survivors.

Qualifications:

• Juris Doctor degree from an accredited law school with a strong academic record.
• Admission to a U.S. State bar, in good standing (D.C. Bar membership required).
• 8 years of legal experience involving immigration representation.
• Prior experience in a legal services organization or providing direct legal services in a nonprofit setting.
• Prior experience working with pro bono counsel at law firms.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
• Prior experience working with survivors of trauma and/or representing vulnerable populations.
• Cultural humility and an ability to work with persons from cultures and backgrounds different from one’s own.
• Ability to work collaboratively with partner organizations, NGOs, pro bono law firms, agency officials and staff, law enforcement, legislators, attorneys, and advocates.
• Excellent organizational, time management, and communication skills.
• Strong case management skills.
• Attention to detail.
• Prior experience supervising staff including paralegals and junior attorneys.
• Ability to work as part of a team.
• Ability to work well under pressure while managing multiple tasks simultaneously.
• Ability to think strategically and creatively.
• Ability to work independently and take initiative.
• Ability and willingness to collaborate across teams and cultures.
• Experience working with or representing vulnerable populations.
• A sense of humor.

Preferred but not required qualifications:

• Prior experience providing immigration know your rights education to clients.
• Prior experience providing immigration removal defense.
• Fluency in a second language (preferably Spanish)

This is a full-time, salaried position. Regular hours are 9:00 to 5:00 Monday through Friday.

The Human Trafficking Legal Center is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate based on race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, citizenship, age, religion, disability status, genetic information, military status, or any other classification as provided by law.

This position is hybrid and will require working in the organization’s Washington, D.C. office at least 1 day each week. Candidates must also live within commuting distance to the Washington, D.C. office in order to provide direct, in-person legal services to the organization’s clients.

Benefits include three weeks of paid vacation each year, one floating holiday per calendar year, your birthday as a holiday, and five days of sick leave per year. We offer up to twelve weeks of parental leave through the DC Paid Family Leave Program. We observe all federal holidays as paid days off, including the Friday after Thanksgiving. The Human Trafficking Legal Center office is closed for a mental health week one week in August each year. The office is also closed between Christmas and New Year; these weeks are considered paid time off.

The Human Trafficking Legal Center makes an annual contribution equal to 2% of each employee’s annual earnings to an Ascensus Trust SIMPLE IRA. Employees may also make voluntary contributions to this account each month from pre-tax earnings.

The Human Trafficking Legal Center provides 100%-employer-paid medical, dental, and vision care insurance for employees. Employees have the option to pay for coverage of dependents through salary deductions.