Criminal/Immigration Senior Staff Attorney  

The Immigrant Legal Resource Center Is Hiring!

Criminal/Immigration Senior Staff Attorney

The Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC) is seeking a full-time Criminal/Immigration (Crim/Imm) Senior Staff Attorney based in our San Francisco, CA office, working remotely from Southern California, or working remotely from the Central Valley of California. This is an exempt position that reports to the Senior Managing Attorney. This is a bargaining unit position represented by the National Legal Services Workers (NOLSW), Local 2320.

The ILRC currently has a hybrid work model that requires two in-office days per week for employees based in our San Francisco office. Employees not based in the San Francisco office are exempt from this requirement, but will be required to travel to the San Francisco office for key events and meetings in accordance with ILRC’s Remote Work Policy, which includes coming to the San Francisco office at least every quarter. Additionally, this position requires the employee to spend approximately 10-15% of their time traveling.

Who We Are:

The ILRC is a leading immigrant rights organization headquartered in San Francisco with staff in Washington, D.C., Texas, Southern California, the Central Valley of California, and Washington state. Since 1979, our mission has been to educate, support, and empower immigrants, community organizations, and legal practitioners to build a more just, inclusive, and democratic society. Our team is passionate, collaborative, and committed to equity and innovation in all we do. Additional information about our organizational values is available here.

The Opportunity:

The focus of this position is upholding immigrants’ rights in the complex intersection of criminal and immigration law, also known as “crim/imm.” The Senior Staff Attorney will further the ILRC’s technical support, capacity building, and policy work on behalf of immigrants and the practitioners who defend their rights, particularly public defenders and immigration advocates who represent noncitizens with crim/imm issues. This position requires advanced expertise in crim/imm.

Job Responsibilities:

The Senior Staff Attorney will participate in a range of programs which may include:

• Providing technical support to public defenders and to immigration advocates on crim/imm matters. This includes:
• Analyzing new legal developments and writing practice advisories geared toward audiences such as attorneys, accredited representatives, paralegals, community members, and/or policymakers;
• Preparing and leading webinars and in-person seminars on a variety of topics in immigration law with a focus on crim/imm;
• Working as a team to create and update materials, including online materials like the California Quick Reference Chart;
• Writing, updating, and editing select chapters in ILRC manuals regarding crim/imm and other adjacent issues;
• Working as an “Attorney of the Day” to answer individual case questions; and
• Cultivating relationships with public defender offices in rural areas of California.
• Helping to guide and lead ILRC’s crim/imm team and serving as one of ILRC’s internal and external senior experts on crim/imm;
• Training immigrant communities,

organizers, public defenders, immigration attorneys, judges and other stakeholders on crim/imm;

• Working with coalitions on campaigns in pursuit of passing and enforcing policies that positively impact immigrant communities;
• Analyzing state and federal legislation from a crim/imm lens;
• Drafting legislation, advising legislative staff and other parties, and testifying before legislature as needed;
• Competency in speaking with press on crim/imm issues;
• Representing ILRC, and as necessary taking a leading role, in collaboratives to support immigrant rights;
• Writing grant proposals, writing reports, and managing deliverables for foundation grants, and representing the ILRC in meetings with funders and supporters;
• Traveling for trainings, funder visits, and other events throughout California and sometimes throughout the United States; and
• Providing support and advice on litigation and amicus support as needed, in cases before the Board of Immigration Appeals, California courts of appeals, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the Supreme Court.

Qualifications:

Required Qualifications:

• Experience and expertise in, and commitment to, defending the rights of noncitizens who have come in contact with the criminal legal system;
• A minimum of seven years of experience representing clients in a crim/imm context. Experience representing immigrants in the criminal system or immigration system, or advising defenders in criminal proceedings, is preferred, but other experience employing a crim/imm analysis will be considered;
• Broad knowledge of the intersection of criminal and immigration law;
• Excellent writing, editing, legal analysis, and oral presentation skills;
• Excellent training and presentation skills;
• Ability to lead meetings attended by, write for, and communicate with a range of people, including immigration and criminal defense attorneys, community members, legislators, policy-makers, journalists, funders, and others;
• Excellent time management skills and the ability to meet deadlines;
• Willing to work closely with and learn from colleagues, including being willing to take direction and editing from others and to incorporate feedback;
• A strong work ethic, including the following qualities: organized, flexible, reliable, and dependable, able to work independently, and able to handle several projects simultaneously;
• Willing to participate in team-based efforts and a collaborative decision-making environment;
• A willingness to travel approximately 10-15% of their time across California and at times, nationally; and
• A current Bar membership in good standing for any state in the United States or the District of Columbia.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with or knowledge about California post-conviction relief law and/or California laws relating to ICE interaction with local law enforcement (e.g., SB 54);
• Experience working closely with community organizers and non-lawyers on organizing campaigns;
• Writing and securing grants from foundations and corporations;
• Legal or other writing experience for a range of audiences;
• Training, teaching, or other public speaking experience;
• Working in, leading, or forming coalitions;
• Collaborating with immigrant communities with an emphasis on supporting community leadership;
• Coordinating civic engagement projects or working as a community organizer;
• Second language proficiency, within the range of conversational to fluent;
• Experience with communications work on immigration or criminal legal issues;
• Established relationships with allied organizations in California and nationally; and
• Experience in administrative and federal appeals.

Compensation/Benefits: 

Pay is extremely competitive for the field and commensurate with experience according to the ILRC salary scale for attorneys. The starting pay for this position is $121,000 for those who are eight years out of law school. An attorney hired for this position who has been out of law school for more than eight years will have a higher salary based on their law school graduation year. For instance, an attorney who has been out of law school for 15 years would have a salary of $148,000. The ILRC offers excellent benefits, medical/dental/vision insurance, Employee Assistance Program (EAP) sessions, a flexible spending account for medical and dependent care, vacation, and sick leave. The ILRC also sponsors a retirement plan contribution upon fulfillment of eligibility. Additionally, we offer an annual professional development stipend of $2,500 and, from 2024 – 2027, an annual wellness stipend of $2,500. ILRC also offers a sabbatical program: employees are eligible to apply for an 8-week sabbatical after five years of service and a 12-week sabbatical after ten years of service.

Applications:

This position will remain open until it is filled and is currently available. We will consider applications on an ongoing basis beginning immediately. To ensure consideration of your application, please submit a cover letter explaining your qualifications for the position, your salary requirements, a current resume, a writing sample that demonstrates immigration and criminal law knowledge, and the contact information for three professional references, one of which must be a supervisor.

No phone calls, please.

As a condition of employment at the ILRC, you will be required to submit proof of vaccination and the most recent booster shot available against COVID-19.*

The ILRC is an equal opportunity employer and does not make hiring or employment decisions on the basis of race, color, religion or religious beliefs, ethnic or national origin, nationality, sex, gender, gender-identity, sexual orientation, disability age, military or veteran status, or any other basis protected by applicable local, state or federal laws. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance and other similar state laws and local ordinances, ILRC will also consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records.

*The ILRC provides reasonable accommodations as required by law. Employees may request an exception from vaccination requirements (if applicable), if the vaccine is medically contraindicated for them or medical necessity requires a delay in vaccination. Employees also may be legally entitled to a reasonable accommodation if they cannot be vaccinated because of a disability, or if receiving a COVID-19 vaccination conflicts with a sincerely held religious belief, practice, or observance. There may be other recognized exceptions under applicable state and/or local laws.

The ILRC offers excellent benefits, medical/dental/vision insurance, Employee Assistance Program (EAP) sessions, a flexible spending account for medical and dependent care, vacation, and sick leave. The ILRC also sponsors a retirement plan contribution upon fulfillment of eligibility. Additionally, we offer an annual professional development stipend of $2,500 and, from 2024 – 2027, an annual wellness stipend of $2,500. ILRC also offers a sabbatical program: employees are eligible to apply for an 8-week sabbatical after five years of service and a 12-week sabbatical after ten years of service.