Staff Attorney, Children's Legal Services

IRC seeks a Staff Attorney to join its Dallas immigration team to provide legal services to unaccompanied children who have been released from the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). The attorney will conduct legal relief eligibility determinations, meet with and advise child clients, and provide direct legal representation to children. Relief will include filing for special immigrant juvenile status, asylum, T Visas and U Visas, requiring the attorney to appear in Texas family court, immigration court, and before the Asylum office.

The Staff Attorney will bring a passion for this area of work and some experience with immigration legal services. Working closely with IRC Dallas leadership and immigration staff, as well as IRC’s HQ Immigration Technical Unit and a host of external partners, the Staff Attorney will assist with developing this new program area for IRC in Dallas. This position will report to the Managing Attorney and may supervise a Legal Assistant and/or interns.

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Conduct intakes with child clients, identify relief, and provide direct representation for unaccompanied children released to sponsors in the Dallas area.
• Handle moderate to heavy caseload of children’s cases before the immigration court and USCIS.
• Initiate state court proceedings for children who are eligible for special immigrant juvenile status.
• Coordinate closely within IRC’s multidisciplinary teams to identify needs and facilitate referrals to services offered in-house and through partnerships with external providers.
• Ensure client and program data is collected consistently, managed appropriately, and reported accurately in accordance with program reporting requirements set by IRC.
• Position may supervise legal assistants and/or interns.
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge and expertise of changing asylum and immigration policies as they relate to children through regular trainings and peer-to-peer consultation.
• Serve as a strong advocate for humanitarian immigrants.

JOB REQUIREMENTS:

• Law degree (JD or LLM) from an ABA-accredited U.S. institution and admission to the Texas bar;
• Ideally at least one year experience providing direct representation in immigration court and/or before USCIS to asylum applicants and other immigrants seeking humanitarian relief; law school graduates with clinical legal experience may be considered;
• Experience providing legal services to children and/or working with children preferred;
• Excellent legal research, writing, analytical, and organizational skills;
• Ability to communicate clearly and effectively, both orally in a courtroom setting and in writing;
• Bilingual in Spanish/English preferred;
• Deep commitment to immigrant rights and working with humanitarian immigrants;
• Trauma-informed and sensitive listening and communication skills;
• Evidence of capacity to be a strong team member in a highly collaborative and fast-paced multidisciplinary environment;
• Must have a valid driver’s license, reliable vehicle, active insurance policy and ability to travel frequently in and around the service area to attend hearings and interviews and engage with clients and community partners.

Working Environment:

• Standard office environment with occasional participation in community outreach and legal assistance events.
• May require occasional weekend and/or evening work.

Compensation: ($71,415.00). Ranges are based on various factors including the labor market, job type, internal equity, and budget. Exact offers are calibrated by work location, individual candidate experience and skills relative to the defined job requirements.