Staff Attorney, Immigration Project

Volunteers of Legal Service (VOLS) seeks a full-time Staff Attorney to join its Immigration Project. This position will report to the Immigration Project Director and is part of union ALAA UAW Local 2325.

The Staff Attorney will carry a direct representation caseload while also serving as mentoring attorney on matters placed with pro bono attorneys at law firms and corporations. The role also includes assistance with intake, legal clinics, and community partnerships. The ideal candidate can step into an active practice without basic training on forms of relief: they bring working familiarity with removal defense, SIJS (including Family Court), asylum, withholding and Convention Against Torture practice, enjoy teaching and guiding other lawyers, and are energized by working with youth and young adults. The Staff Attorney will take on matters from the Immigration Project’s existing caseload as well as new cases.

Organizational Mission

For over 40 years, VOLS has partnered with New York City’s leading law firms and companies as well as community-based organizations to help close the access to justice gap for low-income New Yorkers. VOLS provides free, civil legal services to New Yorkers with limited resources, including seniors, veterans, individuals entitled to public benefits, immigrant youth, children and their families, mothers in prison or jail, and small business owners. Last year, VOLS assisted clients on more than 4,000 legal matters, and our services benefited over 6,200 individual New Yorkers. VOLS’ staff of 21, including 14 attorneys and law graduates, works with volunteers from over 80 law firms/companies to exponentially increase our impact. We partner with 150 community groups to ensure that our services are accessible and address local needs.

VOLS Immigration Project

VOLS’s Immigration Project provides pro bono immigration legal services to immigrant youth and young adults under 25, with a focus on humanitarian relief, removal defense, and family-based immigration. We serve clients through pro bono placements with partner law firms and corporate legal departments, direct representation, and legal clinics, in close partnership with schools, colleges, and other community-based organizations. We are a small, collaborative team with a strong commitment to trauma-informed, sustainable practice.

Responsibilities

Direct Representation

• Maintain a caseload of direct representation immigration matters including removal defense and BIA appeals, SIJS, affirmative and defensive asylum, withholding and Convention Against Torture, U and T visas, humanitarian-based adjustment of status, DACA renewals, naturalization, VAWA self-petitions, and family-based adjustment;
  • Represent clients in New York Family Court matters connected to SIJS predicate orders; and
  • Represent clients at hearings, interviews, check-ins, and other appearances before the immigration court, USCIS, asylum offices, ICE, and other government agencies connected to their immigration matters.

Pro Bono Mentoring & Training

• Across the same case types listed above, serve as mentoring attorney on matters placed with pro bono attorneys at law firms and corporations, providing substantive guidance, document review, strategy advice, and hearing/interview preparation;
• Where appropriate, co-counsel or attend hearings, interviews, and court appearances alongside pro bono attorneys;
• Develop and deliver trainings, practice advisories, and other substantive resource materials for current and prospective pro bono attorneys; and
• Support the Project Director in placing matters with firm and corporate partners, including preparing case summaries and related materials.

Intake, Clinics, and Community Engagement

• Conduct screenings for and provide advice on immigration relief to clients referred by school- and community-based partner organizations through the Project's internal intake pipeline;
• Help plan and staff pro bono clinics with law firm and corporate partners;
• Represent VOLS at community and school meetings and conduct off-site screenings and evaluations at legal clinics, including occasional evening hours and limited weekends; and
• Create and maintain accurate, up-to-date training and client-facing resource materials.

Team and Administrative

• Work collaboratively with the Project's team, including the legal assistant, pro bono scholars, and law student interns;
• Stay current on developments in immigration law and practice, including through CLEs, working groups, and practitioner networks;
• Use LegalServer, our web-based case management system, to maintain accurate and timely data on clients, services, and impact;
• Contribute to the development of team practices and systems;
  • Participate in committees and collaborative efforts to benefit the office, as appropriate; and
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Director of the Immigration Project.

Qualifications

• Attorney admitted and in good standing with the New York State Bar, with 4-5 years of practice including at least 3 years of direct immigration legal services in removal defense, SIJS (including Family Court), and fear-of-return claims (asylum, withholding, and Convention Against Torture relief);
• Excellent research, writing, analytical, and oral communication skills;
• Demonstrated ability to mentor and guide other attorneys, and enthusiasm for teaching;
• Comfort partnering with attorneys at large law firms and corporations in service of expanding access to representation;
• Ability to work effectively and compassionately with clients in crisis, including survivors of trauma, and commitment to trauma-informed practice;
• Experience and comfort working with youth and young adults, including clients under 18;
• Ability to work effectively with interpreters;
• Strong organizational skills and ability to independently manage a caseload; and
• Demonstrated commitment to social justice, providing high-quality, free legal services to low-income New Yorkers and promoting volunteerism.

Preferred Qualifications

• Professional fluency in Spanish strongly preferred; fluency in other languages, including but not limited to French and Haitian Creole, a plus;
  • Experience with LegalServer or other case management platforms; and
• Experience leading trainings, workshops, and/or community presentations.

Remote and Vaccine Policies:

This position will be fully in-person for the first 90 days of employment. After the first 90 days, telecommuting one day per week will be permitted. After the completion of the six months probationary period, the position will be hybrid, with up to eight telecommuting days per month, with additional telecommuting days during the summer.

Local travel to meetings, clinics, home visits, and other events is required.

All VOLS employees must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, unless a medical or religious accommodation is approved.

Commitment to Inclusion:

VOLS is an equal opportunity employer. VOLS strives to build and maintain a workplace that embraces staff with different backgrounds, identities, and experiences. We welcome applicants from marginalized communities, including, but not limited to, those who identify as Black, Indigenous, people of color, women, queer, transgender, gender non-conforming, disabled, immigrants, veterans, people from low socio-economic backgrounds, and those directly impacted by the legal system.

VOLS does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, nationality, creed, age, disability, sexual orientation, biological sex, gender identity/expression, family status, military service or any other status protected under the law.

Compensation and Benefits:

The annual salary range for this position is $88,617 - $92,185, which will be determined by our collective bargaining agreement and be commensurate with experience. VOLS offers an excellent benefits package, including health, life and disability insurance, a retirement plan to which VOLS contributes and the option to contribute to a 403(b) plan. We provide 25 days of paid vacation, 12 days of paid sick leave, and 3 personal days annually.

• Professional fluency in Spanish strongly preferred; fluency in other languages, including but not limited to French and Haitian Creole, a plus.