Staff Attorney

Staff Attorney

Location: Applicants residing in the NYC Metro area are strongly preferred. Excellent candidates from AZ, FL, IL, NM, TX, NY, or the DC Metro Area will be considered.

Immigration Equality and the Immigration Equality Action Fund seek an experienced and passionate attorney to help manage, develop and maintain our successful pro bono representation program for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ), and HIV-positive immigrants. The attorney will join our Asylum Program team mentoring volunteer attorneys, strengthening and cultivating law firm relationships, directly representing clients, and assisting the legal team with policy and impact litigation initiatives.

Immigration Equality is proud to be a national leader in the field we pioneered: LGBTQ and HIV immigration rights. Founded in 1994, Immigration Equality has a dual focus of direct representation and impact work. We take calls every day from clients who need help right now and we work to change the systems that have lasting impact on how LGBTQ and HIV-positive immigrants are treated. We work with asylum seekers, detained individuals, and queer families, answering thousands of web and phone inquiries and representing approximately 650 individuals through direct services and our national pro bono program. We also engage in advocacy and impact litigation to protect the interests of our community. Finally, through our Action Fund, we lobby federal policymakers to pass progressive legislation consistent with our mission goals.

More than 120 of the nation’s finest law firms participate in our pro bono program, as do hundreds of volunteer attorneys. Recruiting new law firms to join the program and encouraging veteran attorneys to expand their engagement is critical to our ability to serve our clients. The right person for this job understands the needs of LGBTQ and HIV-positive non-citizens as well as the needs of the attorneys participating in the program. The goals of the position are (1) to ensure that our clients receive the highest quality pro bono representation and (2) to provide pro bono attorneys with the guidance and resources to feel great about helping our community. This position reports to the Managing Attorney, Pro Bono Asylum Program.

We dedicate ourselves to empowering and protecting one of the most vibrant, resilient, and diverse communities in the world. In sixty-five countries, it is still a crime to be LGBTQ. In many more, it is fundamentally unsafe. We are proud to do life-saving work.

Responsibilities

• Cultivation: Mentor attorneys and law firms currently in Immigration Equality’s pro bono program; conduct initial strategy calls with attorneys on legal services cases; respond to attorney questions; edit and comment on attorney work product.
• Training: Organize trainings for pro bono attorneys and develop training materials; teach CLE programs.
• Case-handling: Perform intake interviews for potential clients and respond to inquiries through our web and phone-based legal “hotline.”
• Supervision: Supervise paralegals, interns, fellows or other staff, as needed.
• Impact Litigation: Assist the Legal Director in identifying areas to engage in impact litigation. Mentor law firm partners to research potential impact lawsuits and to vet potential plaintiffs.
• Policy: Assist the Legal Director in drafting and advocating for systemic changes in the immigration system.
• Direct Service: Engage in limited direct legal services, as needed, on issues affecting LGBTQ non-citizens including: asylum, removal defense, detention advocacy, federal appeals, etc.
• Program Development: Occasionally, assist the development team in fundraising for our pro bono program, especially from law firms and in-house counsel; and
• Other tasks, as may be assigned.

Qualifications

• J.D. and license to practice law in any state or district of the U.S.
• Minimum of 3 years of relevant experience (experience with LGBTQ asylum claims is a plus)
• Excellent writing skills
• Remarkable attention to detail
• Strong public speaking skills
• Demonstrated commitment to LGBTQ and immigration issues
• Ability to work well on a variety of tasks simultaneously
• District court litigation experience is a plus
• Initiative and the ability and willingness to collaborate and cooperate with colleagues when needed; comfortable working independently when needed
• Excellent organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple tasks on deadline
• Calm under pressure and able to juggle multiple priorities and deadlines while maintaining attention to detail
• Willingness and ability to manage up
• Some travel may be required
• Spanish, Russian, or French language skills are a plus

Environment

Immigration Equality is a mission-driven organization full of smart, dedicated people. If you want to work at the cutting edge of two of the two most potent issues of our time, and do it with terrific colleagues in a fast-paced, nimble organization that seeks results, this is the place for you.

Immigration Equality is an equal opportunity employer: immigrants, transgender and gender non-conforming individuals, and people of color are strongly encouraged to apply. Applicants are expected to collaborate within a diverse and inclusive environment.

Our office is located in New York City however this position may be performed remotely with occasional trips to gather with colleagues. A laptop and printer will be provided to support working remotely.

Immigration Equality offers outstanding benefits, including:

• Comprehensive health, vision, and dental insurance. For some health plans, which cover the employee and their children, Immigration Equality pays 100% of premiums
• Many health plans to choose from so you can find the best fit for you and your family
• 3% 401(k) employer contribution (whether you contribute or not)
• Employer paid $10K life insurance plan
• Employer paid short and long-term disability insurance
• Monthly mobile phone or internet allowance
• Home office stipend
• Paid family leave
• Working with trauma survivors can be emotionally difficult. Experience in or receptiveness to working with trauma survivors is a must. In recognition of the challenging frontline work we do to help clients, Immigration Equality offers flex-time schedule options and very generous PTO of nearly 12 weeks off including:
  • six weeks of unscheduled PTO
  • 12 scheduled holidays
  • one week of scheduled time-off at mid-year (around July 4)
  • one week of scheduled time-off at year-end (around Dec 25)
  • Summer Fridays: end workday early on Fridays between Memorial Day and Labor Day

Spanish, Russian, or French language skills are a plus