Legal Director

About the Organization

Founded in 1990 as a nonprofit agency in Louisville, Kentucky Refugee Ministries (KRM) is a local affiliate of Church World Service (CWS), one of ten national agencies authorized to resettle to refugees through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. KRM also has offices in sub-offices in Lexington and Covington, Kentucky. In addition to refugees, KRM has in recent years resettled Afghan, Ukrainian, Cuban and Haitian humanitarian parolees, as well as individuals from various countries who have been approved for, or are applying for, asylum.

KRM is currently receiving only a small number of new refugee and immigrant arrivals due to restrictions on refugee and immigrant entry to the United States. Accordingly, agency focus is on providing basic needs; employment services, including job placement; case management, including medical and mental health coordination; family, youth and elder services; educational programming (ESL, cultural orientation and citizenship); and immigration legal services for the sizable number of refugees and immigrants currently resident in Kentucky.

KRM’s legal staff, which specialize in family–based and humanitarian immigration pathways, are currently based in the Louisville and Lexington offices.

Position Summary

The Legal Director is responsible for the oversight, development, and delivery of immigration legal services across KRM offices. This position includes direct client representation and supervision of a diverse legal team, including attorneys, DOJ-accredited representatives, and paralegals. The Legal Director ensures high-quality legal work, drives program management and strategy, and supports organizational sustainability in response to community needs and the evolving immigration landscape.

Key Responsibilities

Program Leadership & Strategy - 30%

• Lead the development and implementation of strategic goals for the legal services program in alignment with organizational mission and community needs.
• Oversee legal services across multiple sites, ensuring consistent quality, efficiency, and responsiveness to policy changes.
• Monitor and respond to shifts in immigration law and policy; adjust legal service priorities accordingly.
• Collaborate with leadership on budgeting, fundraising, and grant reporting related to legal services.

Staff Supervision & Development - 30%

• Supervise a multidisciplinary legal team including attorneys, DOJ-accredited representatives, and paralegals across multiple office locations.
• Provide regular case consultation, performance evaluations, and guidance on legal and ethical standards.
• Develop and implement onboarding, training, and professional development plans for legal staff.
• Foster a collaborative, supportive, and accountable work culture across offices.

Direct Legal Services - 25%

• Maintain a caseload focused on complex or high-impact cases in family-based or humanitarian immigration law.
• Conduct legal consultations, case assessments, and full representation before USCIS, EOIR, and other relevant agencies.
• Serve as a subject matter expert and mentor for legal staff.

Compliance & Operations - 15%

• Ensure compliance with all applicable legal, ethical, and professional obligations, including those required by DOJ Recognition and Accreditation, bar associations, and funders.
• Develop and implement internal procedures for case management, data tracking, intake, and quality assurance.

Requirements

• Juris Doctor from an accredited law school and active bar membership
• Minimum of five years of experience as a practicing attorney, with at least three years’ immigration law experience
• Strong research, writing, advocacy and organizational skills
• Ability to oversee immigration case management system, including legal practice financial operations, in coordination with agency finance staff.
• Willingness to participate in agency community education, advocacy and fundraising events that include discussions of immigration law and policy