Supervising Attorney

Oasis Legal Services seeks an experienced attorney and courageous advocate to represent low-income lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) clients who have been persecuted for their sexuality and gender identity and are seeking safety in the United States. The Supervising Attorney is a new position at Oasis, and the ideal candidate is self-aware, takes initiative, and skilled at navigating power dynamics, with at least two years of experience representing clients in front of the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR). We are excited to hire someone with supervisory experience who loves collaborating across programs and teams, is energized by tasks they have never done before and learning about new topics, and is able to effectively communicate complex legal topics to clients in Spanish and English, without an interpreter or translator.

WHO WE ARE

Oasis Legal Services empowers low-income LGBTQ+ immigrants who have survived violence and persecution due to their sexuality, gender identity, and/or HIV status by increasing access to quality culturally-responsive legal representation and social services. Founded as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in May 2017, Oasis now serves more than 800 clients every year through two offices in California’s Central Valley and San Francisco Bay Area. We are proud of the work we do and our commitment to our clients. This exceptional team is known for our compassion, empathy, and deep expertise. Join us!

REPORTING RELATIONSHIPS

The Supervising Attorney reports to the Director of Programs and Advocacy based in the Berkeley CA office. This role supervises several full-time Berkeley-based employees: two attorneys, and for 10 weeks every summer, up to two legal interns. The Supervising Attorney may also supervise up to two part-time legal interns during the school year.

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES

Representation of LGBTQ+ Immigrants

• Directly represent LGBTQ+ clients:
• in removal proceedings in front of the Executive Office for Immigration Review, (EOIR);
• in affirmative asylum proceedings in front of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS);
• in credible-fear and reasonable-fear interviews and check-ins in front of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE);
• in habeas proceedings in front of California District Courts; and
• in California State Court for the purposes of obtaining Special Immigrant Juvenile Status predicate orders.
• Interview clients about sensitive topics, and communicate complex legal concepts to clients in Spanish and English, so they understand their options, can make informed decisions, and are prepared for hearings.
• Gather information and collect evidence to inform legal research, case investigation, and strategy. Prepare immigration forms, update databases and maintain accurate records.
• Manage relationships with clients, witnesses, and experts, coordinate their efforts, and track deadlines for a large caseload of up to 15 active clients at a time. Work with the Social Services Program to make referrals for collateral issues clients are facing. Respond to inquiries in a timely manner, including from many clients whose cases have already been filed and are pending.

Legal Supervision & People Management

• Supervise the legal work of other attorneys and legal advocates to ensure they are providing competent legal representation to clients and managing their caseloads effectively and efficiently. This may include co-counseling cases and other inventions as needed.
• Assign legal work and administrative tasks to paralegals, legal interns, pro bono attorneys and other volunteers, for cases under your name and license, in coordination with the Asylum Program Director and Director of Programs & Advocacy. Review declarations, motions, and briefs, and observe intakes and hearings.
• Serve as the Oasis supervisor for two attorneys and up to two legal interns at a time. Participate in weekly check-ins with these team members to provide ongoing feedback and support, and guide people in developing and executing appropriate advocacy strategies for their new and ongoing cases.
• Participate in Legal Team and Management Team meetings. Support effective recruitment and orientation of Legal Team members, create the conditions for people to succeed at Oasis, support them in following Oasis policies and procedures in tandem with the Operations Team, and identify and facilitate training and other professional development opportunities.

Community Engagement & Advocacy

• Prepare and deliver training internally to Oasis colleagues, external partners and service providers on topics such as asylum law, trauma- informed representation, and serving LGBTQ+ immigrants, to increase the capacity of the legal community to serve LGBTQ+ immigrants. Develop new training content and resources as needed to help ensure materials anticipate emerging needs and reflect current law and practice.
• Engage in outreach to LGBTQ+ and immigrant communities, and speak persuasively about Oasis and our work to potential clients and to other organizations that serve them, so that all eligible community members are aware of Oasis services.
• Participate in Advocacy Team meetings and help create strategies to foster client empowerment and elevate LGBTQ+ immigrant voices.

Other Responsibilities

• Participate in staff, departmental and team meetings, Oasis-sponsored professional development activities and other required training, annual all-staff gathering, and performance appraisal systems.
• Work collaboratively with all staff members to ensure effective, comprehensive support for clients and coordinate best practices across teams, departments, and Oasis offices.
• All other duties assigned by the Supervisor and Executive Director.

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

• At least five years of experience as a licensed attorney, including a minimum of two years representing clients in front of EOIR.
• Juris Doctor degree (J.D.), and member in good standing of a state bar and licensed to practice law in the United States.
• Proficient in both English and Spanish languages (spoken and written). Must be able to communicate complex legal topics to clients in Spanish and English, without an interpreter or translator.
• Facility with Google Suite, Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), Zoom, and macOS, with ability to learn how to navigate other platforms required for work.
• Able to communicate in person and via phone, email and video conference, to work at a computer for extended periods of time, and travel locally to various locations for client appointments and outreach events.
• Able to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination, or participate in an interactive process for accommodations.

Oasis Competencies – How You’ll Do the Work

• Problem-solving and resourcefulness. Skilled in critical thinking and legal analysis, and able to lead others in creative problem-solving. Structures and delegates work to ensure deadlines are met, and sets high expectations for quality.
• Excellent Communication skills, including strong legal research, writing, editing, and oral presentation skills. Attentive, empathetic relationship-builder with clients, external partners, and colleagues. Leads productive exchanges to give and receive input.
• Collaboration, strong interpersonal skills, and ability to work effectively with a diverse range of people and marginalized groups. Models expectations for an inclusive environment where people from all backgrounds can thrive.
• Management skills. Highly organized, motivated, and detail-oriented. Able to set priorities, and manage multiple tasks and people at once. Provides an appropriate level of day-to-day support to their team, differentiating their style according to the situation.

Bonus Qualifications

• Supervisory experience, especially supervising other attorneys and legal advocates with partial or full U.S. Department of Justice accreditation.
• Experience working with LGBTQ+ community members and/or immigrant communities, such as through project management; community organizing, education, training or outreach; and/or social services delivery in a non-profit or government context.
• Experience working with low-income, incarcerated and/or detained clients
• Experience with federal litigation
• Language proficiency in Arabic or Portuguese, in addition to English and Spanish

OTHER DETAILS

This is an exempt full-time role (35 hours per week, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.) based at the Oasis Legal Services office in Berkeley CA, with the option to work from home up to two days per week. The work schedule is subject to change based on programmatic needs, and working some evenings, weekends or holidays may be required. Candidates must be located in or willing to relocate to the San Francisco Bay Area, and able to work in a shared-office environment where there may be ambient noise and overheard conversations.

We believe in paying people fairly for the jobs they do at Oasis, and our compensation philosophy is based on the responsibilities and scope of the role, not the individual who happens to be filling the role or the geographic region where they happen to be doing that job, for example. Please note that we have a negotiation-free policy in order to apply our pay scale uniformly across the organization and create internal pay equity.

• Annual salary is commensurate with years of same-level experience in a similar role, either $88,000 a candidate with 5 years of experience as a licensed attorney, or $98,000 for 6-10 years of experience, or $108,000 for 11+ years of experience. This pay is for working our standard full-time work schedule of seven hours per day and 35 hours per week. Candidates to advance to the final interview will be asked to provide information about their same-level experience in any similar role, if not included in their resume, as the basis for Oasis to calculate a possible job offer within our salary framework.
• Paid Time Off: Flexible paid time off policy (approximately 25 days annually), winter office closure, and 14 holidays per year including quarterly Oasis wellness days. Sabbatical leave after six years
• Employer contributions to health insurance coverage (medical, dental, vision), group life insurance, Simple IRA retirement account, and Oasis Family Leave
• Pre-tax savings on commuter benefits and Flexible Spending Accounts for health care and dependent care expenses
• Professional development funds (budget permitting)
• Relocation support may be available for moving to California from another U.S. state or country

Proficient in both English and Spanish languages (spoken and written). Must be able to communicate complex legal topics to clients in Spanish and English, without an interpreter or translator.