Description:
Summary: Under the direction of the agency Director / Department of Justice (DOJ) Accredited Representative, the Immigration Staff Attorney provides counsel and representation to low-income immigrants and their families before the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the Executive Officer for Immigration Review (EOIR), the Department of State (DOS) regarding a wide range of immigration matters and NY Family courts.Responsibilities:
- Provide in-depth, individual consultations to low-income immigrants to determine eligibility for immigration status;
- Manage a diverse caseload concerning a wide range of immigration matters such as family-based petitions and visas, non-immigrant visa processing, temporary protected status (TPS), adjustment of status, naturalization, hardship waivers, U Visas, affirmative cases and defensive removal cases with USCIS, SIJS, and other legal memoranda as needed;
- Attend master/individual hearing before the local Immigration Court when necessary;
- Provide representation for CIS-NYC clients in interviews before USCIS, EOIR, DOS and, on occasion, SIJ family court cases;
- Perform legal research on American Immigration Lawyer Association (AILA) publications, the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), Title 8 of the Code of Federal Regulations (8 CFR), and other related primary and secondary sources of immigration law and regulations;
- Conduct Know-Your-Rights (KYRs) presentations to community members with CIS-NYC Justice for Immigrants and other community partners;
- Assist with program communications and reports by tracking case statistics and outcomes, and determining success stories for use in reports and advocacy materials;
- Provide expert testimony to media on current immigration law and policy topics;
- Perform case-related administrative duties, including maintaining accurate, complete, and confidential case files and legal software; Manage caseload and maintain client files in good order, including photocopying applications, letters, supporting documentation, and follow-up work. Maintain client and case information in the legal software or other case management systems;
- Gather client success stories monthly to share during check-ins with support from the Executive Director;
- Work with CIS-NYC Social Workers to meet clients' social service needs;
- Work with CIS-NYC paralegal appropriately and effectively.
Qualifications:
- Admission to practice law in a U.S. jurisdiction, preferably in New York State; if a recent graduate, it is expected that candidates will be taking the upcoming bar exam in NYS;
- Preferably 2 years of experience in immigration law; either full-time, part-time or with law school supervision.
- Excellent research, writing, analytical, and communication skills;
- Fluent in spoken and written Spanish;
- Able to interpret current immigration law to staff and clients;
- Ability to set priorities and excellent judgment;
- Excellent interpersonal skills;
- Ability to work independently, under pressure, meet deadlines, and adapt quickly to changes in immigration law;
- Deep understanding of and ability to work well with people of diverse gender identities, sexual orientations, racial, ethnic, cultural, religious, educational, and socioeconomic backgrounds.
