Immigration Staff Attorney, Immigration Services

Position Title: Immigration Staff Attorney – Higher Education Legal Services (HELS)

Organization: Jewish Family Service of San Diego

Department: Immigration Services

Position Type: Full-Time (37.5+ hours/week), Exempt

Work Setting: Hybrid

Reports To: Lead Immigration Attorney – Higher Education Legal Services Program

Pay Rate: $72,500/year

Total Compensation:

In addition to standard pay, compensation for this position includes:

• Employer-covered life insurance
• Comprehensive, low-cost healthcare coverage for employees
• Generous employer 401(k) contributions

Time Away from Work:

Being able to take time away from work is critical in bringing your best self to work. Time off benefits for this position include:

• 2 Wellness Days to be taken any time during the year to support employees’ mental wellness
• Generous paid vacation time and sick leave
• 4 Floating Holidays each year, which employees select from over 60 religious holidays and community days of importance
• 13 observed Federal and Jewish holidays

Position Overview:

Jewish Family Service of San Diego (JFS) is one of four refugee resettlement agencies in San Diego County, a Department of Justice Recognized organization, and a core partner of the San Diego Rapid Response Network (SDRRN) - a group of 40+ immigrant rights and social service organizations, attorneys and community leaders who educate, protect and assist immigrant individuals and families – including refugees and asylum seekers – with legal support and social services. JFS has a large Immigration Legal Services Department (ILSD) where it not only coordinates the legal services for SDRRN, but also has a large team of lawyers, DOJ accredited representatives, and support staff working on a wide range of services for low-income and vulnerable immigrants in San Diego and Imperial counties. This position will work within the ILSD team at JFS. The ILSD team specializes in removal defense, family-based petitions and applications, administrative relief, naturalization, and humanitarian relief. The ILSD team has experience and regularly practices immigration law before Department of Homeland Security (DHS), such as with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Border Patrol (BP) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), as well as before the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) at the San Diego, Otay Mesa and Imperial Immigration Courts and Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA), and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. The ILSD team also represents clients in relevant immigration matters before San Diego Superior Court on simple post-conviction relief and probate guardianship matters. The ILSD is also the legal service provider which coordinates the Higher Education Legal Services (HELS) program at 2 CA State Universities – San Diego State and CSU San Marcos, in addition to 9 community colleges in San Diego and Imperial counties.

JFS is looking for a compassionate, mission-driven individual to join the Immigration Legal Services Department with the Higher Education Legal Services Program as the Immigration Staff Attorney. In this role, you have the opportunity to use your legal skills and experience to make a meaningful difference in your community and help change lives across San Diego. Under the supervision of the Lead Immigration Attorney, the Immigration Staff Attorney will be responsible for providing direct legal representation to JFS clients in immigration cases, including representation before DHS agencies and immigration, state, and federal courts, while helping to support the broader efforts of the JFS Immigration Legal Services team. The Immigration Staff Attorney will provide direct legal representation in defensive and affirmative cases to individuals seeking asylum, withholding of removal, and Convention Against Torture protection; adults and children affirmatively seeking asylum; Special Immigrant Juvenile petitions; families seeking family petitions; and crime victims seeking VAWA classification or U visas, among other affirmative immigration benefits. The Immigration Staff Attorney will also provide critical emergent intervention in support of the SDRRN.

Responsibilities:

• Stay up to date on rapidly changing immigration laws and policies
• Comply with ILSD, program, and agency-wide policies and procedures, data and case management policies and procedures, and program reporting requirements
• Provide direct emergency and non-emergency removal defense and removal enforcement representation for the SDRRN, including representation for migrants, noncitizens, and newcomers before CBP, BP, ICE, the San Diego and Imperial Immigration Courts, other Immigration Courts across the country when required, and before the USCIS, as well as potential appellate work before the BIA and federal courts
• Ensure supervisees, if assigned supervisory oversight of an intern, are meeting all responsibilities according to their job description
• Participate in community workshops, information sessions, and other outreach activities, as needed
• Stay in constant communication with clients about the status of their pending immigration cases
• Be ready to perform any additional case management or administrative tasks
• Prepare filings and represent clients before any DHS agency, the EOIR, and state and/or district courts
• Provide general support to the ILSD team, including the DOJ accredited representatives, pro bono attorneys, and other staff as assigned, through regular engagement, case assistance and mentorship
• Manage a full active caseload, including removal defense and affirmative cases
• Coordinate and document client communications and necessary data for our funding obligations

Required Formal Education and/or Licenses:

• Law graduate
• Licensed to practice law in the U.S

Skills/Experience/Abilities That Are a Must-Have:

• Experience working with marginalized populations and survivors of trauma
• An ability to work flexible hours, including some evenings and weekends
• Proficient in Microsoft software including Excel, Word, and Outlook
• An ability to work both independently and in a group and with a team
• A willingness to undergo extensive immigration law-focused legal training and complete required bi-annual ethics trainings
• Detail oriented and self-directed with strong oral and written communication skills in English
• A demonstrated ability and willingness to zealously defend the rights of immigrants and newcomers
• A demonstrated ability to take initiative and work under pressure
• A valid driver’s license, access to an automobile, insurance, and willingness to drive to off-site locations
• Experience working with detained immigrants or other incarcerated populations
• A passion for providing culturally competent, trauma-informed, services to noncitizens and newcomers in San Diego County, Imperial County, and generally in the San Diego border region, including but not limited Tijuana/Mexicali, Mexico
• A passion for social justice for immigrants
• An ability to record accurate data
• Excellent interpersonal skills, including good communication and active listening skills
• Ability to prioritize, multi-task and organize in a fast paced and fluid environment
• Dedication to serving immigrant communities with a sincere commitment to working on behalf of low-income immigrants
• Strong case management, legal research, and legal writing skills
• Strong relational skills and professional attitude
• Experience working with immigrant populations and in multi-cultural settings

Physical Demands of the Job:

• Ability to work in a hybrid arrangement from home and office as required
• Must frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds
• Available to work occasional evenings and weekends, as necessary

Skills/Abilities We’d Like You to Have:

• Bilingual English/Arabic, Spanish, Farsi, Haitian Creole, and/or Portuguese – desired

Important Notice:

Incomplete submissions will not be considered. Please, no phone calls. Please, principals only. Please, local candidates only (relocation is not provided).

About Jewish Family Service of San Diego
Jewish Family Service of San Diego is a client-centered, impact-driven organization working to build a stronger, more resilient community. For over 100 years, Jewish Family Service has been a trusted resource for the entire community, offering an array of services that are always life-changing, and often life-saving. At Jewish Family Service, we believe our employees are the backbone of our Agency. We strive to ensure that each employee is treated with dignity and respect. Our goal is your success. Come work at JFS and be our partner in Moving Forward Together. To learn more about JFS, please visit jfssd.org.

• Jewish Family Service is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.