Immigration/Immigrant Rights Senior Staff Attorney

Massachusetts Law Reform Institute (MLRI) seeks an experienced attorney to join MLRI’s Immigration Practice Group. The Sr. Staff Attorney will play a lead role in crafting and carrying out MLRI’s immigration/immigrant rights agenda – through federal court litigation, administrative/legislative and other policy advocacy, and coalition-building with legal aid, community-based, and immigrants’ rights organizations statewide and nationally. The position will be supervised by MLRI’s Sr. Immigration Attorney Iris Gomez.

About MLRI

MLRI is a nationally recognized nonprofit poverty law and policy center that provides statewide advocacy and leadership in advancing laws, policies, and practices that secure economic, racial, and social justice for low-income people and communities. We pursue systems change through litigation, legislative and administrative advocacy, coalition building, community lawyering, and other strategies that address systemic harm to low-income people. MLRI is also the statewide multi-issue poverty law support center for the Massachusetts civil legal aid delivery system; our advocates provide substantive expertise and technical assistance to frontline legal aid field program advocates and to many other advocates and providers who serve low income people and communities in Massachusetts. MLRI leads and coordinates a number of statewide advocacy coalitions in substantive issues areas, including the very active Immigration Coalition which has over 150 members.

Desired Qualifications & Experience

• Litigation experience at the trial and/or appellate level, as amicus, and/or in affirmative litigation;
• Strong leadership skills and the ability to develop and advance advocacy strategies, including systemic litigation and advocacy campaigns, in collaboration with partners;
• Experience effectively collaborating with racially, ethnically, and socioeconomically diverse community groups and coalitions; and
• Strong writing and legal research skills;
• Minimum 7 years post-law school legal experience;
• Law degree and admission to any state bar;
• Experience in the immigrant rights/immigration law field and a demonstrated commitment to immigrant rights issues that affect low-income people;
• Commitment to MLRI’s anti-poverty mission and to the immigration practice group’s mission and collaborative work style.

Core Responsibilities

• Share responsibility with the rest of MLRI’s Immigration team for leading and coordinating our advocacy and support work, and assisting with immigration-related fundraising.
• Provide legal and technical support and expertise to policymakers, legal services program staff, and community organizations on immigration law issues and other areas of law in which immigration law affects the rights of low-income immigrants;
• Develop legal training programs, presentations, and other materials and resources to carry out the Immigration Practice Group priorities and MLRI’s mission;
• Identify, develop, and implement effective administrative, legislative, and other policy advocacy and litigation strategies, in collaboration with MLRI’s Immigration team and our statewide Immigration Coalition members;

Salary and Benefits

• MLRI is currently operating on a hybrid schedule
• MLRI offers competitive salaries, excellent benefits, and a supportive working environment. MLRI provides a very generous benefits including health, dental, vision, life and disability insurance, 403(b) plan employer contribution of 3% after 6 months of employment, as well as vacation, holiday, and family leave.
• MLRI’s Staff Attorney salaries are based on scale and are commensurate with skills and years of relevant post-JD attorney experience. For example, for this position the salary range is $78,000-105,000 depending on applicant level of experience. Internal equity considerations and average salary of the peer range will be reviewed and taken into consideration.

Deadline to Apply

Application materials will be reviewed and interviews will be scheduled on a rolling basis; interested and qualified candidates are strongly encouraged to submit application materials promptly.

How to Apply:

Please email a cover letter, resume and a legal writing sample with “Sr. Immigration Atty” in the subject line to [email protected].