Senior Staff Attorney, IRC

Senior Staff Attorney

IRC seeks a Senior Staff Attorney to join the IRC in Northern California (NorCal), which includes offices in Oakland, Sacramento, San Jose, and Turlock. The Senior Staff Attorney will be based in Turlock and provide legal assistance to Afghan parolees on affirmativeasylum applications before US Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS), including through limited scope clinics to offer wide-scale asylum support to this client community. The Senior Staff Attorney will also conduct legal orientations and carry a limited caseload of affirmative asylum cases. The Senior Staff Attorney will bring several years' experience representing asylum seekers, preferred experience representing clients in removal proceedings, superb legal judgment and legal ethics, an ability to work independently while recognizing the value of collaboration and cross-referencing with other experts, and a passion for this area of work. The position will work in collaboration with community partners and will be part of the Asylum and Removal Defense Community of Practice, led by IRC's Immigration Technical Unit (TU) at IRC's headquarters, which supports IRC's 24 legal service programs across the US.

Responsibilities:

• Conduct intakes with IRC clients and community members and provide direct legal representation to individuals before USCIS/ the Asylum Office and potentially in immigration court
• Lead and provide legal supervision at asylum clinics for Afghan parolee served by IRC Turlock
• Recruit pro bono attorneys and other legal volunteers to participate in asylum clinics, as well as coordinate logistics for the clinics, such as interpretation and translation services.
• Possible opportunity to recruit and mentor small number of pro bono attorneys who want to enter full representation on Afghan asylum cases
• Coordinate closely within IRC's multidisciplinary teams to identify needs and facilitate referrals to services offered in-house and through partnerships with external providers.
• Ensure client and program data is collected consistently, managed appropriately, and reported accurately in accordance with program reporting requirements set by IRC
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge and expertise of changing asylum and immigration policies through independent research and analysis, regular trainings, and peer-to-peer consultation
• Conduct trainings for IRC staff and/or externally as needed
• Work collaboratively as part of the IRC NorCal Immigration team
• May be expected to collaborate with legal fellows who represent clients in removal proceedings
• Participate in community-based coalitions related to immigrant rights
• Serve as a strong advocate for humanitarian immigrants
• Create and maintain a viable outreach strategy to cultivate and maintain strong relationships with community-based organization, local immigration attorneys, and nonprofit legal providers
• Collaborate with other IRC departments and partners to offer community-based workshops or information sessions when demand exceeds capacity to provide direct legal representation

Qualifications:

• Law degree (JD or LLM) from an ABA-accredited U.S. institution and admission to any state bar
• At least 3 years' experience providing direct representation in immigration court and/or before USCIS to asylum applicants and other immigrants seeking humanitarian relief;
• Excellent research, writing, analytical, and organizational skills and excellent legal judgment;
• Ability to communicate clearly and effectively, both orally in a courtroom setting and in writing;
• Bilingual in one or more languages of the survivor population preferred (Dari, Pashto)
• Evidence of capacity to be a strong team member in a highly collaborative multidisciplinary environment
• Deep commitment to immigrant rights and working with humanitarian immigrants;
• Trauma-informed and sensitive listening and communication skills;
• Personal integrity in handling ethically complex and confidential situations;
• Strong computer literacy, research and analysis skills; and
• Must have a valid driver's license, reliable vehicle, active insurance policy and ability to travel frequently in and around the service area to engage with clients and community partners.

How to Apply:

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