Supervising Attorney, Immigrant Justice Team

The Legal Aid Society’s Criminal Defense Practice (CDP) is hiring a Supervising Attorney for the citywide Immigrant Justice Team. The Immigrant Justice Team works alongside our Criminal Defense Practice attorneys to advise non-citizen clients about the immigration consequences of their criminal court proceedings and to mitigate those consequences where possible.

As enshrined in Padilla v. Commonwealth of Kentucky, 559 U.S. 356 (2010), criminal defense attorneys have the constitutional duty to advise non-citizens of the immigration consequences of a guilty plea. At Legal Aid, the Immigrant Justice Team provides the immigration legal expertise necessary to support our office’s criminal defense work. The Immigrant Justice Team also works closely with other teams at Legal Aid including the Special Litigation Team, with whom we frequently consult on law reform efforts, the Prisoners’ Rights Project, and the Immigration Law Unit.

Supervising Attorney will be involved in day-to-day operations, supervision and mentoring of the team. They will join a team with substantial expertise in criminal-immigration law and will provide responsive guidance and support that builds on attorneys’ professional judgment and collective expertise. The Supervising Attorney will also work closely with the Director and other leaders within CDP in Practice-wide management discussions and decision-making.

This position will be primarily located in one of Legal Aid’s CDP borough offices, based on the Supervising Attorney’s preference, but will require travel to other borough offices as needed. Every employee is allowed one day of remote work per week, to use at their discretion.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES

Supervision and Mentorship of IJT Attorneys Engaged in their core Padilla work

• The Supervisor will work with the Director and IJT Staff to ensure that clients are served:
  • Ensure that Staff have support responsive to their needs. Many IJT Staff are experienced attorneys with significant subject-matter expertise. Others, especially as the team continues to grow, will need more support and mentorship
  • Keep current with emerging trends in criminal-immigration law, policies, and best practices and serve as a resource for the team
  • Maintain the team’s resource bank, protocols, document library, and inter-LAS communication hub (LION)
• The Supervisor will foster and encourage collaboration between IJT and the rest of CDP
  • Work with CDP supervisors and other staff to ensure effective teamwork
• The Supervisor may consult on individual cases as needed

Supervision and Mentorship of IJT Attorneys (and others at CDP) Engaged in Direct Representation

Some IJT staff engage in direct representation of clients on immigration matters and related civil matters

• The Supervisor will supervise Staff in the IJT and other projects within CDP (currently the Criminal Appeals Bureau) who handle direct representation on immigration and related matters:
  • Provide support and legal expertise and help link Staff with appropriate resources to ensure the highest quality of representation
  • Work with Staff and team heads to ensure that cases meet team and office priorities
  • Ensure best practices are followed with respect to case tracking, retainers, document retention, and client communication
• The Supervisor might, at their discretion and in consultation with the Director, take on their own clients for direct representation. They may also provide case coverage during Staff absences or until another primary case handler can be found

Training Support

Work with the Director to create a comprehensive training program for IJT:

• Help train and orient new Staff
• Provide IJT Staff with regular updates on developments in immigration law and policy
• Identify training and opportunities for professional development for Staff, responsive to their stated needs and goals
• Assist the IJT in developing and giving trainings for CDP attorneys and other groups within Legal Aid

Collaboration with Other Units at Legal Aid

• Attend regular meetings with other teams to collaborate and share knowledge and keep abreast of Legal Aid’s policies and initiatives

Stakeholder Engagement

• Engage with team and other leaders on funding and reporting
• Respond to client, community, and staff concerns

Management Best Practices

• Schedule employee hours, assign work, approve time off and remote work schedule requests following the guidance of LAS policy and procedures
• Attend management meetings, participate in management trainings, and utilize current employment policies, practices and guidance as provided by management and Human Resources
• Conduct management and supervision practices that affirmatively support equity and inclusion in the workplace
• Supervise direct reports in setting performance standards, provide routine feedback as well as coaching/counseling, and issue disciplinary action as needed
• Identify and provide training and development opportunities and ensure mandatory trainings are completed
• Participate in continuous professional development
• Continuously learn about forms of bias in the workplace and demonstrate affirmative behaviors that support an inclusive work environment
• Other Duties as Assigned

QUALIFICATIONS

Required qualifications:

• Admission to the New York State Bar or ability to waive into New York State from another jurisdiction
• Minimum of five years’ experience in the intersection of immigration and New York criminal law
• Experience representing non-citizens in removal proceedings and on affirmative applications before USCIS and related federal proceedings

Preferred qualifications: 

• Proficiency in languages other than English is desirable, but not required

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

Position Based Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Comprehensive knowledge of the intersection of criminal and immigration laws
• Excellent writing and analytical skills
• Excellent interpersonal, communication, and organizational skills
• Demonstrated leadership ability
• Commitment to working in and valuing collaborative team models

Supervision Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Ability to schedule, assign, and manage work and resolve problems as needed
• Ability to manage the work including: assessment of work process and outcomes, gathering relevant information about the work, recommending alternatives, or elevate issues as needed   
• Ability to clearly identify roles, responsibilities, delegate tasks, and hold people accountable
• Ability to create and implement effective communication plans
• Ability to provide meaningful performance feedback for professional development including having difficult conversations and resolving sensitive employee issues  
• Pursue continuous learning on forms of systemic oppression of marginalized identities and establish team norms and management practices using an equity mindset and informed by inclusive practices

Organizational Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Commitment to Legal Aid Society’s mission to secure equal justice before the law for all New Yorkers 
• Interpersonal and communication skills that enable healthy and productive working relationships
• Ability to perform duties with the highest regard for confidentiality, integrity, and respect
• Commitment to Legal Aid Society’s mission and values

Physical, environment, travel, and other duties required: 

• Mostly sedentary, significant time using a computer and monitor; communicating and meeting using video and in person
• Required regular in-person presence at LAS’s offices and in court. Periodic in-person presence at jails, prisons, detention facilities, and immigration courts and other federal facilities, as needed
• Required regular travel within NYC across the five-borough region. Potential need for travel outside of NY
• Schedule may involve evening/weekend hours, which will be fully remote

SALARY AND BENEFITS

The salary range represents a good faith estimate of the range we expect to pay for this role. The actual salary offered may vary depending on many factors, including but not limited to job-related knowledge, skills, and experience, as well as collectively bargained salary steps for unionized roles.

Salary Range: $102,120 - $172,675

The Legal Aid Society offers a generous benefits package including health insurance, paid vacation, disability, and life insurance, and more. Click here to read more about benefits.

Higher Education and Loan Forgiveness

The Legal Aid Society is a qualified employer for the purposes of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness. This position allows an employee to take advantage of PSLF and other State and Federal loan forgiveness programs. Additionally, employees who are New York residents may be eligible for assistance from New York state to assist with loan repayments, depending on years of practice. To learn more, click the links below. 

studentaid.gov

hesc.ny.gov/loan-forgiveness-programs

WORK AUTHORIZATION

All applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States for any employer without sponsorship for a work visa or permit. We are currently unable to sponsor employment visas or permits. (However, for citizens of Canada and Mexico, LAS will provide a letter documenting employment status that is needed to obtain a TN visa.)

HOW TO APPLY

All applications must be completed online via the career portal. We do not accept emailed applications. Submit the following documents as a combined PDF:

• Cover Letter
• Resume 
• Writing Sample

For technical difficulties or questions regarding this posting, please email TalentAcquisition@legal-aid.org.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

As an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer, The Legal Aid Society prohibits discriminatory employment actions against and treatment of its employees and applicants for employment based on actual or perceived race or color, size (including bone structure, body size, height, shape, and weight), religion or creed, alienage or citizenship status, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity (one’s internal deeply-held sense of one’s gender which may be the same or different from one’s sex assigned at birth); gender expression (the representation of gender as expressed through, for example, one’s name, choice of pronouns, clothing, haircut, behavior, voice, or body characteristics; gender expression may not conform to traditional gender-based stereotypes assigned to specific gender identities), disability, marital status, relationship and family structure (including domestic partnerships, polyamorous families and individuals, chosen family, platonic co-parents, and multigenerational families), genetic information or predisposing genetic characteristics, military status, domestic violence victim status, arrest or pre-employment conviction record, credit history, unemployment status, caregiver status, salary history, or any other characteristic protected by law. 

OUR COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION

The Legal Aid Society is committed to a work culture of zealous advocacy, respect, diversity and inclusion, client-oriented defense, access to justice and excellent representation. We are dedicated to building a strong professional relationship with each of our clients (people), to understanding their diverse circumstances, and to meeting their needs. Our ability to achieve these goals depends on the efforts of all of us and our ability to build strong relationships with our colleagues. Every member of our community is expected to continuously learn about the dynamic, evolving, and emerging field of knowledge of identity, bias, and systemic forms of oppression and participate in productive efforts to dismantling bias in all forms.