FLSA: Temporary, Non-Exempt, Full-time 35 hours/week 

Compensation: $46 to $52 per hour DOE 

Reports to: Senior Staff Attorney, Immigrant Justice

Location: Remote, with San Francisco office open as an option. Must reside in California. 

Are you a collaborative, creative and bilingual immigration attorney who is deeply committed to immigrants’ rights? Consider joining the Asylum team at Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, SF Bay Area (LCCRSF)! 

About You 

As Temporary Staff Attorney, you’ll work with a supervising senior immigrant justice attorney and the asylum program team to provide high-quality representation for asylum seekers, mentor pro bono attorneys, and participate in the development of training materials and resources to support pro bono representation in removal proceedings. The ideal candidate will have experience representing asylum seekers in removal proceedings, and a strong commitment to working with immigrants and advancing the immigrant rights movement. This position is to cover an employee’s three-month sabbatical, with a little overlap for transition. 

About LCCRSF  

As one of the most enduring civil rights institutions on the West Coast, LCCRSF works to dismantle systems of oppression and racism and to build an equitable and just society. Formed in 1968 to bridge the legal community and the Civil Rights Movement, we’re known for advancing the rights of people of color, immigrants, refugees, and low-income individuals. We also invest in legal fellows and support a network of over 1,000 active pro bono attorneys and volunteers. We are in this work for the long haul. Our goal is to make this work sustainable, to rest as needed and take care of each other and our communities, so we can be fierce in the face of power through our core issue areas of Racial Justice, Immigrant Justice, Economic Justice, and Educational Justice. Learn more at lccrsf.org.   

Your Work 

• Training and mentorship (60%) – Provide training, technical assistance, and mentorship to pro bono attorneys handling applications for asylum and other forms of humanitarian relief. Develop training materials, practice advisories, and ongoing programmatic improvements for the Pro Bono Asylum Program.  

• Representation (25%) – Represent asylum seekers and unaccompanied minors with cases pending before the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) and United States Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS). Manage a docket of direct services cases in various stages of representation, including communicating with clients regarding their pending cases, responding to notices or requests from the court and USCIS, filing changes of address forms, work permit applications, and affirmative applications for relief with USCIS. 
   
• Support with screening and assessment of potential clients (15%) – Conduct and review intake assessments to identify asylum cases that are good candidates for pro bono placement, review case memos prepared by law clerks and program coordinator to issue-spot for claims and to help summarize the best legal strategy for relief. 
   

Essential Qualifications   

• J.D. and a member in good standing of any state bar (*California strongly preferred). 
• Minimum of two years of experience working as an immigration attorney with low-income communities and/or recent survivors of trauma. 
• Strong bi-lingual (English and Spanish) language competency, including the ability to write basic correspondence in Spanish (*bi-cultural preferred). 
• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills. 
• Excellent organizational, communication, analytical, writing, and editing skills; strong attention to detail. 
• Ability to work as a member of a team and independently.  Ability to set and carry out objectives and prioritize workflow with minimal supervision. 
• Ability to effectively work and communicate with diverse groups of individuals, including representatives of government, the private bar, and grassroots organizations. 

Preferred Qualifications 

• Substantial experience representing asylum seekers in removal proceedings before the San Francisco Immigration Court. 
• Experience mentoring, training, and/or working collaboratively with pro bono attorneys. 
• Values working collaboratively with others, both within the organization and in the community. 

Salary, Benefits, Work location 

This position is full-time, exempt, with a starting hourly rate of $46-52/hr DOE and reports to the Immigrant Justice Senior Staff Attorney. Full benefits package includes 100% paid medical + 80% for dependents, phone and internet reimbursement, vacation, sick time, paid holidays, short Fridays, and a 2-day wellness spring break in conjunction with the Cesar Chavez holiday (March 31 to April 4, 2023). 

Our office is located on the Embarcadero in downtown San Francisco, close to many transit options. We’re currently remote with our office available for optional use, or as needed. We do not yet have a target date for return to the office, but we expect to offer, at minimum, part-time remote. While remote, may not work outside CA for more than 30 consecutive days at a time. Employees must be fully vaccinated according to CDC COVID-19 guidelines for in-person work. 

General working hours are 9am-5pm, M-F. LCCRSF is woman- and minority-led, with 32 staff. We are flexible, family-friendly, and value health, wellness and balance. We follow ADA guidelines – reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with different abilities to perform the essential functions.

Physical Demands 

• Able to work on a computer (keying, typing, attending Zoom calls and virtual meetings), including sitting at a desk, for extended periods of time with or without reasonable accommodation  
• Manual dexterity to operate a keyboard 
• Able to see or read a computer screen and printed material with or without vision aids 
• Able to speak clearly and in audible tones on the phone and in person and be understood by others 
• Able to hear and understand speech at normal levels and on the telephone 
• Able to understand and follow oral and written instructions 
• Able to occasionally lift objects weighing up to 10 pounds 
• Employees are required to be fully vaccinated and comply with HIP’s COVID-19 health and safety measures consistent with CDC guidelines, and federal, state, and local regulations during in office and other in person work 

To Apply  

Deadline to apply is February 29, 2023 and applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Applicants should submit 1) a thoughtful cover letter; 2) a resume; and, 4) three professional references by email to careers@lccrsf.org (put “Temp IJ Staff Attorney” in the subject line.) Questions can also go to that email.  

In your cover letter, in addition to describing your interest in the position and qualifications, please respond to the following question: What in your background and experience has prepared you to work for an organization dedicated to advancing racial equity and justice? Feel free to think broadly about your response, applying professional or personal experiences.  

Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area thrives as an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer. BIPOC, LGBTQ+ candidates, people of all gender identities, persons with disabilities and individuals over 55 are encouraged to apply.