Description:

About the role:

The Staff Attorney, Legal at A National Legal Advocacy Organization is a litigator who will initiate and support the identification, development, and litigation of strategic cases to advance the rights of low-income immigrants and their families, primarily in the federal court system. The Staff Attorney will serve as a mentor and a teacher for law fellows and interns and will work with them to develop their skills in all aspects of case investigation, preparation, and litigation. The Staff Attorney will endeavor to empower immigrant communities through supporting a multi-pronged approach of impact litigation, policy analysis, advocacy, strategic communications, and movement power building, using a client, community, and movement-centered lawyering approach. In addition to engaging in litigation, the Staff Attorney may also participate in and/or lead legal advocacy, including administrative and legislative advocacy.

This role is a member of the bargaining unit.

The Staff Attorney will be responsible for driving success in the following key areas:

Specific Position Responsibilities

Conduct impact litigation on a range of issues in collaboration with litigation teams of other Staff Attorneys, Senior Attorneys, Deputy Directors, Paralegals, and other Program staff.
Identify and develop litigation in federal and state courts with supervision and support from Senior Attorneys and/or Deputy Directors, including preparing pleadings, motions, and briefs; conducting discovery; presenting oral arguments; and handling appeals.
Develop and maintain a significant litigation case load in federal and/or state court, typically in partnership with an internal case team and external co-counsel, with supervision and support from Senior Attorneys and/or Deputy Directors.
Strategically, creatively, and boldly use plaintiff-driven, community-grounded impact litigation as a lever of change in combination and partnership with A National Legal Advocacy Organization's other core strategies of policy research and analysis, strategic partnerships and advocacy, communications, and movement & power building to advance A National Legal Advocacy Organization's vision and mission.
Advance A National Legal Advocacy Organization's administrative and legislative advocacy by providing legal analysis and technical assistance to colleagues in A National Legal Advocacy Organization's other departments; external partners including advocates, organizers, and attorneys nationwide; government officials and staff; and the media.
Develop community education materials, create webinars, and provide Know Your Rights (KYR) presentations.
Mentor and teach legal interns, legal fellows, and more junior attorneys in all aspects of case investigation, development, and litigation, as well as in other legal work.
Collaborate with staff across the organization via Program workgroups to support ongoing programmatic work.
Represent A National Legal Advocacy Organization with coalition partners on litigation and other areas of legal experience or expertise.
Engage with the media about relevant legal work and litigation in coordination with the Strategic Communications department.
Proactively, constructively, and consistently report to relevant staff and leadership about programmatic developments, administrative needs and broader institutional concerns, opportunities, and needs.
Work with legal team staff on responding to requests for assistance, case development, and provision of legal representation.
Successfully engage in/support policy advocacy, campaigns, and community outreach to advance A National Legal Advocacy Organization's mission.??
Support and strengthen internal protocols and communication; foster a collaborative work environment and contribute positively to team dynamics; and reflect A National Legal Advocacy Organization's and the Legal Department's values inside and outside the organization.
May be a part of a larger cross functional project using the MOCHA framework/methodology

Supervisory Responsibilities:

May oversee temporary legal interns or law fellows as needed.

Shared Organization Responsibilities

Champions NILC & IJF's mission of advancing the rights of immigrants with low income by demonstrating a commitment to human rights, and racial, economic, and social justice.
Attends and actively participates in NILC meetings at the organization, department, project, and individual levels.
Develops relationships and supports NILC and IJF colleagues across all teams, recognizing that everyone brings a unique background and perspective to the work and assuming good intent from each other.
Follows through on commitments, acting with a clear sense of ownership individually and collectively by taking personal responsibility for decisions, actions, and failures, establishing clear responsibilities and processes for monitoring work and measuring results, and designing feedback loops into work.
Learns quickly when facing new situations by experimenting to find fresh solutions, taking on the challenge of unfamiliar tasks, and extracting lessons learned from failures and mistakes.
Acts with integrity by following through on commitments, being direct and truthful, keeping confidences, and showing consistency between words and actions.
Commits to centering NILC's values of racial justice and equity, valuing diversity, fostering partnerships and collaboration, encouraging respect and personal well-being, and striving for transparency, integrity, and honesty in all decisions and actions.

In recognition of the fluidity of the work and ecosystem that NILC operates in, other duties may be assigned depending on organizational need.

What We're Looking for in This Role

Commitment to NILC & IJF's mission of advancing the rights of immigrants with low income and a demonstrated commitment to human rights, racial, economic and social justice, and equity, diversity, inclusion, and justice for all.
Collaborative, proactive, and action oriented working style with a strong service mentality promoting mutual accountability and inspiriting trust and confidence from colleagues, other NILC team members, and NILC leaders alike.
Demonstrates sound judgement in decision-making, high integrity, and utmost respect for confidentiality.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills: ability to read, analyze, and interpret as well as draft documents such as reports, correspondence, and presentations for various audiences and able to conduct thorough research, draft, and file legal documents, including legal writing for litigation purposes and narrative writing for advocacy and other communication purposes.
Self-starter with a strong ability to move daily tasks forward in alignment with NILC's broader organizational needs and goal and work in a fast-paced environment, including working with external co-counsel or in a coalition setting comprised of multiple organizational partners, and demonstrated ability to resolve conflicts constructively.

Qualifications Required:

JD degree and active member in good standing of a State Bar Association required
2-6+ years of litigation experience
Demonstrated experience in leading or supporting the investigation and development of impact litigation.
Proficiency with in-office and virtual environments and software such as MS Office, internet research, and virtual collaboration tools.

Preferred Qualifications:

Litigation experience in federal court preferred.
Experience with legal research and writing presented in federal court preferred.
Experience in immigrants' rights or other public interest impact litigation strongly preferred.??
Proficiency in non-English languages spoken by Latinx, Asian, Pacific Islander, African, Caribbean, and Arab communities preferred. Fluency in more than one language desirable.