Staff Attorney

The Tahirih Justice Center is a national, nonprofit organization that serves women, girls, and all immigrant survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, trafficking, and other violence. Our whole-person approach to services provides each survivor with free legal support and social services to secure their rights and build stable lives. We translate our client services work into expert training, outreach, and policy advocacy to ensure that systems, laws, and policies protect immigrant survivors from violence and exploitation. Our programs efficiently and effectively leverage donated professional services from a vast network of attorneys, medical professionals, and other experts to serve as many immigrant survivors as possible. By amplifying the experiences of survivors, our mission is to create a world in which all people share equal rights and live in safety and with dignity.

At Tahirih, a Staff Attorney provides critical legal counsel to our clients, immigrant survivors fleeing gender-based violence, who seek asylum and related relief before the Department of Homeland Security, federal immigration courts, and appellate courts. Staff Attorneys are well-versed in immigration law, are adept at facilitating trauma-informed interdisciplinary legal representation, and are able to train and mentor pro bono attorneys. A Staff Attorney will work collaboratively on an interdisciplinary client services team to ensure clients’ voices and decision-making are centered. A Staff Attorney handles a diverse caseload; maintains quality control of a caseload; ensures grant metrics compliance in their own caseload; maintains relationships with pro bono attorneys assigned to caseload; conducts intake and provides brief advice and counsel; and participates and, as needed, leads legal training, outreach, and education initiatives.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Advise, counsel, and represent immigrant survivors of gender-based violence in their legal matters before the Department of Homeland Security, Department of State and Department of Justice (immigration courts and Board of Immigration Appeals).
• Provide brief advice and counsel and referrals to immigrant survivors of gender-based violence in legal matters related to immigration law, conduct intakes, and maintain a caseload of 60 – 100 cases, approximately 50-60% of which will be co-counseled with pro bono attorneys.
• Actively participate on an interdisciplinary legal team that centers and empowers Tahirih’s clients throughout the course of representation.
• Collaborate well within a team structure.
• Communicate effectively within interdisciplinary teams, with clients, with supervisors, and with external partners.
• Engage in safety planning and other supportive collaborative case work in concert with Social Services team members as part of interdisciplinary, holistic, client-centered, trauma-informed service delivery.
• Identify and prioritize casework or other legal services that are mandatory grant deliverables for the office or program as a whole.
• Ensure quality control of the client database and files; maintain accurate data entry; ensure appropriate metrics tracking systems; and follow risk management procedures.
• Contribute to grant proposals, reports and periodic policy advocacy pieces.
• Adhere to organizational and local office policies, such as attorney standards of practice, interdisciplinary policies, and ethical standards.
• Train, mentor, and provide ongoing support the pro bono attorneys.
• As appropriate, represent Tahirih in coalition efforts, build relationships and collaborate with the immigrant rights community through outreach events and substantive trainings, rooted in Tahirih’s interdisciplinary model of representation.
• Regularly engage in professional development to hone skillset and immigration law substantive knowledge.
• Contribute to organization-wide meetings, resources and materials.
• As needed, assist in the recruitment, supervision and support of in-house volunteers and interns;
• Support office paralegal(s) and other supporting staff members in their administrative duties.

This Job Description is not designed to cover a comprehensive listing of activities that are required of the employee. The precise duties and responsibilities of the job may change over time.

Requirements

Education

• JD or equivalent
• Current bar membership in good standing in any state in the US or District of Columbia or US territory

Successful candidates generally possess:

• At least 2 years of direct legal services experience, ideally in immigration removal defense
• Experience working on asylum, U-Visa, T-visa, VAWA, and SIJS applications
• Great legal analysis, written and oral advocacy and presentation skills
• Responsible, self-initiating, and focused, with proven ability to work collaboratively in a team-based environment
• Strong organizational habits, time management skills, and prioritization skills
• Strong interpersonal skills, cultural humility, and cross-cultural communication skills
• Experience supporting survivors of violence and trauma and those from diverse cultural backgrounds
• Commitment to Tahirih’s foundational values and mission, and demonstrated commitment to legal services, public interest law, the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and/or social justice.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience designing trainings and presenting to legal and non-legal audiences
• Experience litigating appeals, preferably in the immigration context, or superb legal research and writing skills and a desire to gain expertise in cutting edge immigration appellate work
• Fluency in Spanish strongly preferred
• Ability to attend functions outside of regular business hours, as needed
• Has existing ties and/or relationships to these communities, and willingness to prioritize and amplify the voices of immigrant and low-income clients