Workers’ Rights Staff Attorney

JOB POSTING: Workers’ Rights Staff Attorney

The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1986. CHIRLA is a California leader with national impact made of diverse immigrant families and individuals who act as agents of social change to achieve a world with freedom of mobility, full human rights, and true participatory democracy. CHIRLA organizes and serves individuals, institutions, and coalitions to build power, transform public opinions, and change policies to achieve full human, civil and labor rights. Guided by power, love, and vision of our community, CHIRLA embraces and drives progressive social change.

POSITION DESCRIPTION:

The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) is seeking a Staff Attorney to join the Workers’ Rights and Labor Legal Services Department (WRD). The types and volume of cases assigned will reflect the needs of clients across the department. The Staff Attorney will work on matters at the intersection of immigration and employment law, which may include wage theft, retaliation, discrimination, unfair immigration-related labor practices, employment authorization reverification, labor-based immigration relief, and related issues.

Responsibilities include providing regular legal consultations and screenings to prospective clients by phone or in person, including through triage and legal clinics as needed. The WRD Staff Attorney will collaborate with teammates and senior staff to assess available forms of relief and determine the most appropriate way to serve each potential client. The Staff Attorney will maintain a caseload, with support and supervision from senior staff, and represent clients in filing labor complaints with appropriate government agencies. Depending on the matter and the attorney’s experience, representation may include conference calls, settlement conferences, mediation sessions, administrative hearings, and other legal proceedings. The Staff Attorney will also assess potential labor-based immigration relief as needed and may assist clients with applications for labor-based immigration benefits. In wage theft matters, the Staff Attorney will conduct wage and damages analyses as needed to determine amounts owed and other potential remedies. As the department expands, the Staff Attorney may receive training and opportunities to assist with additional areas of workers’ rights advocacy and legal services. The WRD Staff Attorney will provide effective, responsive, compassionate, and efficient legal services and conduct Know Your Rights trainings and other public education activities as needed.

PRIMARY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Responsible for maintaining their own caseload and for drafting and revising any documents needed to address a client’s labor and immigration issues, including but not limited to demand letters, legal memos or briefs, labor complaints, settlement offers, leave request letters, applications, certification requests, etc.
• Responsible for communicating and/or providing reminders of deadlines and/or case issues to supervisors, colleagues, and WRD staff as needed to ensure matters are addressed properly and efficiently.
• Responsible for communicating directly with clients, informing them of deadlines, collecting, analyzing, and organizing evidence, preparing and submitting claims, and drafting documents.
• Responsible for communicating directly with labor agencies as needed, as well as with opposing counsel.
• Screen potential clients for labor issues such as wage theft, discrimination, retaliation, and other labor violations.
• Screen potential clients for potential labor and immigration relief relevant to their circumstances and use that information to assess available legal options and potential eligibility for relief.
• Communicate to potential clients an assessment or evaluation of their labor and/or immigration cases or circumstances, including but not limited to any rights these individuals possess, any requirements these individuals must meet, where to file complaints if WRD is unable to assist, and any deadlines they must comply with.
• Collaborate with attorneys, paralegals, and other staff to provide representation to clients with cases involving issues such as criminal history, immigration law violations, family law issues, labor issues, current or previous removal proceedings, appeals, or other issues related to their immigration and labor matters as needed.
• Work effectively with competing priorities and time-sensitive deadlines.
• Stay up to date with changes in employment and immigration law, as well as other developments, to provide clients with effective and informed representation.
• Make appropriate referrals for employment and immigration law services beyond the scope of the programs or one’s own competencies, and for other social service needs.
• Assume caseload of any departing staff member as needed, with supportand supervision from senior staff.

Customer Service and Community Outreach:

• Communicate and interact with clients with professionalism, respect, compassion, and sensitivity to their life circumstances and potential or actual trauma that they may have experienced.
• Maintain regular communication with clients and provide them with updates regarding their cases no later than 90 days after the last case update provided to them.
• Respond to client communications or inquiries no later than within 48-72 hours of receipt of a client (s) message.
• Participate in-person legal screening events, community presentations, meetings, and other special events as scheduled on occasional weekends. For example, participation may be required on Saturday mornings or evenings for special events as scheduled.
• Lead Know Your Rights training as needed, including travel to locations outside your home office, primarily throughout Los Angeles and Orange Counties, while remaining available to travel to other regions as needed.
• Participate in media interviews or other public education opportunities related to emerging issues, as appropriate.
• Support CHIRLA’s fundraising goals including annual fundraising drive and GALA activities.

Report Obligations and Program Efficiency:

• Update case notes with any developments or client interactions within 48-72 hours to provide accurate and up to date information for other staff to rely on in a timely manner.
• Update and maintain current databases, tracking sheets or other documents mandated by policies and procedures issued by CHIRLA or the Workers’ Rights and Labor Legal Services department.
• Work closely and diligently with all other staff to represent clients ethically, efficiently and properly to maximize client outcomes and deliverable requirements for funders.
• Perform other duties and responsibilities as necessary to address urgent issues or priorities either within their department, or for CHIRLA as assigned by the Department Director.

SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS:

• Active attorney license and good standing with a State Bar of California
• A strong desire to expand knowledge and develop skills in both employment and immigration law.
• Demonstrated commitment to social justice, progressive social change, empowering communities' rights, and justice.
• A high level of integrity and the ability to maintain confidentiality
• Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing
• Fluency or high proficiency in the Spanish language and/or other languages that would allow communication with existing, new or potential clients is required as the job requires extensive legal counseling and representation with client who primarily speak languages other than English.
• Must be able to lift 25 pounds of force occasionally, and/or amount of force constantly to move objects.
• Must be flexible to work early in the morning, evenings and Saturdays during clinical/consultations times if needed.

Preferred

• Engaging communication skills that can effectively and independently communicate with diverse audiences and network collaboratively among a variety of stakeholder groups
• Excellent creative problem solving, strategic thinking, and analytical skills
• Excellent organizational skills and strong attention to detail
• Intermediate spreadsheet skills or willingness to learn.
• Experience with providing direct services to the community, ideally in a nonprofit setting
• Experience working with survivors of trauma, victims of violence, and human trafficking
• Experience working with underserved and diverse populations
• Ability to be comfortable in a collaborative, consultative environment.
• Proficient with Word, Excel, Power Point and other Microsoft Suite or other software utilized by CHIRLA.
• Prior experience practicing employment and/or immigration law is preferred but not required.

Desired Traits or Characteristic

• Highly self-motivated, creative, takes initiative, ability to learn quickly, flexible, and able to work as part of an interdisciplinary team of legal staff.
• Demonstrated experience working effectively as part of a team and with colleagues of diverse backgrounds and perspectives, both in person and within a remote work environment.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective and positive working relationships within their team, their department, and throughout the organization.
• Demonstrated ability to be proactive in the approach to assigned responsibilities, completing tasks and/or using technology and systems to maximize efficiencies.
• Strong commitment to CHIRLA’s mission of empowering low-income community groups and immigrants

JOB TITLE:

Workers’ Rights Staff Attorney

Salary & Benefits:

$78,000 range based on experience. CHIRLA offers a competitive salary based on qualifications and an excellent benefit package, which includes generous time off benefits, 401K Plan, health, dental and vision plans.

FLSA Classification:

Exempt/Hourly, full-time regular

Classification:

CHIRLA recognizes a staff bargaining unit affiliated with AFSCME Local 4501. This position is included in CHIRLA’s bargaining unit and covered under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement.

REPORTS TO:

Director of Worker Rights & Labor Legal Services

CLOSING DATE OF THIS POSITION:

Position will remain open until filled

LOCATION:

San Juan Capistrano Office

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

CHIRLA is an equal opportunity employer and makes employment decisions on the basis of merit and administrators all terms and conditions of employment, including recruitment, appointment, promotion, compensation, benefits, transfers, training and educational opportunities without regard to pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, genetic information as defined by the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, race, religion or religious creed, color, gender, gender identity or expression, national origin or ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, marital status, registered domestic partner status, age (40 or older), sexual orientation, HIV/AIDS status, pregnancy or pregnancy related disability, military or veteran status or any other basis protected by federal, state or local law or ordinance or regulation. All such discrimination is unlawful. It also prohibits unlawful discrimination based on the perception that anyone has any of those characteristics or is associated with a person who has or is perceived as having any of those characteristics. All such discrimination is unlawful.

Open Positions are available at:

Open Positions are available at: Center use link - Career Center - The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights

All Applicants will be required to complete an Application for Employment prior to any scheduled interview.