Job Description

Job Location LA Office - Los Angeles, CA 90017 Salary Range $94,500.00 - $135,000.00 Salary/year

We are looking for a Removal Defense Supervising Attorney to join ourteam in Los Angeles!

WHO WE ARE

Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California (AJSOCAL) is the nation’s largest legal and civil rights organization that advocates for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs). Founded in 1983, AJSOCAL supports over 15,000 individuals and organizations annually. AJSOCAL offers free legal help, engages in impact litigation, and advocates for policy change. Our services are open to individuals of all races and ethnicities, without restriction. AJSOCAL strives to be a champion for the most vulnerable members of the AAPI communities, while advancing civil rights and social justice for everyone.

Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California offices are located in downtown Los Angeles and Orange County, with presence in Sacramento, ensuring accessibility for all. With our Advancing Justice affiliates in Atlanta, Chicago, and Washington, D.C., we enrich, enhance, and serve our communities all across the country.

We provide supportive services for individuals wanting to start the immigration process through Family-Based Immigration, Asylum, Temporary Protected Status, the Violence Against Women Act, Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, T-Visa, and U-Visa. We also offer free citizenship workshops and resources to help you on your naturalization journey. Beyond immigration, we also lead community-centered initiatives such as the Asian Language Legal Intake Project (ALLIP), the Survivor and Family Empowerment (SAFE) Project, the Housing Preservation (HP) Program, and our Health Access Project (HAP). In addition, our Demographic Research Project (DRP) and Community Engagement (CE) teams drive data-informed strategies and grassroots partnerships that deepen our impact across Southern California. Our Impact Litigation Team looks to create systemic change for our communities, while our Policy Team continues to shape laws and local practices that impact millions of Asian American and immigrant families across California.

WHAT WE BRING

• The special opportunity to join a mission driven team
• Flexible, hybrid work schedules
• Rich medical, dental and vision benefits
• Retirement options through 403B and match

WHO YOU ARE

You share our mission of advocacy for AAPIs. You enjoy the thrill of serving the public interest while championing civil rights and social justice. You take pride in your work enriching lives and communities in Los Angeles and across the country. You are looking for your next role in an organization that supports your career as much as you support the organization and its goals. You are looking for a job where you make a difference, and your impact is directly proportional to your contribution. You are a game changer. You are a leader. You are an advocate.

WHAT YOU BRING

• J.D. and active California State Bar License or licensure from another U.S. state
• Driver’s License required as this position requires regular travel to meet with detained individuals, as well as regular in-person immigration court appearances
• Minimum five (5) years of removal defense experience, including detained. Seven years (7) of removal defense experience preferred
• At least one (1) year of supervisor experience preferred (may be concurrent with removal defense experience)
• Ability to design and implement creative service delivery models while effectively leveraging community partnerships and support
• At least one (1) year of experience working with vulnerable populations, survivors of abuse, human trafficking, or other trauma, and/or working with immigrant and refugee children
• Ability to be flexible and adapt to frequently changing circumstances, policies, and conditions affecting this dynamic work
• Passion for social justice for immigrants required

Qualifications

ABOUT THE ROLE

We are urgently looking to hire an Removal Defense Supervising Attorney to lead our growing removal defense efforts and to begin as soon as possible. Under the direction of the Program Director, the Supervising Attorney is responsible for the oversight and supervision of removal defense (and ancillary) cases handled by staff and pro bono attorneys. The Supervising Attorney will collaborate with the Program Director to continually assess, calibrate, and adjust the removal defense program’s structure, strategy, and workflows to prioritize responsiveness to evolving immigration policies and enforcement trends. The Supervising Attorney will carry a caseload of primarily removal defense cases and provide high quality, client-centered representation to individuals facing removal proceedings through zealous direct representation. The Supervising Attorney will supervise staff who represent clients in bond hearings, detention, removal proceedings, appeals, writs of habeas corpus, as well as ancillary affirmative relief for survivors (VAWA, U & T Visas), Asylum (Affirmative & Defensive), Adjustment of Status, Family Based Petitions, TPS and DACA. The Supervising Attorney will also supervise and guide staff who are representing clients before USCIS, ICE ISAP (Intensive Supervision Program) check-ins, and the Executive Office for Immigration Review. This position will provide technical support and capacity building to pro bono counsel, other nonprofit organizations, and when necessary, will help staff evening and weekend workshops. In addition, the Supervising Attorney will conduct immigration trainings, community outreach and education to local organizations and other partners. The current caseload for the incoming supervising attorney will focus primarily on removal defense representation for existing clients. This position is NOT covered under the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Your day-to-day responsibilities:

70% Provide direct supervision of immigration cases and carry own immigration caseload:

• Provide supervision and oversight of removal defense cases handled by staff and pro bono attorneys, including related matters such as detained cases, ICE check-ins, and both affirmative and defensive asylum
• Alongside the Program Director, evaluates the performance of direct reports
• Carry an active caseload of removal defense and immigration cases, which includes but is not limited to:
• Provide high quality direct representation for diverse clients with complex immigration cases before EOIR and USCIS , and in ancillary state proceedings where applicable
• Represent clients in ICE custody or at ICE check-ins and other immigration related appointments, including travelling to detention centers and other custodial settings
• Prepare briefs, motions, supporting evidence, immigration applications and other documents on behalf of clients
• Work with country conditions experts, expert witnesses, psychologists, and medical professionals to develop supporting evidence for immigration relief applications
• Undertake administrative and logistical duties related to direct service assistance
• Travel to offsite clinics, immigration courts, detention centers, and USCIS field offices to represent clients in immigration matters
• Lead compliance with grant requirements by completing necessary documentation and outcomes

15% Provide Technical Assistance and Support

• Organize and implement various immigration trainings to staff, pro bono counsel and community partners
• Create and reinforce criteria for intake staff to review and approve appointments for immigration legal consultations, answer immigration related questions and review documents
• Plan and execute workshops and clinics

15% Community Outreach and Education

• Help develop and execute community outreach strategies for the Immigration Services Program, including how to inform appropriate responses to community needs and requests
• Conduct outreach engagements with local community-based organizations and partners to present information sessions on Immigration, Naturalization and Immigrant Rights
• Alongside the Program Director, provide guidance and direct support in implementing statewide and national removal defense networks, including building relationships with stakeholders and developing outreach plans
• Other duties as assigned

At AJSOCAL, we value a diverse, inclusive workforce and we provide equal employment opportunity for all applicants and employees. All qualified applicants for employment will be considered without regard to an individual’s race, color, sex, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, physical or mental disability, medical condition, family care status, marital status, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, military or veteran status, or any other basis protected by federal, state or local laws. AJSOCAL strictly prohibits and does not tolerate discrimination against employees, applicants, or other covered persons, including interns.

All positions are subject to funding, and non-collective bargaining unit positions are also at will