Attorney-in-Charge / Director, Immigration Legal Services

Description

Through the Immigrant and Refugee Services Division, Catholic Charities Community Services is a leading provider of quality immigration legal services in New York City and the Lower Hudson Valley. The Division provides low-income New Yorkers with free comprehensive immigration services ranging from removal defense to applications for various forms of status. The Division specializes in region-specific and scalable legal service delivery models and works collaboratively with all Agency practice areas to serve immigrant clients with comprehensive and holistic services. The Division’s legal staff members represent immigrants before U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS), the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), and in state and federal courts.

Position Summary:

The Attorney-in-Charge will be involved in the day-to-day operations for all the Division’s legal staff and will work closely with legal program directors, managing attorneys, supervising attorneys, and legal program managers to train, supervise, and mentor legal staff. The Attorney-in-Charge participates in and leads Division-wide legal management discussions and decision-making and is responsible for maintaining relationships with other stakeholders in the legal, court, service, and elected communities. The Attorney-in-Charge also coordinates city-wide efforts to improve immigration legal services with other non-profit community-based organizations. In addition, the Attorney-in-Charge works closely with private and government funders to ensure the viability of all the Division’s legal programs.

Currently, the Division’s legal programs comprised of approximately 137 staff members, including four managing attorneys, three program & operations directors, seven managers, 13 program coordinators and 15 supervising attorneys for whom the Attorney-in-Charge will provide substantive guidance, staff management support, contract administration oversight, program refinement, practice expansion, and compliance assurance.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities include the following:

• Lead and provide direction, mentorship, guidance, and professional development for legal program directors, managing attorneys, operations directors, supervising attorneys, managers and coordinators in the direct supervision of attorneys, fellows, pro bono volunteer attorneys, migration counselors, case managers, migration assistants, interns, externs, and volunteers.
• Coordinate legal programming with broader CCCS agency section.
• Engage with agency executive staff, including CCCS, CC, and affiliate agencies, and assist in implementation and communication of agency policy, programming and initiatives within the legal programs.
• Assist in the development and direct oversight of new programs and programming and initiatives, including planning, staffing, implementation, quality assurance/reporting requirements, budgeting, community relations, and provide direct supervision to the legal program directors and senior program staff.
• Work closely with the Agency’s Human Resource Department and the legal program directors and managing attorneys in recruitment and hiring efforts for legal teams at every staff level across multiple locations.
• Review and refine onboarding protocols and ensure high quality training for new legal staff, as well as ongoing training to support the needs of existing staff in the legal programs.
• Monitor legal practice across all programs to ensure a high standard of representation and client services, and lead practice-wide legal management and decision making through the analysis of legal issues, developing legal strategy, and strengthening and supervising the implementation of supervision and practice protocols for all legal staff.
• Coordinate intra-agency communication, foster and encourage teamwork and communication, and ensure unity of vision, purpose, and mission identity for legal staff.
• Oversee the coordination and supervision of the Division’s immigration benefits, state court and federal court practice, legal clinic programming, and all removal defense work.
• Lead continuous quality improvement processes throughout the legal practice. Review and improve internal practices relating to intake programs, contract-based case enrollment and case closing protocols, and case productivity tracking to create Division-wide systems for legal management.
• Monitor revenue and expenses for all legal programs and make any necessary budget adjustments. Work with legal program directors, managing attorneys, and assigned staff in the Finance department to review and adjust monthly staff allocations to ensure contractual and budgetary compliance, and to facilitate prompt and accurate tracking, invoicing, claims, forecasting and budgeting.
• Serve as primary contact for legal programs in the preparation of new proposals and contract renewals to ensure high quality proposal, compliance with solicitation requirements and timely submission. Negotiate with government and private revenue sources in connection with renewal contracting and newly funded legal programming as well as associated deliverables.
• Identify systemic issues faced by the Agency’s immigrant clients and explore creative and alternative approaches for legal practice, including affirmative litigation. Evaluate existing program needs and identify necessary resources for effective delivery of services. Collaborate with practitioners and immigration legal services organizations throughout New York State and across the country to develop and participate in litigation and law reform initiatives.
• Work collaboratively with Division Director and managing attorneys to promote the Division's visibility and impact within the governmental, nonprofit and philanthropic sectors. Serve as the primary legal program contact for funders; improve, monitor, and oversee compliance and submission of grant and other required reporting materials.
• Develop and maintain community support and relationships with community-based organizations, advocates, government agencies, elected officials and the courts.
• In coordination with the Division Director, represent the Division’s legal practice and policy perspectives through media and press relations, in collaborative and coalition representation, guided by internal Agency partners and in collaboration with external partners.
• Other job-related duties, as assigned.

Position Type and Expected Hours of Work:

The position will require the lawyer to perform case work at CCCS’ main immigration office, other sites, and in immigration and family courts. The position requires willingness to travel throughout the Archdiocese. Days and hours of work are generally 9:00 AM to 5 PM Monday - Friday. Additional evening/weekend hours may be required to meet court and/or program deadlines or client needs.

Qualifications:

• Juris Doctor and active status as member in good standing of the bar in any State or the District of Columbia
• Ten (10) years of post-JD experience in immigration law and community legal engagement/service delivery.
• Experience supervising and mentoring others.
• Comprehensive knowledge of immigration law and experience litigating cases in immigration court.
• Strong interest in and familiarity with legal management principles.
• Demonstrated leadership ability.
• Grant-writing and fundraising experience preferred.
• Demonstrated commitment to and experience in public interest law and immigration legal services.
• Demonstrated commitment to policy advocacy and administrative reform.
• Commitment to exploring alternative approaches for improving legal practice.
• Proficiency in languages other than English is desirable, but not required.
• Specialization in both substantive and/or regional immigrant areas.
• Excellent oral, research, writing, analytical and organizational skills.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
• Ability to prioritize and handle multiple complex tasks.
• Ability to convene and lead meetings.
• Ability to work both independently and in a highly collaborative team environment.
• Ability to work with pro bono lawyers.
• Pro bono, government, public service, and academic experience is desirable, but not required.
• Ability to work in a fast‐paced environment.
• Ability and experience working with diverse individuals and communities.

Catholic Charities and Catholic Charities Community Services is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status or any other characteristics protected by law.