Managing Attorney, Detained Adult Program
Who We Are:
The Capital Area Immigrants’ Rights (CAIR) Coalition is the only non-profit organization in the Washington, D.C. area focused exclusively on providing legal assistance to adult and child immigrants detained by the government in the Capital Region.
Position Summary:
A Managing Attorney in the Detained Adult Program focuses on ensuring that program staff provide excellent and efficient services to clients, implementing long-term plans for the program, and supervising junior staff with a focus on professional development.
Our Work Environment:
CAIR Coalition’s Detained Adult Program is a highly collaborative work environment, each team lead or manager works directly with a focused team, but all colleagues are interconnected through, for example, case workshopping, appeals squad, or staff run committees such as Equity and Inclusion Committee.
DAP staff has been a source of expertise in the highly complex and ever-changing immigration system. They have persisted through administration changes, policy shifts, and attacks on the rights and freedoms of immigrants through project focused cohorts that arise to address challenges or to brainstorm and implement affirmative strategies.
We center impacted people in our advocacy and media. We embrace the movement in our work while also staying focused on the practicalities we are trained for as well as where we are most useful in this movement. We grow our reach and skill set when resources permit and there is passion!
DAP has slowly over the years begun to embrace work life balance, although not to perfection.
We value our brain trust and are constantly finding ways to ensure that we maintain and grow, in ways that acknowledge those with expertise but also sets up new advocates for success.
General Duties and Responsibilities1:
Representation:
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Provides oversight and management of significant aspects of the program in coordination with the Program Director.
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Supervise legal assistants and junior attorneys on direct legal representation of detained clients in removal proceedings before the Arlington and/or Baltimore Immigration Courts. This includes representation types such as Asylum, Withholding of Removal, Protection under the Convention against Torture, Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, Board of Immigration Appeals, U-Visas, T-Visas, and Cancellation of Removal.
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Ensure that the program is kept abreast of new developments in the law and that junior staff are adequality trained on the law.
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Provide oversight and mentoring to staff attorneys on direct representation cases, including supervision and assistance of (i) case strategy, (ii) trial preparation, and (iii) case load management.
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Ensure the inputting and accuracy of data and case information into shared databases in a timely fashion for program staff.
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Assist other program staff in completion of their workload during high-work/low-bandwidth periods.
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Take part in stakeholder relationship activities, including in-person and telephonic meetings with community groups, governmental bodies and representatives, and other legal service providers.
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Ensure Equity & Inclusion is key component of practice and professional development.
Qualifications Required:
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JD and relevant experience in immigration law, at least 4 years of relevant experience.
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Written and oral Spanish fluency strongly preferred, but experienced supervisors will be considered with no Spanish language.
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Driver’s license required.
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Position can be remote.
What Else You Should Know:
Timeline:
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Deadline to apply is September 15, 2021. Tentative start date is October 01, 2021.
Salary
This is a full-time exempt position. The salary range is $65,000- $80,000+.
Travel
This position may require travel during the COVID-19 pandemic, in accordance with all CAIR Coalition safety protocols.
Position Location
Washington, DC or Baltimore, MD
Telework
This is a full-time in-person position. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all CAIR Coalition staff are currently working remotely. It is anticipated that staff will work from their respective offices on November 1, 2021. This date is subject to change.
Benefits:
CAIR Coalition’s benefits package includes (a) subsidized health, dental insurance, and vision insurance (CAIR Coalition pays a very high rate of the insurance package, for which we can provide additional information); (b) life insurance valued at $50,000, as well as long and short term disability; (d) the option to set up a Flexible Spending Account (beginning January 1, 2021); and (d) the option to set up a 403(b) account (the equivalent of a 401(k) account for nonprofits) which the organization has the option, for all employees on an annual basis, to match at a certain percentage after one year of continuous employment.
Paid Time-Off:
- 23 personal days per calendar year
- Up to 20 days of sick time per calendar year
- 7 hours of volunteer time
- Federal holidays
- Winter break closure
Requirements
Competencies Required:
Legal Proficiency
The employee demonstrates a mastery of the law and legal procedure and can deploy innovative and thoughtful approaches to assisting clients. The employee stays abreast of developments in the law and ensures that their supervisees are trained in new developments.
Client and Programmatic Proficiency
The employee proficiently helps to manage all of the program’s in-jail, client, and in-office programmatic obligations. The employee proficiently manages their caseloads and the caseloads of the staff they supervise. The employee skillfully supervises their staff and ensures that staff are in a position to grow professionally.
Administrative
The employee ensures that all administrative aspects of their position (and their staffs’ positions), attendant to the provision of services to clients, are carried out without managerial intervention, including timekeeping, file upkeep, database upkeep, etc.
Qualifications Required:
- JD and relevant experience in immigration law.
- Must be licensed to practice law in or be willing to sit for the next scheduled bar exam.
- Written and oral Spanish fluency strongly preferred, but experienced supervisors will be considered with no Spanish language.
- Driver’s license required
How to Apply:
Capital Area Immigrants’ Rights (CAIR) Coalition is an equal opportunity employer. In accordance with anti-discrimination law, it is the purpose of this policy to effectuate these principles and mandates. CAIR Coalition prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type and affords equal employment opportunities to employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. CAIR Coalition conforms to the spirit as well as to the letter of all applicable laws and regulations.
Anti-Racism Statement:
https://www.caircoalition.org/cair-coalitions-statement-becoming-anti-racist-organization
Senior Attorney, Detained Adult Program
Who We Are:
The Capital Area Immigrants’ Rights (CAIR) Coalition is the only non-profit organization in the Washington, D.C. area focused exclusively on providing free legal assistance to child and adult immigrants detained by the government in the Capital Region.
Position Summary:
A Senior Attorney in the Detained Adult Program focuses on (i) the provision of direct legal services under a universal representation model to immigrant adults held in facilities in Virginia and Maryland, (ii) the supervision of staff attorneys and legal assistants (also including supervision of interns and fellows); and (iii) the mentoring of pro bono attorneys. This position is based in our Baltimore, Maryland office and will work primarily with our Maryland focused universal representation project/public defender model. This project provides legal representation to detained immigrants regardless of their criminal history and immigration procedural postures.
Our Work Environment:
CAIR Coalition’s Detained Adult Program (DAP) is a highly collaborative work environment. We work in smaller focused teams around various direct representation and legal orientation projects, but all DAP colleagues are interconnected through, for example, case workshopping, appeals management, advocacy initiatives, and staff-run committees such as our Equity & Inclusion Committee.
DAP staff have been a source of expertise in the highly complex and ever-changing immigration system. We have persisted through administration changes, policy shifts, and attacks on the rights and freedoms of immigrants through collaborations that arise to address challenges or to brainstorm and implement affirmative strategies.
We center impacted people in our advocacy and media. We embrace the movements to bring universal representation, an end to detention, and meaningful due process to the U.S. immigration system in our work, which also staying focused on the practical work we are trained to do and where we are most useful in this space. We grow our reach and skill set when resources permit and there is interest!
General Duties and Responsibilities:
Representation:
-
Manages caseload of direct legal representation of detained clients in removal proceedings primarily before the Arlington and/or Baltimore Immigration Courts. This includes representation types such as Asylum, Withholding of Removal, Protection under the Convention against Torture, Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, U-Visas, T-Visas, and Cancellation of Removal.
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Provide direct supervision to staff attorneys on direct representation cases, including supervision and assistance of (i) case strategy, (ii) trial preparation, and (iii) case load management.
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Provide expert mentoring to outside attorneys representing detained immigrants on a pro bono basis.
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Assist other program staff in completion of their workload during high-work/low bandwidth periods.
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Participates in stakeholder relationship activities.
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Engages with internal CAIR Coalition committees and working groups to lend a voice to the growth and strategy of the organization.
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Written and oral Spanish fluency strongly preferred, but experienced supervisors will be considered with no Spanish language.
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Driver’s license required.
What Else You Should Know:
Salary
Commensurate with experience working in legal services. The starting salary is $65,300.
Min: $65,300
Max: $80,750
Travel
This position may require travel during the COVID-19 pandemic, in accordance with all CAIR Coalition safety protocols.
Position Location
Baltimore, MD or Washington, DC
While local applicants are preferred, we will also consider qualified non-local applicants to work remotely through September 2022.
Telework
This is a full-time in-person position. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all CAIR Coalition staff are currently working remotely. It is anticipated that staff will work from their respective offices on November 1, 2021. This date is subject to change.
Benefits:
CAIR Coalition’s benefits package includes (a) subsidized health, dental insurance, and vision insurance (CAIR Coalition pays a very high rate of the insurance package, for which we can provide additional information); (b) life insurance valued at $50,000, as well as long and short term disability; (d) the option to set up a Flexible Spending Account (beginning January 1, 2021); and (d) the option to set up a 403(b) account (the equivalent of a 401(k) account for nonprofits) which the organization has the option, for all employees on an annual basis, to match at a certain percentage after one year of continuous employment.
Paid Time-Off:
- 23 personal days per calendar year
- Up to 20 days of sick time per calendar year
- 7 hours of volunteer time
- Federal holidays
- Winter break closure
Requirements
Competencies Required:
Legal Proficiency
The Senior Attorney demonstrates a solid understanding of legal concepts at a level that allows them to provide services to clients with limited supervision. The Senior Attorney clearly and skillfully employs the law in written and oral presentations and assists junior staff in doing the same. The Senior Attorney has taken on multiple hearings or interviews for clients with limited supervision. The Senior Attorney is able to competently supervise Staff Attorneys on client interaction matters and legal strategy, research, and writing. The Senior Attorney demonstrates cultural competency and trauma-informed practices.
Client and Programmatic Proficiency
The Senior Attorney competently handles, and supervises, all required programmatic obligations (staff supervision, program reporting requirements, intake, follow-up, relief eligibility memos for pro bono placement, etc.). The Senior Attorney manages their supervision responsibilities and in-house and pro bono mentoring caseload to allow for proper prioritization and thoughtful use of time and resources. The Senior Attorney supervises junior staff to ensure programmatic efficiency and efficacy. The Senior Attorney exercises sound judgment and decision-making skills and identifies when issues must be elevated to management.
Administrative
The Senior Attorney ensures that all administrative aspects of their position (and of their supervisees’), attendant to the provision of services to clients, are carried out without managerial intervention, including timekeeping, file upkeep, database upkeep, etc.).
Qualifications Required:
- JD and relevant experience in immigration law.
- Must be licensed to practice law and in good standing with a state bar.
- Written and oral Spanish fluency strongly preferred, but experienced supervisors will be considered with no Spanish language.
- Driver’s license required.
To Apply:
Complete the application in its entirety. Be sure to upload a cover letter, resume, and writing sample focused on an immigration related legal issue.
Capital Area Immigrants’ Rights (CAIR) Coalition is an equal opportunity employer. In accordance with anti-discrimination law, it is the purpose of this policy to effectuate these principles and mandates. CAIR Coalition prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type and affords equal employment opportunities to employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. CAIR Coalition conforms to the spirit as well as to the letter of all applicable laws and regulations.
Staff Attorney, Detained Adult Program
Who We Are:
The Capital Area Immigrants’ Rights (CAIR) Coalition is the only non-profit organization in the Washington, D.C. area focused exclusively on providing free legal assistance to child and adult immigrants detained by the government in the Capital Region.
Description of Position:
CAIR Coalition’s Detained Adult Program is hiring a Staff Attorney to safeguard the rights of immigrants who have been detained and found mentally incompetent by an Immigration Judge. Incompetency is a legal standard that the Immigration Judge determines, often after the court reviews indicia that the person would be unable to represent themselves in a full proceeding generally due to trauma or a disability. CAIR Coalition serves as appointed counsel for detained persons and immigrants released from detention through the National Qualified Representative Program (NQRP) who are determined to be mentally incompetent in immigration court.
This position primarily provides direct representation to detained adult men and women with mental health conditions and/or intellectual disabilities in immigration removal proceedings. Once appointed, the staff attorney will meet with and represent clients on a range of cases from asylum, cancellation of removal, adjustment of status, and even dignified repatriation. Representation encompasses both the trial and appellate levels and includes working with mental health professionals and other experts necessary for clients’ cases. The attorney will also be expected to take on occasional cases and projects outside of those appointed through NQRP when appropriate, for example, in cases where serious mental illness is a factor but did not give rise to NQRP appointment
The Staff Attorney will furthermore work with the Detained Adult Program’s case manager to ensure basic social services for the client, including post-release planning for detained persons and connections to community services such as housing, medical care, and other benefits for clients who have been released. The Staff Attorney will work collaboratively with the case manager to identify appropriate services and effectuate access thereto.
While in-person client visits are not yet required given the state of the COVID-19 pandemic, they are permitted with proper PPE and we are aiming to fully restore them as soon as it is safe to do so. Given the importance of in-person appearances for client rapport building and effective trial advocacy, this is a local position and the attorney must be based in the Washington D.C. or Baltimore metro area. However, CAIR Coalition embraces hybrid/remote work and flexible working hours on days that do not involve court appearances or in-person client meetings.
Our Work Environment:
CAIR Coalition’s Detained Adult Program (DAP) is a highly collaborative work environment. We work in smaller focused teams around various direct representation and legal orientation projects, but all DAP colleagues are interconnected through, for example, case workshopping, appeals management, advocacy initiatives, and staff-run committees such as our Equity & Inclusion Committee.
DAP staff have been a source of expertise in the highly complex and ever-changing immigration system. We have persisted through administration changes, policy shifts, and attacks on the rights and freedoms of immigrants through collaborations that arise to address challenges or to brainstorm and implement affirmative strategies.
Supervision:
A Senior Attorney will supervise the Staff Attorney along with mentoring from the NQRP Managing Attorney and advisement from additional Detained Adult Program Staff for complex and novel issues. The Staff Attorney will also have case-specific opportunities to supervise legal assistants, fellows and/or interns.
General Duties and Responsibilities:
- Manage a full caseload of in-house direct representation cases, including:
- Comprehensive screening of all clients for all forms of potential immigration relief;
- Representation in immigration court proceedings, custody redetermination (bond) proceedings, and Board of Immigration Appeals proceedings before the U.S. Department of Justice’s Executive Office of Immigration Review (EOIR) in Virginia and Maryland;
- Representation in any case-related work relating to the services above before United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS);
- Representation to obtain post-conviction relief directly relating to the above services;
- Assistance in screening and referral of viable Petitions for Review to Federal Circuit Court where appropriate; and
- Advocacy and assistance with other holistic services reasonably necessary to connect the respondent to community-based mental health care, housing, or other community resources once out of DHS custody. As appropriate, attend to stakeholder meetings.
- Comply with shared data and program reporting requirements;
- Undertake own administrative functions depending on legal assistant capacity;
- Communicate effectively and equitably with team in a high-stakes environment;
- Engage with internal CAIR Coalition committees and working groups to lend a voice to the growth and strategy of the organization
Qualifications:
1) Juris Doctorate degree required;
2) Must be licensed to practice law in a U.S. state or be willing to sit for the next scheduled bar exam;
3) A valid driver’s license;
4) Proficiency in Spanish is required;
5) Experience working with detained immigrants or other incarcerated populations is preferred;
6) History of working with individuals with mental illness preferred, but our organization also provides training;
7) Strong case management due to a high volume, legal research, and legal writing skills required;
8) Demonstrated ability and willingness to zealously pursue new and untested legal theories;
9) Demonstrated ability to take initiative and work under pressure required.
What Else You Should Know
Salary
Commensurate with experience working in legal services. The starting salary is $60,000.
Min: $60,000
Max: $70,700
Travel
This position may require travel during the COVID-19 pandemic, in accordance with all CAIR Coalition safety protocols.
Position Location
Baltimore, MD or Washington, DC
While local applicants are preferred, we will also consider qualified non-local applicants to work remotely through September 2022.
Telework
This is a full-time in-person position. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all CAIR Coalition staff are currently working remotely. It is anticipated that staff will work from their respective offices in 2022, with a hybrid work model continuing to be an option. The specific date is subject to change.
Benefits:
CAIR Coalition’s benefits package includes (a) subsidized health, dental insurance, and vision insurance (CAIR Coalition pays a very high rate of the insurance package, for which we can provide additional information); (b) life insurance valued at $50,000, as well as long and short term disability; (d) the option to set up a Flexible Spending Account (beginning January 1, 2021); and (d) the option to set up a 403(b) account (the equivalent of a 401(k) account for nonprofits) which the organization has the option, for all employees on an annual basis, to match at a certain percentage after one year of continuous employment.
Paid Time-Off:
- 23 personal days per calendar year
- Up to 20 days of sick time per calendar year
- 7 hours of volunteer time
- Federal holidays
- Winter break closure
To Apply:
Complete the application in its entirety. Be sure to upload a cover letter, resume, and writing sample focused on an immigration related legal issue.
Capital Area Immigrants’ Rights (CAIR) Coalition is an equal opportunity employer. In accordance with anti-discrimination law, it is the purpose of this policy to effectuate these principles and mandates. CAIR Coalition prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type and affords equal employment opportunities to employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. CAIR Coalition conforms to the spirit as well as to the letter of all applicable laws and regulations.
Anti-Racism Statement:
https://www.caircoalition.org/cair-coalitions-statement-becoming-anti-racist-organization
