The Legal Aid Society’s Criminal Defense Practice is seeking Staff Attorney to serve as an Immigration Specialist for its citywide Criminal Immigration . The Criminal Immigration Project works alongside our Criminal Defense Practice attorneys to advise non-citizen clients about the immigration consequences of their criminal court proceedings. This Immigration Specialist will be based in the Bronx Criminal Defense office.

As enshrined in Padilla v. Commonwealth of Kentucky, 559 U.S. 356 (2010), criminal defense attorneys have the constitutional duty to advise non-citizens of the immigration consequences of a guilty plea. At Legal Aid, the Criminal Immigration Project provides this immigration legal expertise to the criminal defense work we do.

The Immigration  Specialist  will  work collaboratively  with  existing  Immigration  Specialists  and  other  staff  in  both  the  Civil  Practice’s Immigration Law Unit and the Criminal Defense Practice offices to enhance legal services to non-citizen clients of the Criminal Defense Practice.

Legal Aid’s Immigration Law Unit represents non-citizen New Yorkers before U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the Department of Homeland Security, as well as in Immigration Court proceedings, appeals before the Board of Immigration Appeals, and in federal court with habeas corpus petitions, petitions for review, and other relevant matters.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES

• Consult with  non-citizen  clients  and  their  attorneys  on  the  potential  immigration consequences of their criminal cases.
• Conduct outreach and training on criminal-immigration issues and emergent trend
• As needed and when appropriate, represent Criminal Defense Practice clients before USCIS on affirmative applications and in removal  proceedings  before  the  Immigration  Courts,  the  Board  of  Immigration Appeals, and in federal court proceedin
• As needed and when appropriate, represent clients in state court proceedings.
• Engage in policy advocacy on behalf of client
• Maintain, organize, and update case files and case management database (LawManager)
• Other duties as assign

• New York State Bar admission
• Minimum of three years’ experience in New York criminal practice or at the intersection of immigration and criminal law
• Excellent research, writing, analytical, oral advocacy and organizational skills
• Interest in developing new approaches to representing Criminal Defense Practice clients with immigration issues
• Ability to  work  independently  as  well  as  collaboratively  in  a  team  and  to  manage challenging, varied and complex cases
• Proficiency in languages other than English is desirable, but not required

SALARY TRANSPARENCY

The posting reflects the range of potential salaries for the role. The specific salary offers will be dependent on candidate qualifications, including collectively bargained salary steps for unionized roles.

Salary Range/ Salary: $82,425 – $143,640

SALARY AND BENEFITS

The leadership of The Legal Aid Society believes in attracting and retaining exceptional talent committed to serving our clients. We offer a generous benefits package including health insurance, paid vacation, disability, and life insurance, and more. Salaries for our unionized jobs are governed by our Collective Bargaining Agreement. Please visit our Careers page for additional information. Salary and benefits information will be available to applicants, when and if an offer is made.

Click here to read more about the benefits of working at The Legal Aid Society 

HIGHER EDUCATION AND LOAN FORGIVENESS

The Legal Aid Society is a qualified employer for the purposes of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness. This position allows an employee to take advantage of PSLF and other State and Federal loan forgiveness programs.

Additionally, employees who are New York residents may be eligible for assistance from New York state to assist with loan repayments, depending on years of practice. To learn more, click the links below.

studentaid.gov 

hesc.ny.gov/loan-forgiveness-programs 

OUR COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION

The leadership of The Legal Aid Society is committed to a work culture of zealous advocacy, respect, diversity and inclusion, client-oriented defense, access to justice and excellent representation. We are dedicated to building a strong professional relationship with each of our clients, to understanding their diverse circumstances, and to meeting their needs. Our ability to achieve these goals depends on the efforts of all of us.

As an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer, The Legal Aid Society prohibits discriminatory employment actions against and treatment of its employees and applicants for employment based on actual or perceived race or color, size (including bone structure, body size, height, shape, and weight), religion or creed, alienage or citizenship status, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity (one’s internal deeply-held sense of one’s gender which may be the same or different from one’s sex assigned at birth); gender expression (the representation of gender as expressed through, for example, one’s name, choice of pronouns, clothing, haircut, behavior, voice, or body characteristics; gender expression may not conform to traditional gender-based stereotypes assigned to specific gender identities), disability, marital status, relationship and family structure (including domestic partnerships, polyamorous families and individuals, chosen family, platonic co-parents, and multigenerational families), genetic information or predisposing genetic characteristics, military status, domestic violence victim status, arrest or pre-employment conviction record, credit history, unemployment status, caregiver status, salary history, or any other characteristic protected by law.

WORK AUTHORIZATION

All applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States for any employer without sponsorship for a work visa or permit. We are currently unable to sponsor employment visas or permits. (However, for citizens of Canada and Mexico, LAS will provide a letter documenting employment status that is needed to obtain a TN visa.)