Staff Attorney - Immigrants & Workers' Rights

at  Legal Aid Chicago

Description:
Legal Aid Chicago encourages applicants with relevant volunteer and work experience, who have experiences with our client communities or individuals who identify as a person of color, LGBTQIA+, immigrant, or otherwise having backgrounds and experiences that are underrepresented in the legal profession to apply.
For over 50 years, Legal Aid Chicago has provided free civil legal assistance to people living in poverty in metropolitan Chicago. Each year our attorneys, volunteers, and staff help resolve civil legal problems, including domestic violence, consumer fraud, and unfair evictions. Legal Aid Chicago was founded on the philosophy that all individuals are entitled to quality civil legal representation, regardless of their income. We work to ensure that poverty is not an impediment to justice by dismantling the legal barriers that perpetuate inequality. Legal Aid Chicago staff live our mission through our core values of equity, excellence, inclusion, kindness, and respect.
Legal Aid Chicago offers a hybrid work environment. Our office, located in downtown Chicago at 120 S. LaSalle Street, is ADA accessible and has convenient access to public transportation and local expressways. This position may require travel to court or other outreach events.
Position: Legal Aid Chicago seeks a full-time Staff Attorney in our Immigration Law team, which is part of the Immigrants & Worker’s Rights Practice Group (IWR). IWR also includes the areas of Employment law, Migrant Farmworkers rights, and human trafficking law. IWR’s four teams work both independently and in an interdisciplinary manner.
IWR’s Immigration Law team provides trauma-informed advocacy, advice, brief services and full representation to individuals and families before U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services, the Chicago Immigration Court and, less frequently, the U.S. Department of State. Areas of primary practice include Asylum; U Visa petitions; VAWA self-petitions; Naturalization; and Adjustment of Status. This position works within a supportive team of attorneys and paralegals and reports to one of three experienced Supervisory Attorneys.

• Manage a caseload and provide full and effective legal representation to individuals
• Maintain and grow competence in the different areas of Immigration law that the team practices
• Interview eligible clients on a wide range of Immigration issues and provide advice and brief services for eligible immigrants
• Participate in complex litigation or advocacy to address systemic issues
• Participate in weekly team meetings to present new cases and reach team consensus on representation
• Represent clients in applications before USCIS
• Work collaboratively with Legal Aid Chicago staff, students, and volunteers to provide comprehensive legal services
• Work with other IWR staff members in any interdisciplinary work
• Make appropriate referrals both internally and to outside agencies
• Maintain accurate and timely timekeeping in electronic case management system
• Assist with grant reporting and project management as appropriate and applicable
• Conduct weekly outreach at the Chicago Immigration Court
• Conduct community education and outreach and build relationships with community partners in poverty fighting efforts
• Participate in training to agencies, advocates, clients, or community groups about legal services and rights impacting low-income persons and other vulnerable persons
• Participate in other activities related to poverty law including publication, permissible legislative and administrative advocacy, media relations, and fundraising as needed
• Handle other duties as determined by the Supervisory Attorney and the Director.