Supervising Attorney - Unaccompanied Children

Summary: The Unaccompanied Minors Program (UMP) protects the rights of young immigrants to make informed decisions about their lives. Annually, we defend and counsel thousands of young people facing family separation, government detention, and deportation. UMP serves unaccompanied non-citizen youth who are currently detained by the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) in juvenile facilities in the Lower Hudson Valley, Long Island, and New York City, as well as youth who have left these facilities and reside in New York City.

We are committed to ensuring that non-citizen youth have access to the information and support they need to fully exercise their rights and to meaningfully participate in their own removal defense. Each year, we provide robust legal representation to hundreds of minors facing removal and give legal information to thousands of minors in federal immigration custody. Outside the courtroom, UMP provides educational and integration opportunities for non-citizen youth, and we connect young people with supportive social services in the communities where they live.

The Supervising Attorney provides legal services to young people who are facing removal proceedings and who are, or have been, living under the custody of ORR. The position includes extensive contact with youth who have suffered abuse, abandonment, neglect, or other trauma, and it requires significant time in state court, immigration court, and the local asylum offices in the New York City area. Travel to the ORR-run facilities may be required.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Supervise staff in the provision of child-centered, trauma-informed, and culturally competent legal services to ORR-involved unaccompanied non-citizen minors.
• Train and mentor attorneys, paralegals, and law graduates in immigration and family law, support more experienced attorneys on complex representation, assign new cases in a manner that promotes staff wellbeing and longevity, and identify and implement best practices across the legal practice.
• Maintain a sensible caseload, in light of and secondary to supervisory duties, that will include screening, advising, and representing children before EOIR, USCIS, and state and federal courts.
• Ensure that staff provide ORR-involved young people with the information and advice they need to make informed decisions regarding their immigration matters, and oversee staff’s work product on clients’ applications for legal relief.
• Use the client management database and SharePoint to timely and accurately maintain and update records. This may include notes from any meetings with youth, information of all correspondence received for or from stakeholders, communications regarding a client’s matter, tracking deadlines and event reminders, and uploading other documents or information as needed.
• Lead regular team meetings, provide in-house and outreach trainings, presentation and workshops.
• Draft protocols and issue guidance to triage issues timely, to honor clients’ expressed wishes, and to support advocacy efforts to ensure that ORR-involved children’s rights are upheld and safeguarded.
• Send referrals to Case Management colleagues to provide timely supportive services to clients.
• Maintain strong working relationships with stakeholders.
• Maintain client information confidential.
• Comply with record-keeping, case file management, and reporting requirements.
• Adhere to Agency and UMP protocols.
• Other job-related duties and projects as assigned.

Position Type and Hours of Work:

This is a full-time position. Days and hours of work are 9:00am to 5:00pm daily Monday through Friday. Additional hours may be required to meet court and program deadlines or client needs. All client services must be delivered in person, but hybrid work is permissible.

Working Conditions and Physical Demands:

The demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

• Remain stationary at a workstation and/or use a computer at least 70% of the time.
• Ability to operate standard office equipment such as but not limited to a computer, copy machine, fax, scanner, telephone, postage machine, and printer.
• Ability to transport, lift, and file documents/supplies in cabinets.
• Ability to transport, lift, and carry a laptop to work and to offsite work locations.
• Travel using public transportation and traversing city streets. Occasionally ascend/descend stairs and be exposed to outside weather conditions.

Qualifications:

• A Juris Doctorate or LLM from an accredited law school required. Admission to NY Bar required.
• At least one year of supervisory experience is preferred.
• Experience working with youth or with incarcerated/detained people is preferred.
• Experience in family/immigration law, including clinical or pro bono experience is preferred.
• Fluency in English required. Fluency in Spanish is strongly preferred. A willingness and ability to swiftly achieve full fluency in Spanish required.
• Excellent communication, organizational, analytical, interpersonal, and time management skills. Strong attention to detail and ability to remain poised under pressure.
• Ability to work independently and exercise good judgment, and ability to work in a highly collaborative team environment in a fast-paced, high-intensity environment.
• Demonstrated commitment to public interest law, particularly to children’s issues and/or immigration advocacy. Ability to work with young people and at-risk populations.
• Willingness and flexibility to shuffle work assignments to meet program requirements.

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.