Supervising Counsel for Immigrant Rights

ABOUT LATINOJUSTICE PRLDEF

Founded as the Puerto Rican Legal Defense & Education Fund in 1972, LatinoJustice PRLDEF uses and challenges laws to create a more just and equitable society. We transform harmful systems, empower our communities, fight for racial justice, and grow the next generation of líderes. Headquartered in New York City, LatinoJustice also has offices in Orlando, FL and Austin, TX, to do work in the southeastern and southwestern parts of the U.S., respectively. LatinoJustice focuses on six pillars of work: Economic Justice (i.e., education, employment, and housing), Immigrant Rights, Voting Rights, Puerto Rico, Policing and Prison Reform, and Leadership Development. And our Racial Justice Project does targeted advocacy on behalf of Afro-Latino and Indigenous-Latino members of our communities. LatinoJustice utilizes a variety of strategies—including litigation, advocacy, and community education and empowerment—to achieve strategic priorities on the issues that are most critical to the advancement and wellbeing of the Latino community.

Since its inception, LatinoJustice has brought groundbreaking litigation in key areas including establishing a right to bilingual education in public schools, providing bilingual ballots and language assistance to Spanish-speaking voters, and fighting anti-immigrant ordinances. Our current litigation docket includes challenges to various local and state agencies for denying services to immigrant families and to individuals who do not speak English; demanding greater law enforcement transparency and accountability; advocating for fair pay of home care workers; defending school districts’ efforts to diversify the student body of magnet schools; challenging law enforcement agencies that illegally detain and hold immigrants to turn them over to ICE; and challenging redistricting that dilutes the votes of Black, Latinx, and Asian voters.

JOB DESCRIPTION

LatinoJustice PRLDEF (LJP) seeks an experienced and dynamic litigator to manage LJP’s immigrant rights litigation docket at a critical time when immigrant members of our community are under attack.

LJP’s Supervising Counsel for Immigrant Rights (Supervising Counsel) identifies and develops new immigrant rights litigation, helps lead ongoing cases, and manages their effective execution. The Supervising Counsel supervises and guides junior and mid-level attorneys and fellows in developing and litigating cases in state and federal courts and administrative agencies throughout the country. In addition, the Supervising Counsel maintains their own litigation docket and serves as lead counsel in selected cases. The Supervising Counsel is also prepared to be a spokesperson for LJP’s immigrant rights litigation as needed.

The Supervising Counsel works closely with LJP’s Advocacy and Communications Departments and serves as a resource for LJP’s legislative, policy, and campaign work. The position reports directly to the Deputy General Counsel for Litigation or their designee. The Supervising Counsel is a member of LatinoJustice PRLDEF’s mid-level management team and collaborates with the Director of Racial Justice Strategy, the Managing Attorney of the Southeast Regional Office, and the Supervising Counsels for Criminal Justice and Voting Rights, particularly at the intersection of these dockets. The Supervising Counsel may also be called upon to work with the Development Department to maintain and expand funding resources.

This is a hybrid role that has an in-person requirement of eight?(8) days per month.

The position requires an individual with a strong background in civil rights litigation on a wide array of immigration and immigrant rights issues including the role of state and local agencies in the immigration enforcement system, state and local initiatives to discriminate against immigrants, the expansion of immigration detention, and the changing federal regulatory landscape for immigration.

The successful candidate is someone who constantly surveys the external environment to identify opportunities for LJP to do cutting edge litigation and then develops and implements litigation; cultivates and maintains productive working relationships with allied civil rights groups; has a strong orientation to community-driven litigation and advocacy with a movement lawyering lens; and has a working understanding of both the immigration system and the systems with which it intersects.

The successful candidate also is highly collaborative and possesses a high degree of emotional intelligence, and an ability to thrive in quick-paced and high-pressure environments while always treating their colleagues with the utmost respect; approaches their work with a level of sincerity and humility, and embraces teamwork; creates a culture of transparency around them while also enforcing appropriate and necessary boundaries and maintaining confidentiality around sensitive matters; builds respect, trust, camaraderie, and credibility among their colleagues while also driving performance and holding team members accountable; and shares in LJP’s commitment to anti-racism, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and its mission to advance social justice and civil rights.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Litigation:

• Supervise, lead, and develop a wide range of federal, state, and administrative litigation, including complex, class-action litigation, in the immigrant rights area.
• Coordinate and lead immigrant rights cases undertaken with other nonprofit organizations and with pro bono counsel.
• Supervise and lead litigation teams composed of senior attorneys, staff attorneys, and legal fellows.
• Travel as required for litigation, conferences, and client development.

Management of Attorneys by Selected Area of Practice:

• Assume significant responsibility for managing teams of attorneys and supervising legal and other staff who work on cases in LJP’s immigrant rights pillar.
• Provide feedback, conduct performance evaluations, and develop professional-development plans for staff under their supervision. Collect feedback and goals from peers and supervisors who work with the staff on projects and cases in other pillar areas outside of immigrant rights to produce holistic performance evaluations and professional development plans.

Non-Litigation Advocacy, Communications & Development:

• Play a leading role in the advocacy work of the Litigation Department on immigrant rights, which includes developing reports and op-eds in collaboration with LJP’s Advocacy and Communications departments.
• Work internally and with other advocacy organizations and elected officials to promote or oppose legislation, regulations, and public agency guidance under the direction of the Chief of Advocacy, including to present testimony before legislative bodies and administrative agencies.
• Participate in public education on immigrant rights issues.
• Work collaboratively with the Development Department to provide grant reports and generate ideas for new funding opportunities.

QUALIFICATIONS

• A J.D. degree
• Admission to the New York Bar, Florida Bar and/or Texas Bar. Admission to the bar of another state where LJP conducts litigation will also be considered.
• Eight (8) or more years of civil litigation experience.
• Substantial experience in immigrant rights litigation and advocacy.
• Three (3) or more years of experience in supervising and managing legal professionals.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, including ability to speak publicly at both formal and extemporaneous presentations.
• Strong and engaging interpersonal skills, high emotional intelligence, and a savvy manager of relationships. Comfortable and effective at managing challenging conversations and situations.
• Detail-oriented individual; able to prioritize, delegate, and manage multiple tasks and responsibilities.
• Commitment to values of transparency, respect, integrity, accountability, equity, and inclusion in their management and leadership style.
• Ability to communicate effectively and fluently with a predominantly Spanish speaking client community, including the ability to create community education and communication resources in Spanish.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

Salary is commensurate with experience, with a starting point of $131,000 in New York City ($118,000 outside of New York City) for a successful candidate who meets the minimum requirements.

LatinoJustice offers a comprehensive benefit package that includes health, dental, vision, life, long-term disability, and a voluntary 403(b) retirement plan, as well as generous paid time off benefits.

LatinoJustice PRLDEF is an equal opportunity employer and considers all applications without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, disability, marital or veteran status, sexual orientation, or any other legally protected status.

Ability to communicate effectively and fluently with a predominantly Spanish speaking client community, including the ability to create community education and communication resources in Spanish.