Community Justice Attorney, Immigrant Rights Program

Status: Full-Time, Exempt, Specific Term (through December 2024)

Location: Redbank, NJ

Application Deadline: Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Salary: $65,000 – $76,356

For consideration, please attach your Cover Letter and Resume to the online application in addition to answering the Application Questions.

Summary of Principal Responsibilities

The Community Justice Attorney will work out of AFSC’s office in Red Bank, New Jersey to provide legal representation to immigrants who are facing removal proceedings primarily before the Newark and Elizabeth Immigration Courts. The Attorney will meet with clients and counsel them on eligibility for relief under immigration laws. The Attorney will also prepare applications for submission to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the Immigration Court and represent clients before the various agencies.

Essential Functions/Responsibilities: The key responsibilities of the Community Justice Attorney include the following:

1. Provide in-depth individual consultations to low-income immigrants to determine eligibility for immigration status. Consultations and client meetings occur in AFSC’s Red Bank office.
2. Provide representation before USCIS, local Immigration Courts, the Board of Immigration Appeals, and where appropriate, before Federal Courts.
3. Manage caseload and maintain client files in good order, including photocopying applications, letters, supporting documentation, and follow up work. Maintain client and case information in Docketwise.
4. Translate documents or secure translations as necessary; secure interpretation assistance, as necessary.
5. Work with legal assistants on client cases and legal services projects.
6. Work with AFSC’s Social Workers, where possible, to meet clients’ social service needs.
7. Provide educational presentations to immigrant communities.
8. Provide education and training to service organizations, government agencies, schools and other groups on immigration law and policy.
9. Support efforts for legal services clients to participate in organizing, advocacy and leadership development efforts.
10. Support programmatic efforts to engage in narrative change through media work.
11. Participate in AFSC staff meetings and case reviews.
12. Assist in the documentation of the project’s experiences and compile and submit narrative and statistical information for inclusion in AFSC quarterly reports and reports to funding sources.
13. Attend immigration law training sessions and conferences.

Minimum Qualifications

Experience: Admission to a state bar required.

1. One-two years’ experience with immigration law and procedures preferred, including in representing people in complex removal proceedings.
2. Understanding of and willingness to apply principles behind movement lawyering.
3. Demonstrated cultural competency..
4. Fluency in written and oral English and Spanish.
5. Experience and comfort with public speaking.
6. Self-motivation; ability to be detail oriented, well-organized, and to prioritize assignments and work load.
7. Ability to communicate effectively and build mutually respectful relationships with co-workers, clients, and the public.
8. Familiarity with software applications in a Windows environment, including Microsoft Word and Docketwise.
9. Drivers’ license and access to car preferred; position requires some travel within New Jersey.
10. Commitment to Quaker values and testimonies. Understanding of and compatibility with the principles and philosophy of the American Friends Service Committee including non-violence and the belief in the intrinsic worth of every individual.
11. Understanding of and commitment to the principles, concerns, and considerations of AFSC in regard to issues of race, class, nationality, religion, age, gender and sexual orientation, and disabilities. Demonstrated ability to work and communicate with diverse staff.

Compensation: Salary Range 15 ($65,000 – $76,356) – Exempt – Comprehensive medical and hospitalization plan; term life, accident and salary continuation insurances, defined benefit pension plan, plus fringe benefits; participation in unemployment and worker’s compensation and social security.

The American Friends Service Committee is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified persons are encouraged to apply regardless of their religious affiliation, race, age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation or disability.

AFSC’s Central Office and some of its offices in the U.S. are unionized workplaces. This position is represented under the Northeast Region’s Collective Bargaining Agreement.

The American Friends Service Committee is a smoke-free workplace.