Legal Program Manager

Organizational Background

NIPNLG is a national membership organization of lawyers, law students, legal workers, advocates, and jailhouse lawyers working to defend and extend the rights of all noncitizens in the United States, regardless of immigration status. 

NIPNLG works to protect the rights of all, including noncitizens entangled within the criminal legal system, victims of government abuse and misconduct, and those facing summary removal. We develop cutting-edge strategies including litigation and advocacy to respond to unlawful immigration enforcement, government overreach, and efforts to erode immigrants’ rights. Marking our 50th anniversary year in 2021, NIPNLG remains at the forefront of the struggle for immigrant rights, dignity, and justice.

NIPNLG works both independently and collaboratively with immigration advocacy organizations across the U.S. to educate and strengthen the capacity of immigration professionals and immigrant organizations to defend immigrant rights, while promoting public policy change through litigation, advocacy, and support for community organizing on the ground.

Position Summary

The Legal Program Manager will work under the supervision of the Director of Legal Resources & Training and play a key role in supporting the organization’s legal work. This position is responsible for providing critical coordination, legal, and administrative support to the organization’s dynamic team of attorneys. The position will serve as a liaison between operations and programmatic staff, coordinating the programmatic aspects of Continuing Legal Education (CLE) trainings in collaboration with attorneys and the Operations & Events Manager and managing the logistics for other legal programmatic events. 

You are an ideal candidate if:

• You have excellent communication skills and an ability to drive processes and communicate with different types of stakeholders.
• You have a passion for creating and maintaining systems to ensure NIPNLG’s legal work runs smoothly.  
• You have excellent program/event planning and execution skills, preferably with regard to legal trainings.
• You have experience assisting with legal work, preferably related to immigration. Experience with citechecking and/or Bluebooking is a plus.
• You have a demonstrable passion for social justice and alignment with NIPNLG’s mission and core values.
• You readily accept and incorporate feedback and challenge yourself and others to find creative solutions to obstacles. 
• You have a proven ability to work with a team in a collaborative way while ensuring that deadlines are met. 
• You have strong attention to detail and are highly organized and efficient.
• You have a high degree of comfort with technology, including Microsoft Office, Google Suite, Zoom, Adobe Pro, and databases. 
• Fluency in Spanish strongly preferred, especially experience in legal document translation. 

Core Responsibilities:  

Coordination and support for NIPNLG’s legal work (70%)

• Manage, develop, and maintain the legal program’s new case management system, including assessing distribution of assistance requests amongst attorneys, ensuring functionality of systems, and making recommendations for changes where necessary.
• Manage other systems that support the legal program, such as our electronic filing system, organizational email lists, and scheduling. Ensure systems meet the needs of staff and suggest and implement changes where appropriate. 
• Maintain and ensure the accuracy of NIPNLG’s litigation docket and calendar, and organize and maintain litigation and policy files.
• Assist communications and operations staff in the development and maintenance of website and other public information outlets as they relate to the organization’s legal work, including our member portal.
• Coordinate responses to mail from detained or incarcerated individuals requesting referrals and resources and respond to calls from people looking for assistance.
• Perform other legal support work including redacting legal documents; filing court documents; preparing for depositions; and handling related printing and mailing.
• Conduct factual research and/or client interviews and declaration drafting (including translation) in connection with prospective or ongoing litigation, individual representation, policy matters, or public education efforts.
• Work on special projects and other duties as assigned by the Director of Legal Resources & Training.

Coordination and execution of CLE trainings and law-related events (30%)

• Manage programmatic aspects of Continuing Legal Education (CLE) trainings and law-related events. This role will work closely with the Operations and Events Manager who is primarily responsible for the logistical operations of these events. The two roles will coordinate with each other and provide back up to each other when necessary.  
• Work with program staff to develop agenda and materials, including interfacing with panelists, obtaining and organizing information, and ensuring all programmatic deadlines are met.
• Prepare and submit CLE applications in a timely way and track responses from state bar associations.
• Coordinate the preparation of outreach/promotional and other information/educational materials for law-related events in collaboration and consultation with relevant staff. 
• Collaborate with operations staff to ensure seamless setup of events page, registration, and other logistics for law-related events.
• In collaboration with operations staff, coordinate webinars, livestreaming and AV/tech as needed, and follow up with attendees after events. The Operations and Events Manager will be primarily responsible for non-legal events, and the Legal Program Manager will be primarily responsible for legal events, with the two serving as backup for each other and working collaboratively to divide responsibilities and execute events.
• Collaborate with operations staff to manage and update organizational training and law-related event calendar. 
• Support operations staff as needed to ensure updating of databases of members and event attendees.
• Additional related administrative tasks in support of CLE and other law-related event organizing.

NIPNLG is an Equal Opportunity Employer that actively recruits women, Black, Brown, Indigenous, and other People of Color, persons with disabilities, persons of diverse gender and sexual identities, immigrants, and formerly incarcerated persons.