STAFF ATTORNEY (Family Reunification Program)

THE ORGANIZATION

Al Otro Lado is a binational legal services and immigrant rights organization serving immigrants, asylum seekers and deported persons in Southern California, Tijuana, México, and beyond. We approach cases using a multidisciplinary, client-centered, harm reduction-based lens, and engage in zealous individual representation, medical-legal partnerships, human rights monitoring and impact litigation to protect the rights of individual immigrants and challenge systemic practices that violate the human rights of immigrant communities. We leverage vital partnerships with community-based organizations and academic institutions, and engage thousands of volunteers to maximize our impact and help build a broad-based immigrant justice movement.

For more information about our organization, please visit us on our website at: alotrolado.org/ or visit us on social media: Instagram and X: @alotrolado_org; Facebook: Al Otro Lado; Linkedin: Al Otro Lado

STAFF ATTORNEY-(Family Reunification Program)

The Family Reunification Program (FRP) works with families who survived forced separation under Zero Tolerance to effectuate holistic family reunification and provide them with direct representation, whether through referrals to Pro Bono partners or internally. FRP has been a national leader in efforts to advocate for parents who were separated from their children, then deported without them, and are either Ms. L. v. ICE Settlement Class members, or individuals that we believe should be considered Class Members but are currently excluded for criminal history or other reasons. We effectuated the return of 29 families before the creation of the Family Reunification Task Force (FRTF) and successfully advocated return for several other parents through court orders. Now, we pursue reunification through the FRTF procedures by filing applications for Humanitarian Parole, Parole in Place, Advanced Parole, and requests for Settlement Class inclusion.

The FRP has recently participated in a collaborative funding effort to build our internal capacity to provide direct representation to Settlement Class Members in their Asylum claims. Winning Asylum is the only path to permanent relief from removal for many of the families who survived forced separation, so AOL’s FRP team is deeply committed to providing high-quality, zealous direct Asylum representation to ensure families that survived horrific persecution at the hands of the United States government do not face yet another separation through deportation.

The Staff Attorney will work under the direct supervision of the Family Reunification Program Managing Attorney in collaboration with colleagues and supervisors in the Los Angeles and San Diego offices, as well as remote team members.

JOB DUTIES

• Conduct legal intakes with Settlement Class Members to screen for Asylum and other legal relief;
• Prepare I-589 applications for Settlement Class Members;
• Prepare robust evidence to support I-589 applications, including country conditions reports, expert declarations, character/fact affidavits, and other evidence as needed;
• Prepare detailed declarations for Asylum filings;
• Prepare clients for Asylum interviews;
• Attend Asylum interviews before USCIS as needed;
• Draft motions to terminate or administratively close proceedings before EOIR, as needed;
• Prepare humanitarian parole or parole in place applications as needed;
• Prepare I-765 work authorization applications as needed;
• Attend weekly staff meetings and one-on-one supervision meetings;
• Follow organizational protocols for data management and reporting;
• Respect organizational confidentiality at all times;
• Assist with evaluation of direct reports;
• Other duties as needed

QUALIFICATION AND REQUIREMENTS

• JD from an accredited university
• Bar admission;
• Experience in Asylum law preferred;
• Experience working with survivors of trauma and employing trauma-informed legal skills;
• Legal experience in a non-profit organization preferred;
• Excellent communication and writing skills;
• Excellent legal skills and experience in immigration law;
• Fluency in Spanish and English, including the ability to communicate professionally and in writing in both languages;
• Self-directed and self-reliant, highly organized with strong attention to detail, flexible, innovative, able to quickly adapt to changing program needs as border policies change, and able to work in a fast-paced setting with limited resources;
• Ability to thrive in a remote work environment;
• Adept at learning to use new technology platforms, as well as experience with and proficiency with Microsoft Office and in Google Suites programs such as Google Sheets, Google Docs, Google Calendar, Google Forms, and Zoom;
• Commitment to working in a diverse professional environment, with a kind and respectful attitude towards clients, colleagues, and relevant stakeholders.
• Background Screening Required

Please note, this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this position. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice. The ideal candidate will be flexible, adaptive, and enthusiastic about responding to needs as they arise.