Criminal/Immigration Senior Staff or Managing Attorneys

The Immigrant Legal Resource Center Is Hiring! 

Criminal/Immigration Senior Staff or Managing Attorneys

San Francisco, Southern California, or Central Valley  

The Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC) is seeking two full-time Criminal/Immigration (Crim/Imm) Senior Staff or Managing Attorneys based in our San Francisco, CA office, working remotely from Southern California, or working remotely from the Central Valley of California. Both positions are exempt and report to either a Directing Attorney or a Senior Managing Attorney. These are bargaining unit positions represented by the National Legal Services Workers (NOLSW), Local 2320. 
 
The ILRC currently has a hybrid work model that requires two in-office days per week for employees based in our San Francisco office. Employees not based in the San Francisco office are exempt from this requirement but will be required to travel to the San Francisco office for key events and meetings in accordance with ILRC’s Remote Work Policy, which includes coming to the San Francisco office at least every quarter.  

 
Who We Are: 
The ILRC is a leading immigrant rights organization headquartered in San Francisco with staff in Washington, D.C., Texas, Southern California, the Central Valley of California, and Washington state. Since 1979, our mission has been to educate, support, and empower immigrants, community organizations, and legal practitioners to build a more just, inclusive, and democratic society. Our team is passionate, collaborative, and committed to equity and innovation in all we do. Additional information about our organizational values is available here. 
 
The Opportunity: 
The position focuses on the complex intersection of criminal and immigration law, also known as “crim/imm.” The attorneys will further the ILRC’s technical support, capacity building, and policy work on behalf of immigrants and the practitioners who defend their rights, particularly public defenders and immigration advocates who represent noncitizens with crim/imm issues. This position requires advanced expertise in crim/imm.  

Job Responsibilities: 
The attorneys will participate in a range of programs which may include: 

• Helping to guide ILRC’s crim/imm team and serving as one of ILRC’s internal and external senior experts on crim/imm;    
• Providing technical support to public defenders and to immigration advocates on crim/imm matters, such as: 
• Analyzing new state and federal cases, USCIS policies, and other legal developments regarding crim/imm issues; 
• Writing practice advisories on crim/imm topics geared toward attorneys, accredited representatives, paralegals, community members, and/or policymakers; 
• Preparing and leading webinars and in-person seminars on a variety of topics in immigration law with a focus on crim/imm;  
• Working as a team to create and update crim/imm resources, including online materials like the California Quick Reference Chart;  
• Writing, updating, and editing select chapters in ILRC manuals regarding crim/imm and other adjacent issues;   
• Working as an “Attorney of the Day” to answer practitioners’ case questions on the immigration consequences of criminal conduct;  
• Cultivating relationships with public defender offices in rural areas of California; and  
• Training public defenders, immigration attorneys, judges, immigrant communities, organizers, and other stakeholders on crim/imm;   
• Supporting policy campaigns at local, state, or federal levels to improve protections for immigrants in the criminal and immigration systems, including: 
• Analyzing state and federal legislation from a crim/imm lens; 
• Drafting legislation, advising legislative staff and other parties, and testifying before legislature as needed; 
• Representing ILRC, and as necessary taking a leading role, in collaboratives to support immigrant rights;  
• Writing grant proposals, preparing reports, and managing deliverables for foundation grants, and representing the ILRC in meetings with funders and supporters;  
• Traveling for trainings, funder visits, and other events throughout California and sometimes throughout the United States; and  
• Providing support and advice on litigation and amicus support as needed in cases before the Board of Immigration Appeals, California Courts of Appeals, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the Supreme Court.  

Qualifications: 
 
Required Qualifications: 

• Experience and expertise in, and commitment to, defending the rights of noncitizens who have come in contact with the criminal legal system;  
• A minimum of seven years of experience as a crim/imm expert; 
• Broad knowledge of the intersection of criminal and immigration law; 
• Excellent writing, editing, legal analysis, and communication skills; 
• Excellent training and presentation skills; 
• Ability to lead meetings with, write for, and communicate with a range of people, including immigration and criminal defense attorneys, community members, legislators, policy-makers, journalists, funders, and others; 
• Excellent time management skills and the ability to meet deadlines; 
• Willing to work closely with and learn from colleagues, including being willing to take direction and editing from others and to incorporate feedback;  
• A strong work ethic, including the following qualities: organized, flexible, reliable, and dependable, able to work independently, and able to handle several projects simultaneously; 
• Willing to participate in team-based efforts and a collaborative decision-making environment; 
• A willingness to travel approximately 10% of their time across California and at times, nationally; and 
• A current Bar membership in good standing for any state in the United States or the District of Columbia, but preferably in the state of California. 

 
Preferred Qualifications: 

• At least three years of experience working in a Public Defender’s Office which resulted in substantive expertise in Padilla advisals and/or criminal law and procedure; 
• Experience with California criminal defense practice, procedure, and post-conviction relief; 
• Proven ability to write and present complex technical legal issues in accessible and accurate resources; 
• Experience writing and securing grants from foundations and corporations; 
• Legal or other writing experience for a range of audiences; 
• Training, teaching, or other public speaking experience; 
• Experience working in coalitions and partnering closely with community organizers and non-lawyers on organizing campaigns; 
• Collaborating with immigrant communities with an emphasis on supporting community leadership; 
• Coordinating civic engagement projects or working as a community organizer; 
• Second language proficiency, within the range of conversational to fluent; 
• Experience with communications work on immigration or criminal legal issues; 
• Established relationships with allied organizations in California and nationally; and 
• Experience in administrative and federal appeals. 

Compensation/Benefits:  

Pay is extremely competitive for the field and commensurate with experience according to the ILRC salary scale for attorneys. The starting pay for this position is $112,492.23 for those who are seven years out of law school and will be considered a Senior Staff Attorney. An attorney hired for this position who has been out of law school for more than 7 years will have a higher salary based on their law school graduation year. For instance, an attorney who has been out of law school for 15 years would have a salary of $158,116.89 as a Managing Attorney. Additionally, someone with at least three years of experience working at a Public Defender’s Office which resulted in substantive expertise in Padilla advisals and/or criminal law and procedure, will be eligible for an additional pay increase. For instance, someone with at least seven years of experience with the requisite experience working in a Public Defender’s Office would have a salary of $122.492.23 as Senior Staff Attorney. An attorney out of law school for 15 years, with the requisite experience working in a Public Defender’s Office, would have a salary of $168,116.89 as a Managing Attorney, respective of their experience. 

The ILRC offers excellent benefits, medical/dental/vision insurance, Employee Assistance Program (EAP) sessions, a flexible spending account for medical and dependent care, vacation, and sick leave. The ILRC also sponsors a retirement plan contribution upon fulfillment of eligibility. Additionally, we offer an annual professional development stipend of $2,500 and, from 2024 – 2027, an annual wellness stipend of $2,500. ILRC also offers a sabbatical program: employees are eligible to apply for an 8-week sabbatical after five years of service and a 12-week sabbatical after ten years of service.  

Applications: 
This position will remain open until it is filled and is currently available. We will consider applications on an ongoing basis beginning immediately. To ensure consideration of your application, please submit a cover letter explaining your qualifications for the position, your salary requirements, a current resume, a writing sample that demonstrates immigration and criminal law knowledge, and the contact information for three professional references, one of which must be a supervisor.  

The ILRC is an equal opportunity employer and does not make hiring or employment decisions on the basis of race, color, religion or religious beliefs, ethnic or national origin, nationality, sex, gender, gender-identity, sexual orientation, disability age, military or veteran status, or any other basis protected by applicable local, state or federal laws. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance and other similar state laws and local ordinances, ILRC will also consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records.