Unit Director (Immigration Unit)

About Our Organization: 

Manhattan Legal Services (MLS) is seeking a Director to join our Immigration Unit.   

MLS provides high-quality legal services in housing, family law, public benefits, employment, immigration, consumer, education, and disability rights. The Manhattan program has designated units serving particularly vulnerable populations, including intimate partner violence survivors, people living with HIV, and people identifying as LGBTQ. We work closely with low-income communities in NYC.  

As a community-centered, social justice organization, MLS is committed to fostering an inclusive and equitable workplace where staff and clients feel welcome. Through our various affinity groups and committees, we actively foster collegial relationships among staff and allow them to explore, deepen their understanding of, and challenge barriers to opportunity within our organization and through our legal work. All employees are expected to learn about and seek to understand, identify, and overcome barriers to justice, from individual preconceptions to structural obstacles, and work to realize our organizational goals and mission. 

The Role:  

 MLS seek a Director for their Immigrants’ rights practice. MLS’ legal-social work interdisciplinary team uses a holistic, trauma-informed collaborative advocacy model to provide free immigration legal services to low-income New Yorkers. Our immigration practice includes removal defense, affirmative asylum, defensive asylum, Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (including Family Court proceedings), family-based petitions, naturalization, VAWA, U-status, T-status, and more. The work may require limited representation of detainees. 

The Immigration Director supervises and mentors an interdisciplinary team of four staff attorneys, two paralegals and one social worker, while maintaining a limited caseload. The team looks to the Director for leadership, guidance, and support to fight for our clients. In addition to supervising and carrying a very small caseload of individual clients, the Director also pursues impact litigation or advocacy opportunities. 

This position will also oversee the work of staff attorneys, providing legal guidance, mentorship, training, and performance evaluations to ensure compliance with legal standards and best practices in client representation. This position offers a unique opportunity to lead a dedicated team and make a significant impact in the lives of survivors of intimate partner violence in underserved communities.   

In addition, there is a community outreach component to the work, including doing client intake at regular outreach clinics, sometimes after-hours; establishing relationships with community-based organizations; and attending community-centered meetings and events, occasionally, after-hours and on weekends; and representing clients in courts and administrative fora.  

Responsibilities:

• Supervising four staff attorneys and two paralegals and supporting other staff in handling immigration matters as needed. 

• Working with social workers to provide interdisciplinary, comprehensive services to clients. The Director will provide task supervision to one social worker. 

• Maintaining a limited caseload that includes advising and representing immigrants in cases filed with federal administrative bodies (USCIS, EOIR), family court, federal district, and appellate courts. 

• Collaborating with LSNYC’s City-wide Director of Immigrant Justice and immigration advocates throughout LSNYC on litigation matters and strategy. 

• Helping to manage the reports for grants and doing some limited writing for grant proposals. 

• Represent MLS in community events and stakeholder meetings, and foster grassroots and community partnerships. 
• Collaborating with community-based organizations and working with government agencies as appropriate. 

Requirements:

• Admitted to New York State Bar 

• Five years’ experience practicing immigration law

• 1-3 years of experience supervising others

• Experience representing clients before EOIR, including motions practice and merits hearings, and experience with BIA appeals  

• Experience working with clients who have experienced trauma and other vulnerable populations (particularly domestic violence survivors, LGBTQ+ communities, and youth)  

• Strong cultural or personal ties to the communities we serve 

• A demonstrated passion for social justice and commitment to working with low-income communities and communities of color to advance racial equity 

• Excellent organizational, analytical, writing, communication, and advocacy skills 

• Ability to provide supportive and consistent supervision to attorneys, paralegals, interns, and provide task supervision to social workers 
• Strong interpersonal skills, empathic leadership, and team-building skills
• Knowledge of vicarious trauma and experience cultivating a supportive environment to help mitigate the stressors of immigration defense 

Preferred Experience and Qualifications: 

• Experience with federal court litigation, including habeas corpus petitions, strongly preferred 

• Admission to practice in the U.S. District Court for the Southern and/or Eastern District of New York (SDNY/EDNY)  

• Experience leading or working as part of an interdisciplinary team, and demonstrated commitment to holistic, trauma-informed advocacy 

• Experience working on humanitarian applications with LGBTQ and young clients. 

• Expertise on immigration consequences for criminal convictions, public benefits, and other civil matters 
• Fluency in a language spoken by communities we serve is strongly preferred 
• Ability to connect with teammates while working remotely, both to build connections and to give greater flexibility in a hybrid work environment 

How to Apply 

Interested individuals should submit a resume, cover letter, and two writing samples via the Greenhouse portal. 

Only candidates selected for interviews will be contacted. No telephone calls please. 

LSNYC offers an excellent benefits package and highly competitive public interest salary. We offer excellent benefits, including health, dental, and vision plans; contributions to a 403(b) plan; and generous leave time. Salary is commensurate with experience. 

Staff members who are not managers are members of the LSSA/NOLSW UAW Local 2320.