Supervising Immigration Attorney

About NYLAG: 

Founded in 1990, NYLAG is a leading civil legal services organization combatting economic, racial, and social injustice by advocating for people experiencing poverty or in crisis. Our services include comprehensive, free civil legal services, financial empowerment, impact litigation, policy advocacy, and community partnerships. NYLAG exists because wealth should not determine who has access to justice. We aim to disrupt systemic racism by serving individuals and families whose legal and financial crises are often rooted in racial inequality. NYLAG goes to where the need is, providing services in more than 150 community sites (e.g., courts, hospitals, libraries) and on our Mobile Legal Help Center. NYLAG’s staff of over 400 impacted the lives of nearly 129,000 people last year. 

Job description

LegalHealth, a division of the New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG), has an immediate opening for a Supervising Immigration Attorney to join one of the longest standing and the largest Medical-Legal Partnership (MLP) in the country.

LegalHealth partners with a diverse array of medical professionals in 38 hospitals throughout New York to address the health harming legal needs of low-income people with serious health problems.  LegalHealth complements health care with legal care – providing free legal services in medical facilities and training healthcare professionals to understand both the legal issues their patients may encounter and the relationship between health and legal advocacy. Using a holistic approach to address Social Drivers of Health, LegalHealth attorneys practice as generalists, representing clients on a myriad of legal matters that are often connected to a diagnosis or chronic health condition.  LegalHealth plays a leadership role in the expanding MLP movement, helping others to start or sustain their own MLPs. This position reports to the unit director.

Duties and Responsibilities
 

• Responsible for overseeing a small group of staff attorneys and paralegals whose main duties are staffing onsite legal clinics at hospitals in a wide range of immigration legal issues including family-based immigration, adjustment of status, naturalization, U/T Visas, VAWA-based relief, TPS, DACA, asylum, SIJS, removal defense (limited basis), and related employment authorization documents, Extensions of Stay. 
• Assist noncitizens in securing NYS Medicaid and other benefits.
• Handle requests for Medical Deferred Actions, Stays of Removal, and requests for Prosecutorial Discretion for critically ill clients.
• Responsible for providing supervision of casework, including developing legal strategies and setting case priorities; onboarding, training and ongoing professional development of staff; carrying a small caseload; coordinating schedules; managing grants to ensure that program goals and data reporting requirements are met; working with a variety of third-party stakeholders, including staff at hospital sites and government agencies; providing support and mentoring to probono counsel on referred cases. 
• Responsible for working collaboratively across the unit, including providing for teamwide coverage of legal clinics and case matters during team members’ absences.
• Represent LegalHealth in partnership trainings across hospital systems and NYLAG-wide initiatives, including regulatory comments; team building and other special events as needed. 
• Participate in special external engagements, including appearances before legislative bodies, media, DHS Stakeholders meetings, and other special events as needed.
• The supervising attorney will be part of the LegalHealth Management Team and involved in programmatic issues, development of division protocols and policies and serving on substantive internal law committees.

Qualifications
 

• A minimum of 6 years immigration law experience
• Demonstrated commitment to public interest law and services to low-income, disabled, and/or disadvantaged populations. 
• Prior supervisory experience preferred
• Excellent leadership, organizational, analytical, communication and writing skills
• Spanish language proficiency is a plus
• Must be an attorney admitted to practice law in New York State.

NYLAG’s Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion
NYLAG is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. People of color, women, people with disabilities, immigrants, veterans, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people, and those with lived experiences in the communities we serve are strongly encouraged to apply.

Employment type:
☒ Full-time

Professional Level:
☒ Managerial

Salary Range:
NYLAG is a unionized workplace, and salaries are set pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement. The current salary range for this position is between $107,138 - $123,429  

Benefits: Medical, dental, vision, 401k, life insurance, long term disability, commuter benefits, flexible spending accounts (FSA) for Medical and Dependent care.

Application Instructions: Please save resume and cover letter on one pdf.

Covid Vaccination Policy: Please note, to safeguard the health and well-being of our employees and clients, NYLAG requires all employees to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19, unless a medical or religious exemption is approved.

NYLAG is committed to a hybrid work policy for staff whose work does not require their full-time presence in the office. NYLAG’s current policy is that most staff are required to work in NYLAG’s offices or do other in-person work at least two days each week. This policy is subject to change.