Citywide Deputy Director of Immigrant Justice

LEGAL SERVICES NEW YORK CITY (LSNYC)

SEEKS A CITYWIDE DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF IMMIGRANT JUSTICE

Legal Services NYC (LSNYC) — the nation’s largest civil legal services provider and one of the leading immigration legal services organizations in New York City — seeks a dynamic, strategic, and collaborative Citywide Immigrant Justice Deputy Director to work in close partnership with the Citywide Immigrant Justice Director. This new leadership position will play a critical role in shaping, strengthening, and executing LSNYC’s immigration vision and advocacy strategy across all five boroughs. 

Amid unprecedented challenges for immigrant New Yorkers, LSNYC is expanding its leadership team to ensure that our immigration practice remains client- and community-centered, agile, and deeply rooted in justice. The Deputy Director will provide coordination and advanced technical expertise to LSNYC advocates, as well as, crucially, leading and supporting federal litigation on behalf of LSNYC clients who have been unlawfully detained or who need federal litigation to protect their rights while applying for immigration benefits or defending against deportation. 

Our Organization

Legal Services NYC fights poverty and seeks racial, social, and economic justice for low-income New Yorkers. For over 50 years, LSNYC has challenged systemic injustices that keep people in poverty and has provided critical legal services that help clients meet basic needs for housing, family and immigration stability, economic security, education, and health care. With nearly 700 staff across five borough-based programs, LSNYC assists over 100,000 New Yorkers each year. Our partnerships with community-based organizations, elected officials, law schools, public agencies, and pro bono partners amplify our impact and help achieve equity for low-income New Yorkers.

The Opportunity

The Citywide Immigrant Justice Deputy Director will report to the Citywide Immigrant Justice Director and work closely with the Chief of Litigation and Advocacy. The Deputy Director will support the Director in leading LSNYC’s immigration practice—an interdisciplinary network of approximately 50 advocates citywide—by ensuring alignment, coordination, and excellence in service delivery, advocacy, and strategic response to emerging crises.

The Deputy Director will help translate LSNYC’s immigration vision into day-to-day practice, help manage citywide communications and collaboration across borough offices, and, crucially, provide leadership and support to federal litigation on behalf of LSNYC clients who are fighting illegal detention or fighting against deportation. This role offers a unique opportunity for a seasoned immigration practitioner and leader to help steer the immigrant justice program at the largest civil legal services provider in the country.

Key Responsibilities

The Citywide Immigrant Justice Deputy Director will:

• Work closely with the Citywide Immigrant Justice Director and the Directors of each borough’s immigration practices to develop and implement a shared citywide vision of LSNYC’s immigration practice.

• Lead and support federal litigation, under the supervision of the Citywide Immigrant Justice Director, including specifically:

• Coordinating federal immigration litigation, including habeas cases and petitions for review, across the boroughs, including managing calendaring deadlines, providing substantive and technical support to litigation teams and/or pro bono counsel, and ensuring appropriate coverage for clients at high risk of unlawful detention or deportation;

• Leading federal immigration litigation alongside front-line staff within LSNYC and/or pro bono counsel, including drafting complaints and emergency briefing, preparing clients and obtaining declarations, oral arguments, discovery, negotiating settlements, and drafting and filing any appeals, as well as leading and coordinating across litigation teams and providing supervision and support as needed to ensure successful high-quality representation for clients; 

• Helping practitioners prepare potential litigation prior to a client’s scheduled interaction with immigration authorities or other high-risk scenario for detention or deportation;

• Engaging in discovery, appearing in court, engaging with opposing counsel, and conferring on litigation strategy;

• Acting as a point of contact within the Litigation Directors on immigration issues, and providing consultation and support to LSNYC staff on federal litigation affecting immigrants;

• Developing resources and templates related to federal litigation affecting immigrants. 

• Support the development and execution of citywide immigration litigation, advocacy, and policy priorities, including coordinating cross-borough collaboration, communication, and rapid response to urgent immigration developments, and digesting and disseminating urgent developments in immigration law or policy; 

• Lead and coordinate internal training, mentorship, and skill-building initiatives in partnership with LSNYC’s Justice Learning Center and borough-based managers.

• Collaborate with LSNYC’s Pro Bono program, including providing training and supervision and support for pro bono federal immigration litigation;;

• Other duties as may be required by the Citywide Immigrant Justice Director; and

• Promote LSNYC’s commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging across the immigration practice.

Qualifications

• At least six years of immigration law practice, which may include a federal clerkship, including experience with complex immigration removal defense, humanitarian relief, and appellate work.

• At least two years of experience in immigration habeas litigation.

• Experience in litigating petitions for review in front of the federal circuit courts preferred.

• Minimum of two years of supervisory or managerial experience leading attorneys and staff.

• Demonstrated success in collaborative leadership, including managing or coordinating across teams and with different stakeholders.

• Deep understanding of the systemic conditions shaping poverty, racial inequity, and immigrant exclusion in NYC.

• Exceptional oral and written communication skills, including comfort with public speaking and media engagement.

• Fluency or proficiency in Spanish. 

• Commitment to community-centered, trauma-informed legal practice and to promoting diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.

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.