Esperanza Immigrant Rights Project, a program of Catholic Charities of Los Angeles, Inc., is a non-profit law firm which provides community education and legal representation to immigrant adults, families, unaccompanied minors, individuals with mental health issues, and in cases involving crimmigration. Esperanza has proudly provided legal services to immigrants and their families in Southern California for over 15 years. The immigration court system does not provide court-appointed counsel to individuals facing deportation who cannot afford an attorney, so this vulnerable population relies on our community education programs to obtain critical information about the process, understand their legal options and access assistance. Esperanza’s community education programs were established to more effectively meet this need and to guide pro se immigrants through the increasingly complicated and strained immigration system. Core services of the programs include legal orientations regarding removal proceedings and legal relief; intake and follow-up services; self-help workshops; and referrals for pro bono assistance or social services. More information can be found about Esperanza at www.esperanza-la.org

Responsibilities:

Esperanza seeks a full-time Senior Attorney (Staff Attorney II) to provide legal services to Esperanza’s community education programs for unaccompanied minors. Some of the services provided by the programs include group legal orientations, individual orientations, pro se assistance and clinics. The position is supervised by a Managing Attorney or the Director of Youth Immigration Services. The position may also include providing legal representation to unaccompanied minors in removal proceedings and related state court proceedings.

The Senior Attorney for Released Youth and Representation will engage in both substantive and operational tasks, which include:

• Serving as a source of substantive knowledge on all legal aspects related to unaccompanied minors’ immigration cases for staff, including attorneys, DOJ Accredited Representatives, paralegals, and legal assistants
• Coordinating the training, staffing, and oversight of legal orientation presentations for unaccompanied minors in office and at Los Angeles-area immigration courts
• Overseeing the operation of the Unaccompanied Minor Self-Help Centers
• Supervising legal aspects of the Esperanza Call Center
• Supervising legal screenings for unaccompanied minors
• Developing and updating legal educational materials
• Expanding access to counsel for unaccompanied minors through pro bono placement and the Universal Referral Syste
• Training, mentoring, and supervising legal interns, fellows, and volunteer
• Maintaining and developing relationships with stakeholders that work with unaccompanied minor
• Provide advocacy and/or representation to Esperanza clients in front of the Executive Office for Immigration Review, the Board of Immigration Appeals, Citizenship and Immigration Services, and various California state courts.
  The Senior Attorney will be supervised by the Director of Youth Immigration Services and/or a Managing Attorney.

Qualifications:

• Juris Doctorate
• California State Bar License, or license from another jurisdiction and commitment to sitting for next available CA Bar Exam
• Minimum 2 years of experience in the practice of immigration law required
• Strong organizational skills, case management, legal research, and legal writing skills required
• Experience working with vulnerable client populations, particularly with children, and families
• Public speaking experience, highly desirable
• Spanish-language proficiency required (and will be tested at time of interview)
• Demonstrated ability to take initiative and work under pressure required
• Willingness to work independently and also to be a team-player

To apply go to https://catholiccharitiesla.org/employment-opportunities/