Immigration Associate Attorney — Removal Defense & Humanitarian Practice

Immigration Associate Attorney — Removal Defense & Humanitarian Practice

Pay: $85,000–$95,000 per year, depending on experience
Full-time | Hybrid flexibility | Northern Virginia / Washington, DC area

A small, established immigration law firm is seeking an associate attorney with immigration court experience to join its family and humanitarian practice.

Our clients are primarily Spanish-speaking families from Central and South America. Our work includes asylum, cancellation of removal, family-based immigration, humanitarian relief, and related USCIS matters. Fluency in Spanish is required to communicate directly with clients without an interpreter. The position offers hybrid flexibility, substantial staff support, and opportunities for meaningful courtroom experience.

This position is a good fit for an attorney who wants to practice law rather than spend most of the day doing administrative work. Our attorneys have substantial paralegal and administrative support and work collaboratively with experienced immigration attorneys on strategy and difficult legal questions.

We are looking for someone who already has enough EOIR experience to handle hearings competently and who wants to continue developing as a removal-defense attorney in a supportive, organized practice.

What You Will Do

• Appear at master calendar hearings before EOIR.
• Prepare for and represent clients at individual hearings, including asylum and cancellation of removal matters.
• Review files and identify legal or evidentiary issues requiring additional strategy.
• Prepare clients for hearings and USCIS interviews.
• Represent clients at USCIS interviews when needed.
• Draft and review briefs, motions, filings, and other substantive legal work.
• Work collaboratively with experienced attorneys on case strategy.
• Communicate directly with Spanish-speaking clients without using an interpreter.
• Appear in person as needed in Sterling and Annandale, Virginia, and less frequently in Hyattsville and Baltimore, Maryland.

This May Be a Good Fit If

• You are licensed to practice law in at least one U.S. jurisdiction.
• You have immigration court experience.
• You have personally handled master calendar hearings.
• You have personally handled individual immigration hearings.
• You can communicate comfortably with clients in Spanish without an interpreter.
• You want to spend your time doing substantive legal work rather than administrative work.
• You appreciate having experienced attorneys available to discuss strategy and difficult cases.
• You work well with paralegals and other team members and do not want to practice in isolation.
• You can manage several active matters without treating every case as an emergency.
• You value doing strong legal work efficiently and proportionately to what the case requires.

Experience with 42B cancellation, USCIS interviews, family-based immigration, waivers, or other humanitarian matters is a plus.

Why Attorneys Like Working Here

Immigration practice can be demanding. We try not to make it unnecessarily chaotic.

Our attorneys are supported by experienced paralegal and administrative staff so that routine scheduling, document collection, follow-up, and administrative work do not automatically fall to the attorney.

You will also have experienced immigration attorneys available to discuss strategy, review difficult issues, and collaborate on cases. We do not expect associates to figure everything out alone.

We value efficiency and good judgment. We want attorneys to identify the important legal issues, do strong work, ask for help when appropriate, and keep cases moving.

We also believe time away from work should actually be time away from work. Our attorneys generally have weekends off, paid vacation, and hybrid flexibility when hearings and client responsibilities permit.

What We Offer

• Significant paralegal and administrative support.
• Direct access to experienced immigration attorneys for mentoring and case strategy.
• Meaningful EOIR hearing experience.
• Hybrid work flexibility when court and client obligations permit.
• Flexible scheduling.
• No regular weekend work.
• Paid federal holidays and Christmas Eve.
• Paid vacation and sick leave.
• Employer-paid health insurance.
• Dental insurance.
• 401(k) with employer matching.
• Paid AILA membership.
• Professional development assistance.

Compensation

$85,000–$95,000 per year, depending on experience.

This position is particularly well suited for an attorney with approximately 1–3 years of immigration experience who is already comfortable appearing before EOIR but wants continued mentoring, strong staff support, and a more sustainable way to practice immigration law.

Schedule

• Monday through Friday
• No regular weekend work
• Hybrid flexibility based on hearings, client needs, and case responsibilities

All inquiries will be treated confidentially.

Serious inquiries only.

Pay: $85,000.00 - $95,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Paid time off

Experience:

• Immigration law: 1 year (Required)

Language:

• Spanish (Required)

License/Certification:

• State Bar License (Required)

Work Location: In person

Salary : $85,000 - $95,000