What are the responsibilities and job description for the Immigration Staff Attorney position at Neighborhood Defender Service Inc?
Overview
Job Title: Immigration Staff Attorney
Department: Immigration Defense Team
Location: NYC
Reports To: Managing Attorney for the Immigration Defense
Position Type: Full-time
Union Status: Union eligible
FLSA Status: Exempt
About NDS:
Neighborhood Defender Service (NDS) is a national nonprofit public defense organization that pioneered the holistic defense model more than 30 years ago. Founded in Harlem, NDS was built to challenge the traditional public defense model by centering clients, communities, and interdisciplinary advocacy. Today, NDS operates community-based offices in Harlem; the Bronx; Detroit; and Hays County, Texas, supported by a unified national infrastructure that allows local teams to deliver high-quality, responsive representation rooted in the communities they serve.
Across all locations, NDS provides client-centered legal representation through interdisciplinary teams composed of attorneys, investigators, social workers, client advocates, and team administrators. Our approach emphasizes early and ongoing engagement with clients—before arrest where possible, throughout the life of a case, and beyond case resolution—while addressing the legal, social, and systemic challenges that impact long-term stability. NDS is committed to treating every client with dignity and respect and to advancing justice for individuals and communities that have been historically marginalized and over-policed.
Core Purpose of the Role:
NDS’s immigration team seeks a Staff Attorney to begin immediately. NDS specifically seeks applicants experienced in removal defense and Padilla advice to provide defensive representation to individuals with contact with the criminal or family policing systems and Padilla consultations to our Criminal Defense Practice's staff and clients. The ideal candidate will have experience in both Padilla representation and removal defense, including litigating in immigration court.
Applicants must demonstrate an interest in immigration advocacy and the holistic defense of noncitizens caught up in the criminal legal system and families facing child removal.
Responsibilities
Qualifications
Compensation:
Compensation is commensurate with experience and is in adherence to the NDS compensation scale. Full medical and dental benefits, as well as other benefits, are provided. The salary, benefits, and employment policies relevant to this position are governed by the CBA between NDS and the NDS Union, part of ALAA UAW 2325.
SALARY RANGE BASED ON DIRECTLY RELEVANT EXPERIENCE
1 – 5 Years
$84,347.74 - $94,201.77
HOW TO APPLY
Interested applicants should submit a cover letter and resume in a single PDF through NDS’s website at neighborhood defender careers. Applications without a cover letter will not be considered. Due to the volume of applicants, only those selected for an interview will be contacted. For more information about NDS, please visit our website at About NDS.
Candidates are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.
Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At NDS we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role, but your experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyways. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.
The Neighborhood Defender Service is committed to creating a diverse environment that reflects the community we serve. NDS is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status. NDS encourages people with incarcerated loved ones, formerly incarcerated people, people of color, women, queer, transgender, gender non-confirming, and gender fluid people to apply.
Min
USD $84,347.74/Yr.Max
USD $94,201.77/Yr.Salary : $84,348 - $94,202