Senior Attorney, Detained Adult Program

The Capital Area Immigrants’ Rights (CAIR) Coalition is now Amica Center for Immigrant Rights (“Amica Center” for short). Click here to learn more about our new name. Since our founding in 1999, we have grown significantly and added new services to support immigrants in detention. Recently, Amica Center has outgrown our name, expanding beyond our initial services and geographic boundaries.

“Amica” is the Latin word for “friend,” and that echoes the way we approach what we do. Just as friends stand with one another, Amica Center stands with our clients to achieve the safety, stability, and opportunity we all deserve.

We are the only non-profit organization in the Washington, D.C. area that is exclusively focused on providing legal assistance to adult and child immigrants detained by the government in the Capital Region and beyond.

The Detained Adult Program (DAP) works with hundreds of adults who are detained by ICE each year, providing information, support, and legal representation. We provide trauma-sensitive, person-centered services, and deeply value the autonomy of the people we work with in detention as they navigate the fundamentally inhumane immigration system.

Amica Center’s Detained Adult Program is a highly collaborative work environment. Each team lead works directly with a focused team, but all colleagues are interconnected through, for example, case workshops or staff-run committees.

DAP staff is a source of expertise in the highly complex and ever-changing immigration system. They have persisted through administration changes, policy shifts, and attacks on the rights and freedoms of immigrants through project-focused cohorts that arise to address challenges or to brainstorm and implement affirmative strategies.

A Senior Attorney in the Detained Adult Program focuses on (i) the provision of direct legal services under a universal representation model to immigrant adults held in facilities in Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and elsewhere outside the DMV region, (ii) the supervision of staff attorneys and legal assistants (also including supervision of interns and fellows); and (iii) the mentoring of pro bono attorneys. The Senior Attorney provides legal representation to detained immigrants regardless of their criminal history and immigration procedural postures.

Representation:

• Manages caseload of direct legal representation of detained clients in removal proceedings primarily before the Annandale, Hyattsville, and Elizabeth Immigration Courts and other courts as needed. This includes representation in cases such as Asylum, Withholding of Removal, Protection under the Convention against Torture, Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, Board of Immigration Appeals, U-Visas, T- Visas, and Cancellation of Removal. An average senior attorney’s docket consists of about one individual hearing per month and some form of ongoing representation for 10-15 clients at the same time.
• Supervise and coordinate with paralegal staff on case support.
• As needed, provide direct supervision to staff attorneys on direct representation cases, including supervision and assistance of (i) case strategy, (ii) trial preparation, and (iii) case load management.
• Provide expert mentoring to outside attorneys representing detained immigrants on a pro bono basis.
• Assist other program staff during high work/low bandwidth periods.
• Participate in stakeholder relationship activities.
• Engage with internal Amica Center committees and working groups to support the organization’s growth and strategy.

Position Type

Full-time, exempt position

Reports To

Managing Attorney

Supervisory Responsibility

Senior attorneys may be assigned direct supervision of staff attorneys and paralegals based on program needs.

Hiring Timeline

Applications will be accepted and offers made on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

Salary*

$67,800-$110,000

[2] In 2018 Amica Center implemented a compensation framework to be more straightforward, transparent, and provide assurance of internal equity. The compensation model we use is based on an individual’s position and years of relevant work experience to avoid salary discrepancies and to reduce the risk of racial, gender, or other forms of bias affecting a candidate’s salary.

Location and/or Travel Requirements

This position will be based at the Washington, D.C. or Baltimore, M.D. Office. Due to business related travel expectations, it is recommended candidates live within 30-miles of their assigned primary office. Well-qualified remote applicants willing to travel to the area when needed for hearings, jail visits, and programmatic meetings will be considered.

Telework

Amica Center operates a hybrid work environment where staff are required to work at least one day per week in-office, but some roles require more office/on-site attendance or travel.

COVID-19 Vaccination: 

All employees are required to be fully vaccinated and boosted against COVID-19. To be fully vaccinated means having completed the full dosages required for the type of vaccine obtained as designated by the CDC. If boosters are subsequently recommended by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) then employees will be required to receive the booster within thirty (30) days of their eligibility to access the boosters.

Amica Center’s benefits package includes:

• Free gym access located in Washington, D.C or Baltimore, MD (dependent on employee’s primary office)
• Flexible working hours after successful completion of trainings and with approval of supervisor
• Pre-tax commuter benefits for those living in the DMV
• Subsidized health, dental insurance, and vision insurance (Amica Center pays a very high rate of the insurance package, for which we can provide additional information)
• An annual data reimbursement of $300
• Life insurance valued at $50,000, as well as long and short term disability
• The option to set up a Flexible Spending Account
• The option to set up a 403(b) account (the equivalent of a 401(k) account for non-profits) which the organization has the option, for all employees on an annual basis, to match at a certain percentage after one year of continuous employment

Paid time off includes:

• 23 personal days per calendar year
• Up to 20 days of sick time per calendar year
• 7 hours of volunteer time off
• Federal holidays
• Winter break closure
• 12 weeks of parental leave

Legal Proficiency

The Senior Attorney demonstrates a solid understanding of legal concepts at a level that allows them to provide services to clients with limited supervision. The Senior Attorney clearly and skillfully employs the law in written and oral presentations and assists junior staff in doing the same. The Senior Attorney has taken on multiple hearings or interviews for clients with limited supervision. The Senior Attorney is able to competently supervise Staff Attorneys on client interaction matters and legal strategy, research, and writing. The Senior Attorney demonstrates cultural competency and trauma-informed practices.

Client and Programmatic Proficiency

The Senior Attorney competently handles, and supervises, all required programmatic obligations (staff supervision, program reporting requirements, intake, follow-up, relief eligibility memos for pro bono placement, etc.). The Senior Attorney manages their supervision responsibilities and in-house and pro bono mentoring caseload to allow for proper prioritization and thoughtful use of time and resources. The Senior Attorney supervises junior staff to ensure programmatic efficiency and efficacy. The Senior Attorney exercises sound judgment and decision-making skills and identifies when issues must be elevated to management.

Administrative

The Senior Attorney ensures that all administrative aspects of their position (and of their supervisees’), attendant to the provision of services to clients, are carried out without managerial intervention, including timekeeping, file upkeep, database upkeep, etc.).

• JD/LLM and 3-5 years of relevant experience in immigration law.
• Must be licensed to practice law and in good standing with a state bar.
• Written and oral Spanish proficiency required, fluency preferred. Experienced supervisors willing to improve upon their Spanish will be considered.
• It is expected that the candidate will need to travel for work-related business. As a result, the candidate must possess a valid driver’s license and be comfortable operating a vehicle upon hiring. This role requires travel, but qualified individuals with disabilities may be accommodated in a reasonable manner under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).