HIAS Pennsylvania is looking for an attorney with experience handling immigration matters, who is passionate about justice and ready to support other talented, committed lawyers. This is a great opportunity for someone with leadership capacity who is ready to fight for justice, safety and stability for immigrant youth.

HIAS Pennsylvania’s Mission

Driven by the Jewish value of welcoming the stranger, HIAS Pennsylvania provides legal, resettlement and supportive services to immigrants and refugees from all backgrounds in order to assure their fair treatment and full integration into American society. 

HIAS Pennsylvania is the largest non-profit immigration legal service provider in Pennsylvania. We assist low-income immigrants with adjustment of status, removal defense, family unification, citizenship, and other forms of humanitarian relief. HIAS Pennsylvania prioritizes providing services to vulnerable populations including survivors of interpersonal violence and unaccompanied youth.

Immigrant Youth Advocacy Program

The Supervising Attorney will be a member of HIAS Pennsylvania’s Immigrant Youth Advocacy team, which is the statewide leader in providing legal services to immigrant children and youth. Our work includes legal services for youth facing removal proceedings in Immigration Court, youth involved in the domestic child welfare system, and unaccompanied children in the custody of the Federal Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) in facilities in Pennsylvania. We seek a Supervising Attorney to join our dynamic team of legal professionals dedicated to protecting the rights of immigrant youth.

Primary Responsibilities of the Supervising Attorney

The core of this work is supervision and direct representation. Other roles depend on the skills and experience of the supervising attorney, the team’s needs as they evolve, and our commitment to crafting positions that are doable jobs in an environment supportive of work-life balance.

Supervision: The Supervising Attorney will supervise, mentor, and ensure the ongoing professional development of supervisees. This includes:

• Observing client interactions and court work, reviewing written work, appearing with and supporting junior attorneys in court;
• Supervising paralegals and non-attorneys in intakes, client meetings, and case management tasks;
• Training new staff on grant compliance, case management, and office procedures;
• Holding regular check-ins with supervisees, providing performance feedback, and instilling healthy work-life boundaries.

Direct Representation: The Supervising Attorney will represent unaccompanied minors in immigration matters. Using a “universal representation” model, our program provides legal representation to children regardless of their eligibility for relief. The Supervising Attorney will represent youth seeking humanitarian forms of relief such as Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) and asylum, as well as children who have no relief options or who may seek voluntary departure or an order of removal. The Supervising Attorney will represent children before USCIS, the Newark Asylum Office, the Philadelphia Immigration Court, and the Board of Immigration Appeals. Representation before these entities will be both in person and remote. If admitted to practice in Pennsylvania, the Supervising Attorney may have an opportunity to appear in state court proceedings for matters related to SIJS.

Community Education and Outreach: The Supervising Attorney will assist with legal education efforts, including planning and providing Know Your Rights presentations, stakeholder trainings, and producing educational materials. The Supervising Attorney will maintain strong relationships with our stakeholders and partner organizations.

Pro Bono Development: The Supervising Attorney may assist periodically with HIAS PA’s efforts to recruit, train and mentor pro bono attorneys.

Administrative responsibilities: The Supervising Attorney will maintain clear and detailed records to facilitate reporting to grantors and ensure all supervisees are maintaining clear and detailed records.

Additional Duties as Assigned: The Supervising Attorney may complete other tasks as assigned in support of the overall work and mission of HIAS PA and the Immigrant Youth Advocacy Program. This includes working in collaboration with the Immigrant Youth Advocacy Managing Attorney and the UCP Grant Supervising Attorney to develop program goals, opportunities for training to further staff capacity and team-building.

Some amount of Spanish language capacity is essential for our attorneys. If the Supervising Attorney does not already speak Spanish, we will support Spanish language learning. (We also provide access to virtual interpreting services for communication with non-English-speaking people.)

Working at HIAS PA

HIAS PA is currently working on a hybrid model. Our office is located in Philadelphia, PA. HIAS Pennsylvania requires all staff be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 with the exception of those who have medical or religious beliefs exemptions. The Supervising Attorney for Immigrant Youth Advocacy will be supervised by the Program Managing Attorney.

Why Join the HIAS PA Team?

• Competitive salary commensurate with experience ($64,500 - $69,000 / year)
• Exempt full-time position with minimum 35 hour work week
• Employment package includes comprehensive health insurance coverage
• 403(b) Retirement account with up to 5% employer contribution & 5% Safe Harbor
• Generous time off including Vacation, PTO, Paid Holidays
• Company paid life insurance, short-term and long-term disability insurance

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

HIAS Pennsylvania is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, marital, veteran or disability status, political affiliation, or beliefs. Our staff are a true melting pot of race, religion, national origin, and identity, and we know that diversity enriches our organization and helps us to fulfill our mission. We have an active DE&I initiative aimed at strengthening our internal capacity and culture. All qualified applicants, including those who identify as members of minority or historically-marginalized groups, are strongly encouraged to apply.

Qualifications for the position

Required Qualifications

• Eligible to practice before USCIS (admitted to practice law in any state or fully accredited representative)
• Experience in immigration representation (experience with removal defense, SIJS and asylum preferred) 
• Passion for HIAS PA’s mission and work
• Demonstrated ability to work with diverse colleagues, collaborators and stakeholders
• Ability to work with youth who have experienced trauma
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Excellent organizational skills
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office / Microsoft 365 applications.

Preferred Qualifications:

• 3-5 years of experience in immigration law, especially in removal defense, SIJS and asylum
• Prior experience as a supervisor 
• Experience in a public interest organization 
• Experience working with youth
• Experience working with people who have experienced trauma
• Spanish proficiency, or desire to learn Spanish. (Spanish proficiency is not required. The
  Supervising Attorney will have access to virtual interpreters for work with non-English
  speaking clients. Candidates who are not proficient in Spanish should have a desire to
  learn. This position includes funding for Spanish language instruction with built-in time
  for language study.)

How to Apply

To apply please send a resume and a cover letter explaining your interest and qualifications, in pdf format, to humanresources@hiaspa.org. In the subject line, please state “Application for Supervising Attorney – Immigrant Youth Advocacy.”

We are accepting applications until the position is filled.

If you have questions about this position or our process, please contact our hiring consultant Steve Eppler-Epstein (Steve@Eppler-Epstein.net ).