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Asylum Program, Attorney

Job posted by: Human Rights Initiative of North Texas, Inc

HRI is looking for an attorney to head the Asylum Program. The ideal candidate for the position must be a passionate human rights advocate and an exceptional attorney. The person will work to promote HRI's mission and cultivate strong ties with the individuals, organizations, and donors. The Asylum Attorney is responsible for direct client representation, pro bono program support, and legal outreach.

ESSENTIAL JOB QUALIFICATIONS

Juris Doctor Degree – Licensed to practice in any state, preferably the state of Texas.
At least one year of experience in Immigration and Nationality Law, specifically in asylum law or litigation a plus. Alternatively, a good candidate would have three years of legal experience and an ability to rapidly learn new areas of the law.
Desire to work with asylum seekers.
Strong public speaking and interpersonal skills.
Excellent writing skills.
Desire to work in a team environment.
Foreign language abilities, such as Spanish or French, a plus but not required.

RESPONSIBILITIES/DUTIES

Direct Client Representation
Direct representation of asylum seekers and asylees before the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Executive Office for Immigration Review, and the Board of Immigration Appeals for asylum and related forms of relief (e.g., asylee relative petitions, adjustment of status and employment authorization). This work includes drafting client affidavits, performing legal and country conditions research, assembling asylum applications, authoring motions and briefs, and representing clients at hearings and interviews.
Work collaboratively with other members of the legal staff.
Govern workflow and conduct all aspects of in-house asylum cases.
Assist in intake and evaluation of new cases with the legal team.
Maintain and enhance legal expertise through educational programs and CLEs.

Pro Bono Program Support
Support the Coordinator of the Volunteer Program with cases placed with pro bono attorneys.
Assist in the recruitment and training of volunteers.
Guide pro bonos with case strategy and legal research.
Review pro bonos' affirmative and defensive asylum cases prior to submission.
Assist in preparing pro bonos and clients for interviews at Houston Asylum Office.
Assist in preparing pro bonos and clients for individual hearings before the Immigration Court.

Legal Outreach
Maintain alliances with community groups and other organizations.
Speak to various groups about HRI, including the presentation of Human Rights Curriculum
Create brochures for the Asylum Program
Write asylum related pieces for blog
Cooperate in the writing of applicable portions of Annual report
Assist the Marketing and Revenue Development Director with grant writing, including accessing statistics and client stories.

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If you're talking straight out of law school, I'd say this part answers your question:

At least one year of experience in Immigration and Nationality Law, specifically in asylum law or litigation a plus. Alternatively, a good candidate would have three years of legal experience and an ability to rapidly learn new areas of the law.

Which is the catch-22 with PI work. It can be hard to get funding for an entry level job for 1-3 years and if you go the firm route first, you're probably going to be at best second in line behind the people who did manage to get funding.

Samara wrote:If you're talking straight out of law school, I'd say this part answers your question:

At least one year of experience in Immigration and Nationality Law, specifically in asylum law or litigation a plus. Alternatively, a good candidate would have three years of legal experience and an ability to rapidly learn new areas of the law.

Which is the catch-22 with PI work. It can be hard to get funding for an entry level job for 1-3 years and if you go the firm route first, you're probably going to be at best second in line behind the people who did manage to get funding.

Due to the elitism of the legal industry, wouldn't a lot of PI/human rights type organizations overlook people's lack of experience? Based on what I have read, it seems like this frequently happens in legal hiring. How much would this type of job pay? Ballpark number?

bizzybone1313 wrote:

Samara wrote:If you're talking straight out of law school, I'd say this part answers your question:

At least one year of experience in Immigration and Nationality Law, specifically in asylum law or litigation a plus. Alternatively, a good candidate would have three years of legal experience and an ability to rapidly learn new areas of the law.

Which is the catch-22 with PI work. It can be hard to get funding for an entry level job for 1-3 years and if you go the firm route first, you're probably going to be at best second in line behind the people who did manage to get funding.

Due to the elitism of the legal industry, wouldn't a lot of PI/human rights type organizations overlook people's lack of experience? Based on what I have read, it seems like this frequently happens in legal hiring. How much would this type of job pay? Ballpark number?

No? IME, PI is much less "elitist" than other areas of legal hiring. How can you run an immigration law program if you don't have any experience in it? PI orgs typically care the most about your commitment to the cause.

I have no idea how much it pays but I would guess somewhere around $30k.

I agree with the below. You have to be able to get the post-grad experience to set you up to do this kind of job. I don't think anyone can answer the question you ask because getting this job wouldn't be so much about your grades/school as about your experience; how hard it is to get the job will depend on the T-14 grad and their experience, and not all T-14 grads will have the same shot at this job just based on being a T-14 grad. I think a competitive candidate would need to have done immigration stuff all through law school, to show the dedication to the cause to get whatever position straight out of law school would give you the experience do a job like this. (Related WE before LS would be helpful, too.) And even if you have two candidates who have the same level of experience, where one is from a T-14 and the other isn't, the non T-14 may still have some personal connection or interview better. So I don't think the question is very helpful.

Also, to do that job, you'd better love 1) practice 2) supervising people and 3) schmoozing people, which are all fairly different skills sets.

Samara wrote:If you're talking straight out of law school, I'd say this part answers your question:

At least one year of experience in Immigration and Nationality Law, specifically in asylum law or litigation a plus. Alternatively, a good candidate would have three years of legal experience and an ability to rapidly learn new areas of the law.

Which is the catch-22 with PI work. It can be hard to get funding for an entry level job for 1-3 years and if you go the firm route first, you're probably going to be at best second in line behind the people who did manage to get funding.

ETA: Totally agree with Samara's second post. Law is, generally, elitist, but PI hiring is much more about experience/dedication than pedigree (with the exception of some really elite positions like DOJ Civil Rights or the ACLU, and they can usually get pedigree AND experience/dedication). (Consider it a reverse elitism based on your experience/passion for the field.) And it will pay peanuts.