Managing Attorney jobs in Sacramento, CA

About us: Opening Doors, Inc., supports immigrants, refugees, survivors of trafficking, and others on their path towards stability, self-sufficiency and belonging. Opening Doors began in 1993 as a small refugee resettlement agency, and today serves more than 3,000 clients per year across our 5 program areas: Refugee Programs, Survivors of Trafficking Programs, Immigration Legal Services, Health Programs and Economic Prosperity Programs.

Ideal candidate:

The ideal candidate is an experienced immigration attorney with extensive knowledge of affirmative and defensive forms of relief. They are a creative problem-solver who can thrive in a complex, rapidly-changing, fast-paced environment. They work effectively in multi-cultural work environments, showing respect and sensitivity for cultural differences, and are passionate about Opening Doors’ mission.

Responsibilities:

• Oversees Immigration Legal Services program to ensure high-quality legal representation, compliance with funding contracts, and staff development

• Supervises team of staff attorneys, DOJ-accredited representatives, legal assistants, and administrative support staff in the provision of free immigration legal services in the areas of removal defense, asylum, Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, DACA, naturalization, U-visas, T-visas, VAWA, adjustment of status, and other forms of immigration relief

• Provides training and mentorship to staff attorneys and DOJ-accredited representatives in substantive areas of immigration law as well as USCIS and EOIR procedures; supervises casework of staff attorneys and DOJ-accredited representatives

• Monitors and adjusts attorney/representative case distribution to ensure equitable caseloads among staff while meeting grant deliverables

• Maintains own caseload; provides consultations to screen and advise potential clients and represents clients in a variety of cases before USCIS and EOIR

• Assumes responsibility for unassigned cases in times of staff turnover and transition

• Stays abreast of immigration law and policy changes and provides timely updates to staff, clients, and affected community members

• Responds to abrupt changes in immigration legal services landscape; employs creative strategies to meet evolving legal needs of immigrant communities

• Manages department’s grants; provides direction to ILS administrative staff to track progress on deliverables, prepare and submit timely invoices and reports, maintain records in accordance with grant requirements, maintain communication with funder representatives and ensure department is prepared for site visits

• Provides technical knowledge and other support as needed to development team in grant writing process

• In coordination with leadership team, posts open staffing positions, heads up interview teams, and takes lead role in onboarding and training new staff

• Promotes healthy work environment by modeling professionalism and open dialogue, regularly provides both positive and constructive feedback to staff

• Maintains and continuously improves upon a strong legal office infrastructure, including appropriate program policies and procedures

• Develops and monitors program goals and objectives as well as mechanisms for measuring program’s success; oversees data collection that supports program measurements

• Communicates department’s needs, challenges, and accomplishments to leadership team

• In coordination with leadership and accounting teams, ensures program expenditures are within the budgeted amounts and assists with budget revisions as needed

• Develops and maintains positive and mutually beneficial relationships with community partners

• Promotes culture of philanthropy; engages with ODI Board of Directors, donors, volunteers, and community stakeholders; attends community engagement, fundraising, networking and Board events as representative of department

Other duties may be assigned in the sole discretion of the Organization. The Organization may assign or shift duties and responsibilities to this position at any time due to reasonable accommodation or other reasons.

Required qualifications: The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skills and/or abilities required.

• Juris Doctor from an accredited law school and licensed to practice law in any U.S. state

• At least 5 years experience practicing immigration law and extensive knowledge of removal defense and humanitarian forms of relief

• At least 2 years experience supervising staff, including attorneys/representatives and support staff

• At least 2 years experience managing office operations, grants, and/or budgets in a legal and/or non-profit setting

• Excellent written and oral communication skills

• Ability to manage competing deadlines, priorities, and obligations

• Experience working with vulnerable populations and trained in trauma-informed care

Preferred qualifications: The requirements listed below are not required but are desired.

• Licensed to practice law in the state of California

• 7 years experience practicing immigration law, specifically in the following areas: Removal Defense, Asylum, U-visas, T-visas, VAWA, Special Immigrant Juvenile Status

• Experience working with non-profit funders and managing multiple grants

• Effective communication skills in Spanish or one or more for the following languages, in addition to English: Arabic, Farsi/Dari, Pashto, Russian, Urdu, Ukrainian

• Demonstrated commitment to advancing universal representation for non-citizens

Physical requirements and work environment: The following demands are representative of the physical requirements necessary for an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the Managing Attorney position. Reasonable accommodation can be made to enable people to perform the described essential functions.

While performing this job, the employee is required to sit often and use their hands and fingers, to handle or feel and to manipulate keys on a keyboard, the employee is occasionally required to stand, walk, reach with arms and hands, lift approximately 25 pounds on occasion, and to stoop, kneel, or squat, and drive on occasion. The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet to moderate.

Please use the following link to apply: https://openingdoorsinc.easyapply.co

Opening Doors provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees, applicants and any third parties, for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, or veteran status. In addition to federal law requirements, Opening Doors complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination laws.

All Opening Doors employees must be fully vaccinated against Covid-19. Accommodations may be requested due to medical or religious reasons.

Opening Doors participates in E-Verify.