Senior Staff Attorney, Refugee Program

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Immigration Equality

Remote (local)
  • Career category: Legal
  • Job type: Job
  • Organisation type: Civil Society
  • Remote option: Remote (local)
  • Right to work requirements: Right to work required in advance
  • Remuneration: USD 70,000 USD-USD 85,000 USD / monthly
  • Work schedule: Full-time
  • Length of contract: Temporary/ Fixed-term
  • Location: United States 
LGBTQI+ rights/ SOGIESC
Applicants from AZ, FL, IL, MA, NM, PA, TX, NY, the NYC Metro Area, or the DC Metro Area.

Founded in 1994, Immigration Equality has a dual focus of direct representation and impact work. We take calls every day from clients who need help right now and we work to change the systems that have a lasting impact on how LGBTQ and HIV-positive people are treated. We work with asylum seekers, detained immigrants, and refugees, answering thousands of hotline calls each year and representing more than 600 individuals at any one time. We also engage in political advocacy and impact litigation to protect the interests of our community. In over 60 countries, it is still a crime to be LGBTQ; In many more, it is fundamentally unsafe. As such, we dedicate ourselves to empowering and protecting one of the most vibrant, resilient, and diverse communities in the world. 

Senior Staff Attorney, Refugee Program Responsibilities (One Year Leave Coverage)

Immigration Equality seeks an organized, experienced, compassionate, and highly skilled and individual to lead our Refugee Assistance Program while our current staff member is out on leave. This is a full-time, one-year position. The Senior Staff Attorney, Refugee Program will identify LGBTQ refugees in urgent need of resettlement who lack access to traditional pathways to safety. The Senior Staff Attorney, Refugee Program will work under the supervision of the Director of Law and Policy and will be responsible for advocating for refugees in matters of resettlement and related policy.

This includes:

  • identifying individuals eligible for Immigration Equality’s services
  • vetting and assessing initial requests for assistance
  • screening cases to identify those in greatest need of resettlement
  • drafting application documents to support a refugee claim
  • identifying and supporting LGBTQ refugee policy issues
  • liaising with NGOs, governments and with UNHCR/IOM on specific cases and more generally to create queer friendly, culturally competent systems
  • analyzing and critiquing current migration policies and practices, and drafting/advocating for more progressive ones
  • liaising with international refugee organizations as well as local LGBTQ organizations to support LGBTQ refugees and develop referral networks
  • supervise other staff, in positions that may include a legal fellow, paralegal, pro bono attorneys, and others
  • other responsibilities, as assigned
Qualifications

Candidates (1) should have a Master’s Degree in a related field (international law, international human rights, Refugees and Forced Migration, etc.), OR (2) should be a licensed attorney from an accredited law school in any jurisdiction in the United States, OR (3) have a minimum of four years of experience representing refugees in the resettlement or Refugee Status Determination process.

Additional qualifications include:
  • Knowledge of UNHCR guidelines and procedures, especially resettlement criteria
  • Demonstrated commitment to LGBTQ issues
  • At least two years of experience providing direct representation to asylum seekers or refugees or conducting Refugee Status Determinations
  • Excellent writing, analytical, and organizational skills
  • Trauma-informed and sensitive listening and communication skills

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