About the Organization
Founded in 1979, the National Immigration Law Center (NILC) is a leading non-profit organization (501(c)(3)) in the U.S. exclusively dedicated to defending and advancing the rights and opportunities of low-income immigrants and their loved ones. NILC’s mission is grounded in the belief that everyone living in the U.S. regardless of race, gender/gender identity, immigration status, or economic status — should have equal access to justice, resources, and educational and economic opportunities that enable them to achieve their full human potential. Together, NILC and the affiliated NILC Immigrant Justice Fund (IJF), a 501(c)(4) organization, work to advocate more directly for immigrant justice including direct federal immigration policy reform. NILC is committed to advancing its mission — which intersects race, immigration status, and class — through racial, economic, and gender justice and equity orientation.
NILC is at an exciting moment in its organizational trajectory, supporting our five-year strategic framework and scaling the organization and its work through influencing systems, policy advocacy at the federal and state levels, engaging in movement and power building, and narrative and culture strategies in addition to continuous improvements to our operational model. We are looking for entrepreneurial, results-driven, relationship builders who are committed to NILC’s mission and values of racial justice & equity, valuing diversity, fostering partnerships & collaboration, encouraging respect & personal well-being, and striving for transparency, integrity, and honesty.
About the Position
The Senior Paralegal provides administrative and litigation support for the Legal team. At the direction of the Paralegal Manager and attorneys, the Senior Paralegal works on all aspects of litigation, including intake, preparation of initial drafts of lawsuits and exhibits, discovery, preparing trial materials, settlement, and executing federal and state court filings, administrative complaints, and immigration documents and applications. The Senior Paralegal works with the Paralegal Manager and the Legal Management Team to improve efficiency and productivity for the legal team, including working to manage software systems and the case docket.
The ideal candidate exhibits a strong commitment to NILC’s mission, which concentrates on the applied principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice, and includes strong strategic mindset with progressive movement organizations and strong communication skills.
This role is a member of the Bargaining Unit.
The Senior Paralegal will be responsible for driving success in the following key areas:
Specific Position Responsibilities
- Act as the lead paralegal in high-impact and complex legal cases, advocacy, and related campaigns.
- Manage the lifecycle of assigned cases, workflow and advise on best practices relating to document production.
- Participate in multi-strategy litigation, media, and advocacy campaigns with internal teams and external partners.
- Draft for review by attorneys and finalize complaints, summons, substantive briefs, motions, [proposed] orders, exhibits, excerpts of record, appendices, transcripts, declarations, pro hac vice applications, responses to e-Discovery, etc., and coordinate document production in accordance with rules of the Federal, Appellate and U.S. Supreme Courts including tables of authority, tables of contents and secondary authorities.
- Any work drafted or completed for court filing or official legal purposes to be performed under the direction and guidance of an attorney.
- File briefs, motions, etc., in accordance with rules of the Federal, Appellate and U.S. Supreme Courts, and ensure timely and proper service.
- Independently drafts well-written memoranda, correspondence, and other documents, and revises as necessary.
- Manage and maintain digital case files, ECF admissions and various charts/credentials, case management, (e.g., Clio, FOIA, Everlaw, DocketBird, MS Teams, etc.)
- Manage litigation docket and calendars for court deadlines, collaborating with the Legal Coordinator on weekly litigation calendar updates, various compliance charts, MCLE, and other calendaring.
- Conduct factual research for the development of cases and related campaigns, including client intake, witness interviews, and drafting client declarations.
- Conduct legal research using tools and resources such as Westlaw, Westlaw Drafting Assistant, Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (FRCP), The Bluebooks, jurisdictional local court rules, appellate and U.S. Supreme Court procedures.
- Assist with court hearing and trial preparation: by preparing exhibits, coordinating with witnesses, and assisting with the preparation of hearing/trial binders/digital documents in collaboration with the Legal Coordinator.
- Support all aspects of discovery including preparation of drafts and final copy of discovery responses for review by an attorney and coordination of document production in accordance with rules of the Federal and Appellate Courts.
- Collaborate with legal team members (lead attorney) to draft materials for settlement of fees and costs and fees petitions and compile supportive documentation such as researching attorney and paralegal rates, recommending rates to lead attorney, and preparing Lodestar billing records and cost reports.
- Outreach/establish rapport with potential individual and organizational plaintiffs.
- Maintain solid working relationships with colleagues, counsel, clients, court staff, etc.
- Conduct client communication/outreach by phone, writing, and in-person to share case progress, strategy, and developments.
- Partner with legal team attorneys on amicus brief work including outreach, tracking and communication with potential amici, drafting statements of interest, and finalizing and filing briefs.
- Attend court hearings including, but not limited to, status conferences and oral arguments, depositions, client meetings, and meetings with opposing counsel.
- Draft and execute Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests in collaboration with attorneys: review and index documents; chart, and manage calendars, serve as corresponding agent.
- Maintain professional growth and development through seminars, workshops, and professional associations to keep abreast of the latest developments in applicable law and other related areas.
- Co-manage with the paralegal team legal department calls, messages, voicemails, emails, and faxes including but not limited to requests for legal assistance and calls from counsel and court employees, providing technical assistance as needed.
- Lead technical support for Legal team: Maintain, support and troubleshoot existing Litigation Support applications and databases including MS Teams/Sharepoint, Clio and Everlaw, etc; manage data conversion into and out of litigation support systems; maintain and consult with internal and external IT professionals regarding VOIP phone system, emails, practice management software, and legal department files, and perform ongoing quality checks.
- Design, maintain, and coordinate set-up and use of practice management software including Clio and Everlaw including developing support materials and training other staff members as needed in collaboration with Legal Coordinator, monitoring changes in litigation software & making recommendations to the Paralegal Manager as appropriate.
- Collaborate with project managers to research and recommend changes to litigation input processes such as case file management and practice management software that may be useful for attorneys and legal support staff.
- Collaborate and maintain relationships with outside vendors such as translation services, process server services, court reporters, interpreters, and relevant IT Support.
- Scan and process documents, data, images (including OCR images) and related material into litigation databases, case management applications, and practice management systems.
- Participate in team and/or departmental meetings, case team meetings, including serving in rotating facilitator and notetaker roles, providing regular updates as needed.
- Assist in training, teaching, and mentoring other paralegal team members.
- Collaborate in cross-departmental teams of staff in integrated legal, media, and advocacy campaigns, including with the Operations department.
- May be a part of a larger cross functional project using the MOCHA framework/methodology
Supervisory Responsibilities:
- May manage outside vendors, third party administrators, and consultants as needed.
Shared Organization Responsibilities
- Champions NILC & IJF’s mission of advancing the rights of immigrants with low income by demonstrating a commitment to human rights, and racial, economic, and social justice.
- Attends and actively participates in NILC meetings at the organization, department, project, and individual level.
- Develops relationships and supports NILC and IJF colleagues across all teams, recognizing that each individual brings a unique background and perspective to the work and assuming good intent from each other.
- Follows through on commitments acting with a clear sense of ownership individually and collectively by taking personal responsibility for decisions, actions, and failures, establishing clear responsibilities and processes for monitoring work and measuring results, and designing feedback loops into work.
- Learns quickly when facing new situations by experimenting to find fresh solutions, taking on the challenge of unfamiliar tasks, and extracting lessons learned from failures and mistakes.
- Acts with integrity by following through on commitments, being direct and truthful, keeping confidences, and showing consistency between words and actions.
- Commits to centering NILC’s values of racial justice & equity, valuing diversity, fostering partnerships & collaboration, encouraging respect & personal well-being, and striving for transparency, integrity, and honesty in all decisions and actions.
In recognition of the fluidity of the work and ecosystem that NILC operates in, other duties may be assigned depending on organizational need.
What We’re Looking for in This Role
- Commitment to NILC & IJF’s mission of advancing the rights of immigrants with low income and a demonstrated commitment to civil rights, human rights, racial, economic, and social justice, and equity, diversity, inclusion, and justice for all.
- Collaborative, proactive, and action-oriented working style with a strong service mentality promoting mutual accountability and inspiriting trust and confidence from colleagues, other NILC team members, and NILC leaders alike.
- Commitment to a plaintiff-focused and community-based orientation to litigation that centers the lived experiences, voices, and perspectives of immigrants at the forefront of policy and legal campaigns.
- Sound judgment in decision-making, high integrity, and utmost respect for confidentiality.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills: ability to read, analyze, and interpret as well as draft documents such as reports, correspondence, and presentations for various audiences.
- Self-starter with a strong ability to move daily tasks forward in alignment with NILC’s broader organizational needs and goals.
- Work collaboratively in a team, promoting mutual accountability and inspiriting trust and confidence from colleagues and external stakeholders alike.
- Strong knowledge and application of legal terminology, principles, and procedures.
- Experience demonstrating ability to work independently, to take initiative and to ask questions when necessary; ability to conceptualize and manage complex projects while engaging internal and external resources to achieve desired results.
Qualifications Required
- Bachelor’s degree and paralegal certification required
- 7+ years of experience in a similar role as a senior paralegal and/or trial preparation at the federal district and appellate court levels
- Expert level knowledge of PACER, NextGen e-filing systems, FRAP, and FRCP, and Supreme Court of the United States local rules.
- Strong experience with and knowledge of practice management software and discovery software such as Clio and Everlaw.
- Experience in social justice, civil rights, immigrants’ rights, or progressive social change preferred.
- Demonstrated ability to adapt to changing priorities, strategies, and circumstances.
- Proficiency with in-office and virtual environments and software such as Outlook, MS Office, internet and legal research tools, and virtual collaboration tools.
Preferred Qualifications
- 10+ years of paralegal and litigation experience at the federal district and appellate court levels
- Experience in social justice, civil rights, immigrants’ rights, or progressive social change
- Master’s degree a plus
- Proficiency in non-English languages spoken by Latinx, Asian, Pacific Islander, African, Caribbean, and Arab communities preferred. Fluency in more than one language is desirable.
At NILC, we know that talented people may have different backgrounds or experiences, and if your education and experience doesn’t exactly align with the above that’s okay! NILC believes that diversity in all dimensions of the organization supports and bolsters the innovative thinking essential to its success and is committed to providing equal employment opportunity to all qualified applicants. NILC’s goal is for our people to reflect the communities in which we live and serve and to ensure representation of people of color, women, veterans, and individuals with disabilities in our organization. We encourage you to apply and let us know in your cover letter why you are qualified and the right fit for this role and NILC.
Work Environment
Location & Travel:
NILC's offices are located in Washington, D.C. For this role, up to 25% of overnight interstate travel may be required; travel is typically quarterly to the NILC Washington, DC office or another location within the US for 3-5 nights at a time.
Remote work locations are as follows: (Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Georgia, Maryland, Montana, North Carolina, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin). To be considered, applicants must live in one of the work locations.
Compensation & Benefits:
NILC’s compensation and benefits philosophy is to provide a competitive offering in the nonprofit sector and ensure equity across the organization. The salary range for this role is $73,100 – $91,400.
NILC provides an incredible benefit package that includes employer-paid healthcare coverage (100% for employees and 75% for dependents), employer-supported dental and vision coverage, a 403(b)-retirement plan including an automatic contribution from NILC, paid parental leave, monthly cell phone and wellness stipends, pre-tax accounts for transit, health, and childcare benefits (FSA), and employer-paid short- and long-term disability and life insurance. NILC also provides a generous paid-time-off policy, 15 holidays and 22 days of paid time off annually (increased to 32 after 2 years of employment).
NILC is also a qualifying public service employer, which means all full-time NILC employees qualify for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program. To learn more about the program, please visit https://studentaid.gov/pslf/.
Physical Demands:
- Remaining in a stationary position, often standing, or sitting for prolonged periods
- Communicating with others to exchange information.
- Repeating motions, like typing or answering a phone, that may include the wrists, hands and/or fingers.
