Supervising Attorney, Children's Legal Services

International Rescue Committee • Full-time • Sea Tac, WA, United States • 3d ago

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world's largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 40 countries and 29 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees deliver lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity and hope to millions. If you're a solutions-driven, passionate change-maker, come join us in positively impacting the lives of millions of people world-wide for a better future.

JOB OVERVIEW:

The International Rescue Committee - Washington seeks a Supervising Attorney to join its Children’s Legal Services program at its SeaTac, WA office. The Supervising Attorney is an experienced immigration lawyer who will focus on supervision, direct representation, and providing legal services to unaccompanied children who have been released from the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) or are residing in local Unaccompanied Refugee Minors (URM) programs. This will include representation in immigration court, before USCIS, and in Washington State court proceedings.

The Supervising Attorney will bring several years’ experience representing asylum seekers, preferably including youth and unaccompanied minors; superb legal judgment and legal ethics; an ability to work independently while recognizing the value of collaboration and cross-referencing with other experts; and a passion for this area of work. The position will work in collaboration with community partners and will be part of the Children’s Legal Services Community of Practice, led by IRC’s Legal Services Technical Unit (TU) at IRC’s headquarters, which supports IRC’s 24 legal service programs across the US. This position will report to the Managing Attorney, Children’s Legal Services, and will supervise Children’s Attorneys and Legal Assistants.

This position is anticipated to be funded through July 31, 2026. Continuation is subject to ongoing funding availability.

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES:

Supervise attorneys, legal assistants, and DOJ Accredited representatives (when applicable) serving released unaccompanied child clients in King, Pierce, Snohomish, and Spokane counties or residing in an Unaccompanied Refugee Minors (URM) program in Western Washington. Focus on state court representation for Special Immigrant Juvenile classification, asylum, trafficking victim visas, and removal defense before the Immigration Courts, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and the Washington State courts.
Conduct and oversee intakes with child clients; identify immigration relief such as SIJ classification, asylum, cancellation of removal, VAWA, U-visa, T-visa, etc.; and provide direct representation for unaccompanied children released to sponsors in Pierce, King, Snohomish, and Spokane counties and the URM programs in Western Washington.
Initiate state court proceedings for children who are eligible for special immigrant juvenile classification, including dependencies, Vulnerable Youth Guardianships, parenting plans, and minor guardianships.
Prepare, file, monitor, and represent child clients with applications for immigration relief including, but not limited to, applications for Special Immigrant Juvenile Classification, asylum, U “Crime Victim” visas, and T “Trafficking Victim” visas.
Represent child clients before the Immigration Court in Seattle, WA, including attending Master Calendar and Merits Hearings; filing motions, notices of appearance, change of address forms, and briefings; and communicating with the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Chief Counsel regarding clients’ matters before the Court.
Provide legal trainings and technical case assistance to in-house staff, pro bono attorneys, ORR facility staff and other stakeholders and community partners as needed to maximize effective legal services to immigrant children.
Coordinate closely within IRC’s multidisciplinary teams to identify needs and facilitate referrals to services offered in-house and through partnerships with external providers.
Ensure client and program data is collected consistently, managed appropriately, and reported accurately in accordance with program reporting requirements set by IRC and the funder.
Maintain up-to-date knowledge and expertise of changing asylum and immigration policies as they relate to children through regular trainings and peer-to-peer consultation.
Serve as a strong advocate for humanitarian immigrants.
Participate in community-based coalitions related to immigrant rights.
Other duties as assigned.

KEY WORKING RELATIONSHPS:

Reports to: Managing Attorney, Children’s Legal Services.
Position supervises Children’s Attorneys and Legal Assistants.

ESSENTIAL QUALIFICATIONS:

Law degree (JD or LLM) from an ABA-accredited U.S. institution and member in good standing of the Washington State bar, required.
Minimum of 5 years’ experience providing direct representation in immigration court and/or before USCIS to asylum applicants and other immigrants seeking humanitarian relief.
Demonstrated ability to promote an organizational culture that reflects IRC’s core values of service, accountability, integrity, and equality. Ability to lead in a way that recognizes that IRC’s work is best accomplished through the true collaboration of individuals from many cultures with a great variety of skills and perspectives.
Excellent research, writing, analytical, and organizational skills, and excellent legal judgment.
Ability to communicate clearly and effectively, both orally in a courtroom setting and in writing.
Evidence of capacity to be a strong team member in a highly collaborative multidisciplinary environment.
Deep commitment to immigrant rights and working with humanitarian immigrants.
Trauma-informed and sensitive listening and communication skills.
Personal integrity in handling ethically complex and confidential situations
Proficient in Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, Outlook); ability to use the internet and other digital tools for data entry, research, and problem-solving purposes.
Must be willing and able to travel frequently in and around the service area to attend hearings and interviews and engage with clients and community partners.
Must be willing to submit to an extensive background check including FBI, statewide child welfare and sex offender registry checks.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

Fluency in Spanish/English preferred. Attorneys not fluent in Spanish will attend weekly Spanish language courses.
Minimum of 2 years’ experience providing direct representation before state courts in furtherance of SIJ classification petitions.
Experience providing legal services to unaccompanied children and/or working with children preferred.

WORKING ENVIRONMENT:

Standard office environment with occasional participation in community outreach and legal assistance events or client meetings at public locations (for example, libraries).
Occasional domestic travel required.
Hybrid, flexible work options available.
May require occasional weekend and/or evening work.
- If an applicant chooses to work a hybrid work schedule, the applicant must have a home or alternate workspace where they can effectively complete their work from during regularly scheduled hours.

Compensation: Posted pay ranges apply to US-based candidates. Ranges are based on various factors including the labor market, job type, internal equity, and budget. Exact offers are calibrated by work location, individual candidate experience and skills relative to the defined job requirements.

Equal Opportunity Employer: IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

US Benefits: We offer a comprehensive and highly competitive set of benefits. In the US, these include: 10 sick days, 10 US holidays, 20-25 paid time off days depending on role and tenure, medical insurance starting at $143 per month, dental starting at $6.50 per month, and vision starting at $5 per month, FSA for healthcare and commuter costs, a 403b retirement savings plans with immediately vested matching, disability & life insurance, and an Employee Assistance Program which is available to our staff and their families to support counseling and care in times of crisis and mental health struggles

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Standard of Professional Conduct:The IRC and the IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way – our Code of Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Accountability, and Equality.