Litigation Senior Staff Attorney

Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network • Full-time • Westminster, CO, US • $81.76k - $111.78k / year • 20h ago

The Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network (RMIAN) is a nonprofit organization that provides free immigration legal services to individuals in immigration detention and to children and their families throughout Colorado. RMIAN’s Advocacy & Litigation Program aggregates trends stemming from RMIAN’s programmatic work to craft innovative strategies—through policy, communications, and/or litigation—to advocate for systemic change in the immigration system, with a focus on expanding access to counsel.

Position Overview:

RMIAN has an immediate opening for a full-time Litigation Senior Staff Attorney who will work within RMIAN’s Advocacy & Litigation Program. The Senior Staff Attorney will be supervised by RMIAN’s Director of Advocacy & Litigation and work closely with RMIAN’s Vice President of Legal Programs to support pending litigation and develop novel legal claims to advance immigrant rights.

RMIAN seeks a litigator experienced in immigration and constitutional law as well as detention issues. This role is designed for someone who has experience with civil litigation. The caseload will primarily involve habeas corpus challenges to unlawful detention and subsequent appeals as well as other civil litigation before the district court and petitions for review before the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals.

The Litigation Senior Staff Attorney will help develop RMIAN’s litigation strategies alongside co-counsel. This role also involves the provision of technical assistance, training volunteer attorneys, and the creation of written resources to enhance learning and the quality of immigration legal representation in federal courts. The attorney will be a key contributor to RMIAN’s Advocacy & Litigation Program and will work collaboratively with colleagues to ensure that organizational goals, priorities, and core commitments are advanced.

Responsibilities:

Federal Court Litigation

Provide high-quality legal representation to noncitizens in federal litigation, prioritizing cases that involve complex or novel legal theories that advance immigrant justice
- Litigate in federal trial and appellate courts
- Participate actively in all aspects of the case including court appearances and drafting pleadings, motions, briefs and other litigation documents
- Engage in discovery, evidentiary hearings, and oral arguments
Cultivate and maintain effective relationships with co-counsel partners including attorneys from private law firms, nonprofit partners, and law school clinics
May supervise paralegals, attorney fellows or staff attorneys, law student interns, and volunteers, as needed
Support RMIAN’s civil litigation, including but not limited to:
- Petitions for Writ of Habeas Corpus
- Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)
- Administrative Procedure Act (APA)
- Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act
- Petitions for review (PFRs) before the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals
- RMIAN’s amicus interests, coordinating development of briefs and organizational sign-ons
Manage a complex caseload independently with minimal need for supervision; track and meet all case deadlines; demonstrate superior legal skills and analysis; and produce high-quality written work that requires minimal review orediting

Resource Development & Mentorship

Develop and maintain written resources and materials to assist attorneys representing immigrants in federal court
Train pro se individuals on substantive and logistical issues related to filing habeas petitions
Educate, train, and mentor attorneys, including pro bono attorneys, on federal litigation practice
Assess cases for pro bono placement and coordinate with pro bono counsel to match clients with volunteers

Outreach, Community Education, Development, & Organizational Commitment

Participate in RMIAN’s outreach, community education, and development efforts, including:
- Recruit and train volunteer attorneys to co-counsel with RMIAN or accept referrals with RMIAN’s mentorship
- Engage with media and RMIAN’s social media campaigns
- Partner with nonprofit legal service providers and community organizations
- Foster relationships with clients willing to engage in campaigns to promote public awareness of RMIAN’s work and its impact on people who otherwise would not have had access to counsel
- Represent RMIAN’s development interests, including participation in drafting grant proposals focused on funding RMIAN’s federal litigation work
Participate in RMIAN’s internal infrastructure development, including community building, committee work and other activities within RMIAN

Required Skills and Experience:

Admission to any state bar and admission or willingness to seek admission to the District Court for the District of Colorado and the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals
At least 3 years of federal litigation experience and 5 years of legal practice
Professional proficiency in English and Spanish sufficient to represent clients without an interpreter

The Ideal Candidate:

Has experience representing detained noncitizens
Demonstrates a commitment to exceptional client-focused representation
Works autonomously and independently with minimal supervision
Possesses excellent communication and interpersonal skills
Is enthusiastic about educating, training, and mentoring attorneys on federal litigation practice, with a particular focus on immigration habeas practice
Enjoys creative lawyering and developing novel legal arguments, with an eye toward creating precedential outcomes
Demonstrates empathy, is an active listener, exhibits excellent problem-solving abilities, understands the importance of constructive feedback, and easily builds trust with colleagues
Values principles of human equality and enjoys building relationships with a broad range of clients and colleagues from diverse economic and cultural backgrounds
Appreciates the need to be responsive and act promptly on time-sensitive matters
Enjoys finding and creating efficiencies and naturally conceptualizes ways to streamline workflow through a systems approach