Do you take ownership of your cases, stay calm under pressure, and know how to effectively lead?
Francis Law Center in Chicago is hiring an Immigration Associate with 3+ years of deportation defense experience to join a supportive team.
You will:
- Lead removal defense work with a special focus on detained clients: bond hearings, custody redeterminations, and federal habeas petitions, along with related individual hearings and BIA appeals.
- Attend ICE check-ins and appointments at the Chicago field office as well as SIJS predicate hearings in Illinois state court.
- Manage asylum, VAWA, U visas, T visas, I-130s, waivers, and AOS as needed.
- Consult with prospective clients and convert into retained cases as well as manage client communications in a compassionate and proactive manner so every client knows where their case stands.
- Supervise and work alongside paralegals who handle records collection, exhibit preparation, and deadline tracking, so your time goes to strategy, briefing, and advocacy.
Compensation & Benefits
- Salary Range: $100,000 to $140,000 per year, depending on immigration experience and demonstrated value. Part-time options might be available with hourly rates between $90 and $105 per hour. The firm has a performance bonus program based on completed work.
- Benefits: UnitedHealthcare PPO health/dental/vision insurance. 15 PTO days, 11 paid federal holidays, and 6 paid sick days per year. Firm-paid CLE, bar dues, and AILA membership, plus a firm-provided laptop. Part-time benefit eligibility depends on the agreed schedule and applicable plan terms.
- Career Growth: Leadership opportunities for motivated attorneys. You will work closely with the firm principal who provides mentorship.
Schedule & Location
- Fully Remote: Role is fully remote except for in-person court dates/interviews/ICE check-ins or necessary client meetings. Seeking candidates within a 2-hour drive or train ride of Chicago.
- Schedule: Business hours are 9am to 5pm CT, Monday to Friday. Realistic work schedule is 40-45 hours per week, with occasional urgent work when a bond hearing or habeas filing comes up on short notice.
More About You
To achieve success at the firm, you will:
- Own your docket without hand-holding or micromanagement.
- Manage team members effectively as they support you in preparing cases.
- Have zero missed deadlines or missed court appearances.
Requirements/Preferences
- 3+ years in removal defense/humanitarian-based immigration ideally with BIA appellate and Seventh Circuit experience. Illinois state-court experience, including SIJS predicate orders, is a big plus.
- Active law license in good standing in any U.S. jurisdiction, with no bar or EOIR discipline.
- Admitted, or able to promptly gain admission, to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois (and Wisconsin federal courts a plus).
- Fluency or proficiency in Spanish is strongly preferred. Russian, Ukrainian, or Georgian fluency or proficiency is also welcome.
Why Francis Law Center
Francis Law Center does immigration law, all of it, in-house. Family-based, humanitarian, removal defense, employment-based. Clients rarely get referred elsewhere, and that includes detained cases, which the firm handles from start to finish.
They're remote-first, with offices in Chicago, Schaumburg, and Madison, Wisconsin. The team of 20+ includes paralegals and case managers, so you have real support.
The detained docket is challenging, and some systems are still being built. If you like raising problems early and helping build things, there's room to grow into leadership as the firm builds the Midwest's leading removal defense practice.
How to Apply
Please follow the instructions to submit your resume.
Francis Law Center is an equal opportunity employer. The firm does not discriminate on the basis of age, disability, sex, race, national origin, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, marriage/civil partnership status, pregnancy status, veteran status, family history and genetic information, or any other protected status.
