New Jersey Consortium for Immigrant Children

The New Jersey Consortium for Immigrant Children (NJCIC) is seeking a Special Projects Attorney to join our growing team as part of a timely, essential new initiative providing legal services in response to the targeting of vital protections for New Jersey's young immigrants during the federal administration change. NJCIC is considering applications for either a Staff Attorney or Senior Attorney, dependent on experience.

About NJCIC

The New Jersey Consortium for Immigrant Children (NJCIC) works with New Jersey’s young immigrants and their allies to advance their full, fearless participation in our society. NJCIC seeks lawful status for immigrant youth and advocates for system-wide change in the areas of education, access to justice, and health equity. Our goal is a New Jersey where every young immigrant has lawful status and the opportunity to advance, and where families can stay together and thrive. We want New Jersey to be a welcoming and inclusive state for all children - a place where every young immigrant can feel secure, advance, and achieve success.

Job Responsibilities

The Special Projects Attorney will join a dynamic and growing organization at an important time in its development. The Special Projects Attorney will have an exciting opportunity to work with the Legal Director to shape the legal program’s response to federal policies targeting immigrant youth in New Jersey.

Under the direction of the Legal Director, the Special Projects Attorney will:

Provide focused and direct legal representation, advice, and counsel for New Jersey's young immigrants who are most vulnerable to deportation. This includes youth who are: detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE); separated from their families because of the resurgence of harsh, inhumane border policies or ICE raids; long-time New Jersey resident youth with unresolved immigration matters; and/or other immigrant children and youth who are at risk of separation from family or deportation because of changes in federal immigration enforcement.
Deliver language-specific Know-Your-Rights (KYRs) training and mobile legal services focused on targeted preparation of Power of Attorney (POAs).
Work closely with the Legal Director and other New Jersey legal service providers to identify needs of the immigrant community under the new administration and respond to those needs by creating democratizing and actionable KYR materials and engaging in advocacy.
Liaise with New Jersey's and national premier impact litigators to challenge the Trump Administration's federal immigration policies and initiatives rippling out at the state level and impacting the everyday lives of New Jersey's young immigrants.
Lead and facilitate the Consortium's Election Response Committee and provide limited support, as bandwidth allows, to federal and state level policy work related to changes in immigration policy.

Qualifications

JD degree and membership in the New Jersey State Bar and U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, or willingness to apply immediately.
For Staff Attorney: a minimum of 1 year of experience practicing immigration law. Experience in removal defense, Special Immigrant Juvenile Status and asylum is preferred but not required. Significant experience in law school may count towards this requirement.
For Senior Attorney: a minimum of 4 years of experience practicing immigration law. Experience in removal defense, Special Immigrant Juvenile Status and asylum is preferred but not required. Significant experience in law school may count towards this requirement.
Experience representing individuals in ICE detention in bond and removal proceedings is preferred.
Experience with emergency federal court litigation in U.S. District Court to prevent immigrants’ deportation or secure release from ICE detention is preferred.
Experience preparing and delivering presentations on legal and know-your-rights information to immigrant audiences.
Experience working with law firm attorneys and/or other legal volunteers is preferred.
Spanish language proficiency is preferred but not required.
Experience in using culturally sensitive and trauma informed techniques to work with children or other vulnerable populations.
Excellent writing and oral communication skills.
Strong interpersonal and organizational skills.
Cultural sensitivity and comfort working in and promoting a diverse workforce
Flexibility and interest in working at a small, dynamic and growing organization to expand capacity to serve immigrant youth.

The current salary range for the Special Projects Attorney is $75,000 – $110,000, dependent upon experience. NJCIC offers excellent benefits including health, dental, and vision insurance, generous leave, and 401(k) match. NJCIC has a hybrid work model - staff work a minimum of two days a week at an amenity-filled co-working space in Jersey City and the remaining days remotely. The position will require travel to other parts of the state to meet with clients, including in ICE detention, respond to emergencies, attend Consortium meetings, and other occasional events.

Please include in your application:

Resume, cover letter and writing sample
Level of fluency in Spanish in cover letter
3 Professional References

NJCIC is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. People of color, women, people with disabilities, immigrants, veterans, LGBTQIA+ people, and those with lived experiences in the communities we serve are strongly encouraged to apply.

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Senior Attorney or Staff Attorney - Special Projects, Rapid Response Initiative