BAY AREA IMMIGRATION TASKFORCE
REGIONAL ATTORNEY
JOB DESCRIPTION

The “Bay Area Immigration Taskforce” (BAIT) regional attorney is responsible for the provision of immigration legal services at various BAIT clinic sites and for the supervision and training of volunteers and support staff assisting with this provision of legal services. In addition, the regional attorney may work in coordination with each clinic to promote community education and advocacy of immigrants’ rights and “know your rights” popular legal education.

Regional Immigration Legal Services

The regional attorney will provide legal counsel and advice to clients who attend BAIT’s immigration legal clinics and may assist them with the preparation of immigration petitions and applications.

Volunteer attorneys, law students and other volunteers from each clinic site may assist the attorney with this work, but all work performed by volunteers and other assistants shall be reviewed by the regional attorney.

The regional attorney has discretion to determine the number of clients and nature of cases he/she can undertake.

The regional attorney’s primary responsibility is to serve each BAIT clinic in his/her region, but he/she may also take on immigration cases outside the clinic setting or pursue other professional interests related to the advocacy of immigrant rights as time and resources permit.

Coordination with the National Project “Justice for Our Neighbors”

The regional attorney’s professional performance is subject to review and supervision by the UMCOR JFON’s Director of Legal Services.

The regional attorney will participate in case review meetings via telephone conference all and in-person meetings with other JFON attorneys; the JFON Program Director or Director of Legal Services will arrange these meetings/calls. JFON encourages the regional attorney to communicate as frequently as he/she wishes to discuss cases and programmatic issues.

At least once a year, the regional attorney may be required to participate in a national organizing and training conference of the Justice for Our Neighbors network. The BAIT regional attorney may be requested to travel to other clinics to provide legal services as deemed necessary and appropriate by the Director of Legal Services.

Clinic Management and Administration

The BAIT regional attorney reports to the BAIT Regional Board.

The JFON national staff will provide general guidelines for clinic management. It is the regional attorney’s shared responsibility with the clinic organizers (task forces and regional board) to ensure that clinic guidelines and policies are followed.

The regional attorney is responsible for ensuring that case management practices comply with the principles and rules of professional responsibility for lawyers; this may require knowledge of each state’s rules of professional ethics as well as the rules of professional responsibility in the jurisdiction in which the regional attorney is licensed. BAIT regional attorney must observe JFON Practice Standards and policies. In addition, the attorney should be familiar with the ABA Rules of Professional Responsibility and the Board of Immigration Appeals Regulations on Professional Ethics.

The regional attorney is not responsible for recruitment of volunteers or logistical organization of the immigration clinics. However, the attorney is expected to participate in outreach and educational efforts as much as the legal workload may permit and as deemed appropriate pursuant to consultation with the task forces and BAIT Regional Board.

Time Allocation and Travel

The regional attorney will allocate his/her time and resources using his/her judgment as to the needs of each clinic site.

The regional attorney should allow sufficient time for legal research and continuing legal education.

The regional attorney is required to travel to each clinic site within his/her region at least once a month and as needed to complete casework and follow-up client consultations. (Vacation and breaks of no more than two weeks during a calendar year for the attorney will be allowed.)

Travel may also be required to local USCIS district offices and to the immigration court as well as JFON conferences and training events.

General Requirements

The regional attorney should have a strong commitment to public interest legal services and to the enfranchisement and empowerment of newcomer immigrant communities.

Justice for Our Neighbors is more than a legal service project. It is a faith-based ministry of service involving many diverse individuals, cultures and faiths who come together through the United Methodist Church to welcome newcomers to our community. As such, the regional attorney should have an appreciation of the spiritual principles of this work and an ability to work sensitively with numerous volunteers and clients having diverse personalities, lifestyles, cultures, political orientations and various faiths.

General knowledge of immigration and nationality law and prior experience in this field is strongly preferred.

Foreign language ability is a plus.

Regional Attorney salary and terms will be covered by an Independent Contractor’s Agreement for an initial period of six-months.

As a Bay Area Immigration Taskforce staff attorney, the Regional Attorney will be covered by the JFON national program’s professional liability insurance.

• Location: San Francisco Bay Area
• This is a contract job.
• This is at a non-profit organization.
• Principals only. Recruiters, please don’t contact this job poster.
• Please, no phone calls about this job!
• Please do not contact job poster about other services, products or commercial interests.