Legal Director

Complexity/Impact: This position is a good fit if you have the experience and passion to fight alongside under-resourced communities at the frontlines of social justice movement in the Gulf South. We are seeking a Legal Director with a learning mindset who is willing to help us vision and spearhead new legal programming to meet the needs of recently arrived and detained community members. Our change work takes time and centers care, creativity, and the needs of directly impacted people fighting systems designed to uphold structural forms of oppression - including the nonprofit system.

Position Description: The Legal Director provides direct client representation for removal defense alongside forms of limited representation, pro se support and pro bono screening and referral; supports the Executive Director in establishing legal program management and development activities; conducts community education, pro se and pro bono support, and outreach to represent Home is Here’s work in different fora and with partners and coalitions; hires, trains and supervises future legal staff and volunteers. The Legal Director works closely with the Executive Director on operations and organizational strategy.

Direct Legal Representation (60%)

• Maintain a mixed caseload involving detained and newly released individuals seeking relief from removal (including representation before the Immigration Court, Board of Immigration Appeals, USCIS, and other agencies) including but not limited to asylum representation;
• Conduct individual intakes to screen and refer cases as appropriate;
• Remain updated on changes to immigration law and implementation as well as regional detention / deportation policies and practices.

Program Management and Development (25%)

• Oversee the day-to-day operation of legal program, creating and implementing systems to strategically enhance quality, efficiency, and impact of services in ways that center community members’ needs;
• Together with other team members, community partners and stakeholders, develop strategies for increasing representation and legal capacity for all forms of legal aid including but not limited to direct and pro bono representation, pro se support, workshops, and community education/defense orientation;
• Determine strategic goals, participate in annual planning and regular prioritization, monitor and evaluate impact data and reporting;
• Supervise, train and orient Accredited Representative(s), legal advocates, and volunteers as needed.

Community Education & Legal Aid, Training, and Outreach (15%)

• Develop and distribute pro se materials and provide discrete assistance to pro se individuals on a limited-scope basis as needed, including support to organize pro se workshops with partners;
• Support pro bono efforts to match as many cases as possible with free legal representation, including intake screening and referral of cases for remote representation nationally;
• Participate in anti-detention advocacy, campaigns, community building, coalition work & other activities.

The ideal candidate is:

• A movement lawyer guided by principles of equity and community leadership who enjoys educating and empowering individuals to defend themselves and creative delivery of information to explain complex legal framework in a digestible manner;
• Self-motivated and flexible - Enjoys creative lawyering and working in a collaborative setting but can also work independently; is ready to assume responsibility and autonomy in running a new legal immigration program and Home is Here NOLA’s Detention Visitation Project;
• Skilled at building rapport with clients and at building relationships with colleagues and external stakeholders (including governmental agencies, nonprofit providers, and community partners);
• Experienced and confident in speaking to groups;
• Organized and able to implement effective case management and multiple projects running in parallel, understanding how to prioritize and triage to meet time-sensitive deadlines.

Required skills and experience:

• Admission to any state bar, Louisiana bar valued;
• Immigration law experience, including removal defense;
• Professional-level English & Spanish or French fluency – both oral and written highly valued;
• Commitment to community / movement lawyering, racial and social justice and abolitionist values working alongside community members of marginalized groups who have been targeted for criminalization, incarceration, and deportation;
• Proven ability to work with maturity and emotional intelligence, receive feedback, work through conflict with integrity, and operate within principles of solidarity when working in partnership with people impacted by oppression;
• Willing and able to travel to remote rural detention centers.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: Up to $75,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Paid time off

Schedule:

• Monday to Friday
• Weekends as needed

Ability to Relocate:

• New Orleans, LA 70113: Relocate before starting work (Required)

Work Location: Hybrid remote in New Orleans, LA 70113

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