Staff Attorney, Project ANAR

The Afghan Legal Services Staff Attorney will work in direct legal services with California-based Afghan parolees. 80,000 Afghans have been relocated to the U.S. under temporary parole status since August 2021, with the majority facing a looming deadline to pursue asylum and access permanent legal status here. The Bay Area is one of the primary resettlement locations for Afghans in the U.S.

The Attorney will engage in all aspects of ANAR’s direct legal services work, primarily asylum work. Attorneys are responsible for assessing immigration relief options for prospective clients, identifying potential issues and barriers to accessing asylum, conducting screenings and intakes, or reviewing legal assistant and volunteer intakes and screenings. Attorneys offer both direct full scope representation and pro se assistance with primarily affirmative asylum applications, but also Temporary Protected Status Applications, Adjustment of Status applications, defensive asylum/removal proceedings cases, family reunification cases, including humanitarian parole and refugee follow-to-join petitions. Attorneys may also assist with other projects as needed, including some advocacy projects and community outreach and education efforts. The attorney will have an opportunity to engage in coalition work with other organizations, and contribute to the development of Project ANAR resources and trainings. The attorney will conduct legal orientations and know your rights presentations and coordinate with partner organizations and community organizations to adapt to community needs.

Responsibilities:

• Organizing workshops and presentations, both virtually and in person
• Completing client intakes
• Drafting and filing asylum applications (I-589s)
• Interviewing clients and drafting declarations for their asylum cases
• Reviewing volunteer and legal assistant created drafts of asylum applications and client declarations
• Conducting country conditions and immigration case law research
• Asylum interview preparation
• Advocating with the Asylum Office on behalf of clients and following up with clients to collect data and assess case outcomes
• The possibility of immigration court representation
• Conducting Know Your Rights legal presentations
• Monitoring trends and changes related to US immigration policy towards Afghans
• Assessing for immigration benefits eligibility and completing other types of immigration applications as needed, including parole, Temporary Protected Status, defensive Asylum or Notices of Intent to Deny, Special Immigrant Visa, and family based petitions
• Developing legal resources and materials
• Assisting in advocacy and litigation projects as needed
• Working with team of attorneys, legal assistants, volunteers, and other interns
• Attending weekly team check ins and individual check ins
• Assisting in supervision of interns and volunteers
• Working with interpreters and translators
• Contributing to the growth and development of the organization, within a collective leadership structure.

Qualifications:

• Prior law school coursework and practical experience in immigration law
• 1-2 years of immigration law experience required for the fellow
• 3-5+ years preferred for the attorney
• Admission and good standing to the Bar in any state, California preferred
• Ability to work remotely and to join regular internal and external meetings multiple times a week
• Familiarity with Google Suite
• Commitment to trauma-informed client interactions
• Ability to track news and trends related to Afghan immigration and to adapt to changing policies
• Commitment to teamwork and collaboration
• Dari, Farsi, and/or Pashto fluency (oral and written, but particularly oral) strongly preferred, English required
• Must be based in Northern California or willing to relocate and/or travel to the Bay Area at least twice a month
• Understanding and knowledge of asylum law and immigration law, particularly as it relates to Afghan clients
• Ability to assess for multiple forms of immigration relief