Job Details

Senior Staff Attorney (Criminal/Immigration)

The Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC) is seeking a full‑time Criminal/Immigration (Crim/Imm) Senior Staff Attorney based in our San Francisco, CA office, working remotely from Southern California, or from the Central Valley of California. This exempt position reports to the Senior Managing Attorney and is a bargaining‑unit position represented by the National Legal Services Workers (NOLSW), Local 2320.

Hybrid Work Model

Employees based in San Francisco are required to be in the office two days per week. Employees not based in San Francisco are exempt from that requirement but must travel to the San Francisco office for key events and meetings, and are expected to be in the office at least every quarter. The position also requires approximately 10‑15 % travel time.

Who We Are

ILRC is a leading immigrant‑rights organization headquartered in San Francisco with staff in Washington, D.C., Texas, Southern California, the Central Valley of California, and Washington state. Since 1979, our mission has been to educate, support, and empower immigrants, community organizations, and legal practitioners to build a more just, inclusive, and democratic society. Our team is passionate, collaborative, and committed to equity and innovation in all we do.

The Opportunity

The focus of this position is upholding immigrants' rights in the complex intersection of criminal and immigration law, known as “Crim/Imm.” The Senior Staff Attorney will enhance ILRC's technical support, capacity building, and policy work on behalf of immigrants and the practitioners who defend their rights, particularly public defenders and immigration advocates who represent noncitizens with Crim/Imm issues. The position requires advanced expertise in Crim/Imm.

Job Responsibilities

The Senior Staff Attorney will participate in a range of programs, including:

• Providing technical support to public defenders and immigration advocates on Crim/Imm matters.
• Analyzing new legal developments and writing practice advisories for attorneys, representatives, paralegals, community members, and policymakers.
• Preparing and leading webinars and in‑person seminars on a variety of topics in immigration law focused on Crim/Imm.
• Co‑creating and updating online materials (e.g., the California Quick Reference Chart).
• Writing, updating, and editing sections of ILRC manuals regarding Crim/Imm and adjacent issues.
• Serving as “Attorney of the Day” to answer individual case questions.
• Cultivating relationships with public defender offices in rural California.
• Leading ILRC's Crim/Imm team and serving as an internal and external senior expert.
• Training immigrant communities, organizers, public defenders, immigration attorneys, judges, and other stakeholders on Crim/Imm.
• Working with coalitions on campaigns to pass and enforce policies that positively impact immigrant communities.
• Analyzing state and federal legislation from a Crim/Imm perspective.
• Drafting legislation, advising legislative staff, and testifying before the legislature as needed.
• Engaging with the press on Crim/Imm issues.
• Representing ILRC in collaborations to support immigrant rights.
• Writing grant proposals, reports, and managing deliverables for foundation grants.
• Representing ILRC in meetings with funders and supporters.
• Traveling for trainings, funder visits, and other events throughout California and sometimes nationwide.
• Providing support and advice on litigation and amicus support as needed in cases before the Board of Immigration Appeals, California Courts of Appeals, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the Supreme Court.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Experience and expertise in defending the rights of noncitizens who have encountered the criminal legal system; a minimum of seven years of experience representing clients in a Crim/Imm context.
• Broad knowledge of the intersection of criminal and immigration law.
• Excellent writing, editing, legal analysis, and oral presentation skills.
• Strong training and presentation skills.
• Ability to lead meetings and communicate with attorneys, community members, legislators, policymakers, journalists, funders, and others.
• Excellent time‑management skills and ability to meet deadlines.
• Willingness to work closely with colleagues, accept direction, incorporate feedback, and work independently.
• Strong work ethic and organizational skills; flexible, reliable and dependable; able to handle several projects simultaneously.
• Willingness to participate in team‑based efforts and collaborative decision‑making.
• Willingness to travel approximately 10‑15 % of time across California and occasionally nationwide.
• Current bar membership in good standing for any U.S. state or the District of Columbia.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with California post‑conviction relief law or ICE‑related California statutes (e.g., SB 54).
• Experience working closely with community organizers and non‑lawyers on organizing campaigns.
• Experience writing and securing grants from foundations and corporations.
• Legal or other writing experience for a range of audiences.
• Training, teaching, or public‑speaking experience.
• Leadership in coalitions or community organizing.
• Collaboration with immigrant communities emphasizing community leadership.
• Coordinating civic engagement projects or acting as a community organizer.
• Second‑language proficiency (conversational to fluent).
• Experience with communications work on immigration or criminal legal issues.
• Established relationships with allied organizations in California and nationally.
• Experience in administrative and federal appeals.

Compensation and Benefits

The starting salary for this position is $121,000 for attorneys eight years out of law school, increasing with graduation year (e.g., $148,000 for 15 years out). ILRC offers a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, and vision insurance; Employee Assistance Program; flexible spending accounts; vacation and sick leave; a retirement plan; an annual professional development stipend of $2,500; a wellness stipend of $2,500 (2024‑2027); and sabbaticals—8 weeks after five years and 12 weeks after ten years.

Applications

The position will remain open until filled. We will consider applications on an ongoing basis. Submit a cover letter, salary requirements, current resume, a writing sample that demonstrates immigration and criminal law knowledge, and contact information for three professional references, one of which must be a supervisor.

No phone calls, please.

As a condition of employment, you will be required to submit proof of vaccination and the most recent booster shot available against COVID‑19.

Equal Opportunity Employer Statement

The ILRC is an equal‑opportunity employer and does not make hiring or employment decisions on the basis of race, color, religion or religious beliefs, ethnicity or national origin, nationality, gender, gender‑identity, sexual orientation, disability, age, military or veteran status, or any other basis protected by applicable local, state, or federal law. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance and related statutes, ILRC will consider applicants with arrest or conviction records. ILRC provides reasonable accommodations as required by law. Employees may request an exemption from vaccination requirements if medically contraindicated or if vaccine conflicts with a sincerely held religious belief. Employees may also request reasonable accommodations for disability or religious conflict with vaccination. Other recognized exceptions are provided under applicable state and local laws.