Senior Staff Attorney: Regional
Immigration Assistance Center (RIAC)
The Erie County Bar Association
Volunteer Lawyers Project (VLP) seeks a Senior Staff Attorney for our Buffalo,
NY office to provide the legal support, training and resources necessary to
assist New York indigent legal service attorneys and mandated representation
providers regarding the immigration consequences arising from criminal and
family court proceedings. This position will work under our Regional
Immigration Assistance Center (RIAC) contract and the WNY Immigration
Assistance Center project which is a joint effort of VLP and The Legal Aid
Society of Rochester, New York (LASROC). We are open to the possibility of the attorney hired being located in
Rochester, NY.
Duties/Responsibilities:
- Provide
legal support, trainings, and technical assistance to attorneys in the 7th
and 8th Judicial Districts of New York who provide mandated
representation to noncitizens in criminal and family court proceedings. Generally, VLP covers the 8th
Judicial District and LASROC covers the 7th, but there is
substantial collaboration and some cross over.
- Advise
mandated representation providers on potential immigration consequences as they
relate to criminal charges/convictions/pleas, appellate and post-conviction
relief options, and family court dispositions
- Arrange
and present CLE trainings on topics that ensure Padilla v. Kentucky, 130 S.Ct. 1473 (2010) compliance to indigent
legal service providers and 18-B attorneys assigned in criminal and family
court matters
- Supervise
the operations of the WNY Immigration Assistance Center which includes the
collaboration with our subcontractor, LASROC
- Maintain
the referral pipelines
- Track
and report required data about the work in a timely and accurate manner
- Conduct
outreach within the 7th and 8th Judicial Districts, in
consultation with LASROC
- Work
closely with 18-B attorneys and mandated representation providers, bar
associations, nonprofit organizations, and other entities to develop and
coordinate trainings and develop resource materials that address the
intersections among criminal, family and immigration law
- Train/supervise/mentor
administrative staff and interns that work under the RIAC contract
- Travel
will be required (a driver's license and regular access to a vehicle are
required)
- Variety
of other duties and projects may be assigned
Requirements/Skills - Required:
- admitted
to practice law in NY
- 3
or more years of experience in immigration law
- ability
to work cooperatively with fellow staff, supervisors, interns, subcontractors, judges
and attorneys
- strong
oral and written advocacy skills
- willingness
to work independently while also taking direction and operating as part of a
team
- organizational
ability required to juggle tasks efficiently
- must
be comfortable making presentations to groups
- legal
research software proficiency
Requirements/Skills - Preferred:
- fluency
in Spanish
- admitted
to the Western District of New York
TO APPLY:
Please send a resume
and a cover letter clearly explaining your interest and qualifications. Include
contact information for 3 references and send your materials to: Robert Elardo,
Executive Director/CEO, ECBA Volunteer Lawyers Project, Inc. 438 Main Street, 7th
Floor, Buffalo, NY 14202 or email your materials to relardo@ecbavlp.com.
Applications will be reviewed as received.
VLP
is an equal opportunity employer. Salary depends upon
experience. Excellent benefits including fully paid health insurance, a
cafeteria plan for dependent care and transportation costs, long term
disability insurance, life insurance, 403b plan, Simple Employee Pension Plan,
and generous leave time. Employee paid dental insurance is also available. The
work atmosphere is congenial, respectful and flexible. For information on VLP,
see www.ecbavlp.com |